Preface (UP19980818 ) http://uic.edu/depts/accc/software/ansys/html/guide_55/g-str/GSTRPre.

htm

Preface

Topics in This Manual

This manual, the ANSYS Structural Analysis Guide, documents many types of model analysis, including
structural, modal, transient, buckling, and harmonic.

Topics in Other ANSYS Manuals

Three other manuals in the ANSYS documentation set explain how to use various capabilities of the ANSYS
program:

The ANSYS Modeling and Meshing Guide explains techniques for building a finite element model.
The ANSYS Operations Guide discusses basic procedures for using the ANSYS product: how to start it
and stop it, how to conduct an ANSYS session, hints and tips for using the product's graphical user
interface (GUI), etc.
The ANSYS Advanced Analysis Techniques Guide describes procedures and topics commonly used by
ANSYS users who have extensive experience in using the program, in complex analyses, or both.
Among other topics, this document discusses how to optimize designs, how to use submodeling and
substructuring to enhance analyses of problems that are large or require extensive computer resources,
and how to use the ANSYS Parametric Design Language to create parameters and macros, and other
items that simplify model building

Additional manuals in the documentation set explain how to perform analyses for various disciplines, describe
theory and ANSYS implementation of it, and ANSYS command syntax.

Conventions This Manual Uses

This manual uses several conventions to help you identify various types of information:

Type style or
Indicates
text
BOLD Uppercase, bold text indicates command names (such as K, DDELE, etc.)
Bold text in mixed case indicates a menu path, which is a series of menu picks used to access
a command from the GUI. One or more angle brackets (>) separate menu items in a menu
Bold>Bold path. Frequently in text, an ANSYS command is followed by its GUI equivalent in
parentheses:
the *GET command (Utility Menu>Parameters>Get Scalar Data)
Uppercase italic letters indicate command arguments for numeric values (such as VALUE,
ITALICS INC, TIME). On some commands, non-numeric convenience labels (for example, ALL and
P) can also be entered for these arguments.
Mixed case italic letters indicate command arguments for alphanumeric values (for example,
Italics
Lab or Fname). The manual also uses italic text for emphasis.

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Typewriter font indicates command input listings, ANSYS output listings, and text that an
TYPEWRITER
ANSYS user enters.
This text introduces note paragraphs. A note contains information that supplements the main
Note-
topic being discussed.
Paragraphs that begin with the word "Caution" in bold warn you about actions or situations
Caution:
that potentially may cause problems or unexpected ANSYS behavior or results.
Paragraphs that begin with the word "Warning" in bold warn you about actions or situations
Warning:
that can shut down the ANSYS program, can damage files, etc.

The ANSYS Product Family

In addition to ANSYS/Multiphysics, ANSYS, Inc. offers a variety of derived products (listed below) with
features tailored for specific finite element analysis disciplines. Manuals in the ANSYS documentation set
(particularly the ANSYS Commands Reference and ANSYS Elements Reference), frequently use
two-character codes to indicate which ANSYS products can use a specific capability, command, element, etc.
This information is important, because some command arguments and element KEYOPT settings have
defaults in the derived products that differ from those in the ANSYS/Multiphysics product.

The "Product Restrictions" sections of the descriptions of the affected commands and elements clearly
document such cases. If you plan to use a derived product input file in the ANSYS/Multiphysics product,
explicitly input these settings in the derived product rather than using the default. Otherwise, your file will
not behave as you expect. The following table summarizes the primary ANSYS derived products and their
capabilities. (The Y indicates which capabilities each product offers.) The key preceding the capabilities table
lists each ANSYS product code and its related ANSYS product.

