ENME 414 Computer-Aided Design, Fall 1998

The geometry and dimension of a thin wall plate are shown below. At the central position, there is a slot. The distance between the two centers is 8 mm, indicating that the plate can slide along the horizontal direction. However, there is a pin (not shown) sitting at the middle of the slot to prevent the plate from moving vertically. Two distributed loads, 100 psi, act at the two ends in the horizontal direction. Note that the ends of the plate are free to deform. There are two concentrated loads, 500 lbs, acting in the vertical direction at the two ends.

1. Analyze the results obtained from a combined use of Pro/ENGENEER and ANSYS codes. Your work should include the stress distribution along the horizontal direction - and the deflection in the vertical direction.

2. Identify two factors that affect the accuracy and computing time. They are the size of meshes and the type of mesh used (suggestion: shell mesh and solid mesh).

3. Simplify the solution procedure by introducing a set of constraints on the central plan, considering the fact that the geometry and the load condition are symmetrical. This is critical when you use finite element method. A common approach would be to analyze a half of the entire structure. Make sure that you compare the results to the results in (2).
   
4. Use a color printer to print your results to illustrate the stress distribution and the beam deflection.

5. Optional: Use Pro/MECHANICA to perform the same analysis and compare the results with the results obtained from ANSYS (maximum bonus points: 50).