Simply Supported Beam Deflection

I'm not too familiar with SW beam elements, but there were two issues I noticed when playing with this in 2014:

1. Your constraints were defined on the end faces of the part (not the joints).
2. You're using a fixed constraint, so your finite element model is that of a fixed-fixed beam.

Item #1 prevented me from running the model, and Item #2 will prevent you from getting the expected results. After fixing Items #1 and #2, I get a peak displacement of 36.42 in.

I should point out that this displacement value is large enough to violate small displacement theory, so please keep this in mind when using the results.

EDIT: I totally fubbed up my constraints and didn't realize it until I read Jared's post. I did a pin-pin, not a pin-roller. I can't get a license at the moment, but a pin-roller should give you a value larger than what I gave.

this question gets answered a lot. almost always it is a matter of what your calculatin is, the assumptions it makes and whether your setup matches simulation. unlikely that the software is not solving a standard problem correctly. look at the AFNOR document and validation examples for more information on standard examples

what are the assumptions in your hand calculation? like shaun says, if you violate the small displacement theory, static analysis be invalid

beam, shell, solid, all have different assumptions regarding idealization. do any of them match?

your restraints have to match. simply supported would mean that one end should be able to slide. does that happen?