Tactile Switch – Parametric Sweep FEA

This simulation tutorial will guide you through:

• Applying a force load to a tactile switch
• Adding a parameter to a load
• Viewing the displacement in the simulation results

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 Tactile Switch.

Assign materials

1. Using either the Model tree or the 3D viewer, select Leg 1, Leg 2, Leg 3, Leg 4 and Cover.
2. From the Material dropdown in the properties panel, assign Aluminum to these five parts.
3. Using either the Model tree or the 3D viewer, select Body and Button.
4. From the Material dropdown in the  properties panel, assign Acrylic Plastic to these two parts.

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 either the Model tree (preferably) or the 3D viewer, select the Bottom Left and Bottom Right faces within the Body of the assembly.
5. Ensure that the restraint type is a fixture in the right hand panel.
6. Then select Done.

Add a force load

1. Select Force in the toolbar to add a force load.
2. Using either the Model tree or the 3D viewer, select Button Center Face which is located within the Button part of the assembly.
3. In the properties panel, hover the mouse over the Force input box to assign a load to this face.
4. Click the symbol 
   
5. Set the Start Value to 0.1, End Value to 1 and Number of Values to 10.
6. Click Done and click Done again, in the properties panel.

Run a simulation

1. Select the simulator tab.
2. Click on the Launcher to run the simulation.
3. You should see a queue for 10 simulations scheduled to run in parallel.
4. 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. In the properties panel, click on the direction arrows to view the various results for the different load parameters.
4. View the results for the 6th load parameter. Do you get a maximum displacement equal to 66.51 mm?