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MRMichael Rowen01/02/2017

I was doing a loading analysis on a frame to check how much deflection one of the members would experience, and I noticed the result seemed off by about an order of magnitude from what I expected. I decided to take things down to the most basic level, and isolate just the beam. I fixed it at both ends for the simulation and applied 100 lbf at the center of it, by sketching a small rectangle and then using the split line feature to allow me to place the load only there.

Then, I compared the result of my simulation to hand calculations (Beam Bending Equations Calculator Supported on Both Ends Single Load at Center | Engineers Edge )

My simulation indicates a maximum deflection on the beam of .0058 inches, whereas the calculations indicate a maximum deflection of .023 inches. I'm using the 6105's elastic modulus as indicated in SolidWorks and the area moment of inertia for a square beam with a width of 1.5". I'm not sure why this discrepancy in the maximum deflection occurs.

I have attached the file of the beam with the static simulation.