I-beam

This simulation tutorial will guide you through:

• Applying a force load to a welded I-Beam
• Customizing a material for a simulation study
• Viewing the displacement in the simulation results
• Comparing results with analytical approach

Import the CAD file

1. In OnScale Solve, from the Projects tab of the dashboard, create a new project.
2. In the ToolBar, click (+) and then Library. Within the OnScale Library, Select I-Beam.

Assign a material

1. Using either the Model tree or the 3D viewer, select the I-Beam.
2. From the Material dropdown in the properties panel, select + Create Material to customize your material of choice
3. Rename material in the Material Name Box to Custom Steel 
4. Within the Mechanical Properties dropdown menu, set the Young’s Modulus to 210e9 Pa.
5. Click Done to save changes.

Add a fixture

1. Select the tab.
2. In the toolbar, ensure that the Mechanical Physics tab is on.
3. Select Restraint as the constraint to fix the appropriate surfaces for the study.
4. Using the Model tree, select I-Section (Front).
5. Ensure that the restraint type is a fixture in the right hand panel, then select Done.
6. Again, select Restraint.
7. Using the Model tree, select I-Section (Back), then select Done.
8. Ensure that the restraint type is a fixture in the right hand panel, then select Done.

Add a force load

1. Select Force in the toolbar to add a force load.
2. Using the Model tree, select the Top Flange of the I-Beam.
3. In the properties panel, enter 100,000 N as the Force, and click Done.

Run a simulation

1. Select the Simulator tab.
2. Click on the Launcher to run the simulation
3. Once the meshing and estimation is complete, Select Launch to run the simulation study.

Analyze the results

1. Once the simulation has finished, select Load Results to open the results in the Results tab.
2. There is a wide range of output categories to choose from. Select Displacement from the options
3. Expand the Settings option and toggle Show Mesh on.
4. Analysis:

The schematic represents the simulation study set up. We can compute the maximum displacement for the welded I-Beam using the formula below: The predicted value in OnScale Solve of 0.79 mm is pretty close to the analytical solution of 0.75 mm according to the percent error calculation.