Capabilities Offered by Each ANSYS Product

Code Product Code Product Code Product

Mp ANSYS/Multiphysics Th ANSYS/Thermal PP ANSYS/PrepPost
Me ANSYS/Mechanical FL ANSYS/FLOTRAN ED ANSYS/ED
St ANSYS/Structural E3 ANSYS/Emag 3-D Dy ANSYS/LS-DYNA
LP ANSYS/LinearPlus E2 ANSYS/Emag 2-D DP ANSYS/LS-DYNA PrepPost
Capability ANSYS Product Codes
Mp Me St LP Th Fl E3 E2 PP ED Dy DP
Linear Stress: Y Y Y Y - - - - - Y - -
Structural Nonlinear:
Geometric Y Y Y Y - - - - - Y Y -
Material Y Y Y - - - - - - Y Y -
Element Y Y Y Y - - - - - Y Y -
Dynamic Analysis: - - - - - - - - - - - -
Modal Y Y Y Y - - - - - Y - -
Spectrum Y Y Y Y - - - - - Y - -
Harmonic Y Y Y Y - - - - - Y - -
Random Vibration Y Y Y - - - - - - Y - -

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Structural Transient:
Linear Y Y Y Y - - - - - Y - -
Nonlinear Y Y Y - - - - - - Y Y -
Buckling:
Linear Y Y Y Y - - - - - Y - -
Nonlinear Y Y Y - - - - - - Y Y -
Substructuring: Y Y Y - - - - - - Y - -
Thermal:
Steady State Y Y - - Y Y - - - Y - -
Transient Y Y - - Y Y - - - Y - -
Conduction Y Y - - Y Y - - - Y - -
Convection Y Y - - Y Y - - - Y - -
Radiation Y Y - - Y Y - - - Y - -
Phase Change Y Y - - Y - - - - Y - -
CFD:
Steady State Y - - - - Y - - - Y - -
Transient Y - - - - Y - - - Y - -
Incompressible Y - - - - Y - - - Y - -
Compressible Y - - - - Y - - - Y - -
Laminar Y - - - - Y - - - Y - -
Turbulent Y - - - - Y - - - Y - -
Natural Convection Y - - - - Y - - - Y - -
Forced Convection Y - - - - Y - - - Y - -
Conjugate Heat Transfer Y - - - - Y - - - Y - -
Multiple Species Y - - - - Y - - - Y - -
Electromagnetics:
Magnetostatics Y - - - - - Y Y - Y - -
Low Frequency Transient Y - - - - - Y Y - Y - -
Low Frequency AC Harmonic Y - - - - - Y Y - Y - -
Electrostatics Y - - - - - Y Y - Y - -
Current Conduction Y - - - - - Y Y - Y - -
Circuit Coupled Y - - - - - Y Y - Y - -
High Frequency Modal Y - - - - - Y - - Y - -
High Frequency AC Harmonic Y - - - - - Y - - Y - -
Field and Coupled -Field:
Acoustics Y Y - - - - - -
- Y - -
Acoustics-Structural Y Y - - - - - -
- Y - -
Electric- Magnetic Y - - - - - Y Y - Y - -
Fluid- Structural Y - - - - - - - - Y - -

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Fluid-Thermal Y - - - - Y - - - Y - -
Magnetic- Fluid Y - - - - - - - - Y - -
Magnetic-Structural Y - - - - - - - - Y - -
Magnetic-Thermal Y - - - - - - - - Y - -
Piezoelectrics Y Y - - - - - - - Y - -
Thermal-Electric Y Y - - Y - - - - Y - -
Thermal-Structural Y Y - - - - - - - Y - -
Electro-Magnetic-ThermalStruct Y Y - - - - - - - Y - -
Solvers:
Frontal Y Y Y Y Y - Y Y - Y - -
Sparse Y Y Y Y Y - Y Y - Y - -
Iterative Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y - Y - -
Explicit - - - - - - - - - - Y -
Preprocessing:
IGES Geometry Transfer Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Solid Modeling Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Meshing Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Loads and Boundary Conditions Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Postprocessing:
Contour Displays Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Vector Displays Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Animation Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Results Listing Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Output (VRML, Postscript,TIFF) Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Submodeling: Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y - -
Optimization: Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y -
ANSYS Parametric Design Language (APDL): Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
See the ANSYS Basic Analysis Procedures Guide Preface for product information.

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