hello everyone,

  new to the forum and new to solidworks simulation.

I'm trying to determine if a gate assembly will be able to handle a certain amount of pound force. this is what I've done so far. all my knowledge on solidworks is from online searches and forums such as this one, so bare with me.

first I simplified the part by removing all the fillets. Then I looked for gaps and edited the individual parts to close the gaps (do I need to set Contact settings here, all I did was edit the dimensions).   From what I've read, I needed to save the assembly as a part, and I did that. Now, I have about 58 solid bodies in the new part file.  I then used the solidworks Features/combine to combine most parts, and reduced it down to 6 solid bodies. this is where I'm stuck. I looked at the part and found the inside door is not making contact with the outside frame.  I guess I will have to fix that.

so my question is, is it possible to apply a load on to an assembly? or do I have to save it as a part?

and

is my approach correct?  or how would a professional solidworks user go about doing FEA on a gate.

also,

will I need to set my Contact settings on the inside door and the frame as well as the hinges and other parts that are capable of moving? I think after combining the 58 solid bodies into 1 would make it a bonded contact right, and it will act as one solid piece.

hope I make sense...

thanks!

David