Gravity Force - Self Weight

Modified on Wed, 13 Dec, 2023 at 5:50 PM

What is in this Article?

1. Introduction

2. Self Weight Load

3. How to create Self-Weight

4. Other parameters affect Self-weight


1. Introduction

The Self Weight is represented for the affection of gravity to the model. Self-weight is a load type, so that the creating belongs to the Modeling - Crate Load Case & Load stage. This article will give more information about this load and how to use it with Akselos Modeler

Add Load Cases is a part of the Modeling steps in Akselos Workflow to build any simulation model. 

Terminologies


Block

A block or set of elements/mesh regions as known as a sub-domain of a component

Components

Components created by the componentization process to use with Akselos Integra 

Subdomain

A group of mesh elements inside a component


2. Self Weight Load

This type of load is applied to volumes and is used to model the force effect of the weight of the volume based on its material properties.

Figure 1. Self-weight of an object

* See how to Create Load Case and Load first ?  

The  Self-Weight load can be applied on: Components or Subdomains.

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Figure 2. Self-Weight is applied on components (left) and a subdomain (right)

The fixed value of gravity acceleration for this load is g = 9.80665 m/s2. So users can use the “g” to present for the gravity value.

The parameters of this load include:

  • Stored Selection: the stored selection of components or subdomains that the load applies on.
  • Load Type: select Material Volume Load for Self-weight cases.
  • Other Properties: to define the gravity effective direction by giving a vector. The magnitude of the vector will be taken into account as a scaling factor for the self-weight load.
    • scalling_x: x direction acceleration value, following the global coordinate system.
    • scalling_y: y direction acceleration value, following the global coordinates system.
    • scalling_z: z direction acceleration value, following the global coordinate system.

Figure 3. Parameters of the Self-Weight

*Note: The z direction is not always the gravity direction. Depending on the global coordinate system of the model. users sometime need to use all three parameters (scalling_x,y,z) to have the correct self-weight load. 

 

The formula using for Self-weight:


Mesh importer default ID convention: Material Volume Load Operator is assigned for mesh blocks in any ID.


3. How to create Self-Weight

For any load type, there must be a target that the load will be applied on. In Akselos Modeler, the targets for loads are stored selections. The stored selection for Self-weight load can be one of the stored selections below.


Figure 4. Stored Selections for Load

The created Self-weight includes two main steps: Create Self-weight and set its parameters.

3.1. Create Self-weight:

STEP 1: On the Model Tree, right-click on Load Cases select Add Load Case.

Figure 5. Add Load Case

STEP 2: Right-click on New Load Case → Select Add Load …

Figure 6. Add Load

STEP 3: On New Load Case / Load dialog, select Material Volume Load Cick Save.

Figure 7. add Material Volume Load


3.2. Setting Parameters:

STEP 1: On the new Material Volume Load 1 set Stored Selection: All_components or All_subdomains which are already created.

STEP 2: On Other Properties Set value(s) for parameters.

Figure 8. Set parameters for load


Other parameters affect Self-weight

The Self-Weight of the model is mainly affected by the mass density of the material used to make it. If the material is not defined in the imported mesh file, the mass density will be set to a default value of 7850 kg/m^3.

Figure 9. Mass density of a subdomain






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