When I run the thermal simulation at 200 °C with ABS plastic, it should've melted, or at least deformed. However, when I run the simulation, it says that there is no deformation. What did I do wrong and what should I do?
When I run the thermal simulation at 200 °C with ABS plastic, it should've melted, or at least deformed. However, when I run the simulation, it says that there is no deformation. What did I do wrong and what should I do?
Here are two pictures when I ran the simulation. Not sure what's wrong. Says no deformation.
EDIT: I ran it only at 100°C, but it should easily have deformed a bit.
Do you have gravity defined in your study? This might be your problem.
Oh I didn't know you had to put in gravity. I thought that was a given.
Anyway, where would I change that?
It would be in the external loads. I do not have Solidworks simulation right now but I know this is something that I have to define in the software that I use.
Look here for help;
Hm, it was a good reply, but it seems that using gravity is a entirely new type of study (Static vs Thermal). Using a static analysis I can see deformations pretty clearly due to force/gravity, etc. but I still can't seem to work out deformations through thermal analysis.
Nice reference. I almost got it, but the only thing that the simulation doesn't work is where it says "Thermal Expansion Coefficient (Alphx) is not defined for element 1. Check material" even though I already set it as ABS plastic. I don't get how to set the coefficient etc.
you can set the coefficient in the material properties
Have you looked at the ABS material to see if it has the Thermal Expansion Coefficient filled out? I am looking at the standard ABS material in Solidworks and it does not have it filled in.
Yep, I'm not sure how to add in my own numbers for that. Any suggestions?
You would have to create a custom material in your custom folder, you could copy the standard material and paste it in the custom folder and it will let you fill in that property. The thermal expansion coefficient is going to be very specific to the material that you are using. I take most of my information from www.matweb.com and it gives a very large range depending on what you are using. This is what it shows for ABS molded.
Seeing from the screenshots that htis is a thermal only study, deforamations/displacements are not solved for. The only unknowns being solved are the equivalent of displacements: temperatures. And so gravity is not considered. However, convective losses are considered and you need to apply convective heat transfer to the surfaces that are in contact with whatever fluid medium this item would be in contact. (I use engineering.com's toolbox for some generic heat transfer coefficients between solids and fluids)
Once your thermal study runs then you can couple the results to a static simulation and get your developed stresses and displacements.
Please upload the model. I think you have not setup the study correct.
Janko Stellaard
Cadmes BV
The Netherlands