Studying Deflection
One basic output from structural simulation is determining the deflection under applied loads and restraints. This is quite easy to do in Scan&Solve and is shown in the following steps.
Step 1: Run the Simulation
The maximum deflection can be determined on the [View] tab once the simulation results have been computed. The specific material, restraints, and loads will depend on the physical situation being simulated. A few examples:
When the simulation is complete, click over to the [View] tab to see the results.
Step 2: Display Displacement Solution Component
From the Solution Component combobox, choose the Total Displacement solution component.
Once the displacement solution component has been chosen, several different outputs are possible.
Option 2a: Maximum Displacement Value
The value of maximum displacement is reported as the highest value on the legend.
Option 2b: Maximum Displacement Location
The location of the maximum displacement is identified by clicking the [Max.] button in the Mark group. This will insert a leader pointing to the location of the maximum displacement.
Option 2c: Deformed Shape
The actual deformed shape under the specified loads and restraints is displayed by entering a scale factor of 1.0 into the edit box of the Deflection group.
Usually the deformation is much too small to be visible at a scale factor of 1, so much larger scale factors can be entered, or the Deflection slider can be used to interactively choose a scale factor.