WORKSHOP 3

BICYCLE PEDAL STATIC ANALYSIS

CAT509, Workshop 3, March 2002

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CAT509, Workshop 3, March 2002

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WORKSHOP 3 BICYCLE PEDAL STATIC ANALYSIS

Problem Description

Your job will be to analyze various components of a mountain

bicycle. We will start with the pedal.
Lets assume a 200 lb person riding this bike is standing, balanced
evenly on each pedal. Material (Steel) properties as specified
below. Use a rough analysis to determine where the high stress
areas exist that will require additional mesh refinement.
Elastic Modulus, E

29.0E6 psi

Poissons Ratio, n

0.3

Density

.284 lb/in3

Yield Strength

36,000 psi

100 lbs

100 lbs

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WORKSHOP 3 BICYCLE PEDAL STATIC ANALYSIS

Suggested Exercise Steps

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Open the existing CATIA part in the Part Design workbench.

Apply steel material properties to the part.
Create a new CATIA analysis document (.CATAnalysis).
Pre-process initial finite element mesh.
Apply a clamp restraint.
Apply a distributed force.
Compute the analysis.
Visualize the analysis results.
Save the analysis document.

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Step 1. Open the existing CATIA part

Open the CATIA part

ws3pedal.CATPart in
the Part Design
workbench.

Steps:
1. Select File and
Open from the top
pull-down menu.
2. Access the class
workshop directory
using the typical
Windows interface.
3. Open the pedal by
double-clicking.

By default, the pedal

and all other CATPart
documents are
opened in the Part
Design workbench.
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Step 2. Apply steel material properties to the part

3
2
1
Before every session
you should verify your
session units.

Steps:
1. Select Tools from
the menu then
Options.
2. Select the General
category then
Parameters.
3. Select Units tab,
change all units to the
English system.

Notice there are many

variables accessed by
a scroll bar, verify and
edit until all units are
consistent. You must
change each one
separately, select OK.

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Step 2. Apply steel material properties to the part

3
1

Steps:
1. Select the Pedal
Part representation
in the features tree.
2. Click the Apply
Material icon.

4
3. Activate the Metal
tab in the Library
window.

6
5

4. Select Steel.
5. Make sure Link to
file is selected, then
select OK.

6. Make certain
material is applied
properly in the
features tree.
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Step 2. Apply steel material properties to the part

Verify and edit

structural material
properties and activate
material rendering.

Steps:

1. Right click Steel in

the features tree.
2. Select Properties.
3. Select Analysis tab.
4. Verify and edit
structural material
properties here, select
OK.
5. Click the
Customized View
Parameters icon to
activate custom view
material rendering.

5
2

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Step 3. Create a new CATIA analysis document

Steps:
1. From the Start
menu select the
Analysis & Simulation
then the Generative
Structural Analysis
workbench.
2. Select Static
Analysis, select OK.

3. Your Static Analysis

document gets
automatically linked to
the CATPart.
4. Note the Material
Property 3D.1
previously specified in
the CATPart document
shows up here in your
CATAnalysis
document.
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Step 3. Create a new CATIA analysis document

Specify the External
Storage directory
locations.

Steps:
1. Select the Storage
Location icon.

2. In the Current
Storage Location
modify the Results
Data location and
rename as shown.
3. In the Current
Storage Location
modify the
Computation Data
location and rename
as shown, select OK.
4. Note the Links
Manager in the
features tree reflects
the paths.

2
3

You can create

specific directories for
additional
organization.
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Step 4. Pre-process initial finite element mesh

Define the global finite

element mesh
properties.
Steps:
1. Double Click the
OCTREE Tetrahedron
Mesh.1:Pedal
representation in the
features tree or the
Mesh icon on the
part.

2. Specify the
recommended rough
Global Size = .25.

3. Specify the
recommended Sag =
10% of Global Size.

4. Specify element
type Linear (TE4,
means 4 node
tetrahedron) and is
good for a rough
analysis, select OK.

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Step 5. Apply a clamp restraint

Steps:

1. Select the Clamp

Restraint
icon.

2. Select the shaft that

attaches to the crank.
3. Select OK.
4. Note the Clamp
object added to the
features tree.

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Step 6. Apply a distributed force

Steps:
1. Select the Force
icon.

4
2. Select the 3 outside
foot grip pads.
3. Enter -100 lbs in the
Z-direction, select OK.

4. Note the Distributed

Force object added to
the features tree.

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Step 7. Compute the analysis

1
2

4
Steps:
1. Select the Compute
icon.

Preview active

2. Compute All Objects

defined, select OK.
3. Notice the estimated
time, memory, disk
requirement and
Warning for decreasing
computation time select Yes to continue.
4. This symbol
indicates
computation required.

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Step 8. Visualize the analysis results

Visualize the finite

element mesh in the
deformed state of the
system as a result of
loading.
Steps:
1. Select the
Deformation Image
Icon.

2. Note the Deformed

Mesh Image added to
the features tree.

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Step 8. Visualize the analysis results

Visualize the Von

Mises stress which is
a combination of all
primary and principal
stresses.
Steps:
1. Select the Stress
Von Mises icon.

2. Note the Image

Deactivated symbol for
the Deformed Mesh
image.

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Step 8. Visualize the analysis results

3
1

4
Visualize the
displacement
vectors.
Steps:
1. Select the
Displacement
icon.
2. Right mouse click
Transl. displacement
vector in the tree.

3. Select Definition.
4. Select Visu tab.
5. Note by default
SYMBOL is selected,
select OK.

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Step 8. Visualize the analysis results

Visualize the
displacement field
patterns using the
AVERAGE-ISO
definition.
Steps:

1. Right click
Translational
displacement vector in
the features tree.
2. Select Definition.
3. Select Visu tab.
4. Select AVERAGEISO, select OK.

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Step 8. Visualize the analysis results

Add additional image

smoothing options to
the AVERAGE-ISO
visualization definition.
Steps:
1. In the Image Edition
window, select the
Iso/Fringe button.
2. Select the box for
ISO smooth.

3. Select OK.

4. Select OK.
Transitions between
colors on the image
display are blended.

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Step 8. Visualize the analysis results

Visualize the
computation error
which represent scalar
field quantities defined
as the distribution of
energy error norm
estimates for a given
computation.

Steps:
1. Select the
Precision icon.

3
2

2. Double click on the

Estimated local error
color map palette.
3. Select Impose Max
for the color map
palette, select OK.
4. Select the
Informations
icon.

5. Then select in the

features tree
Estimated local error.

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Step 8. Visualize the analysis results

Conclusions

You now know where the hot spots are but the stress and displacement results are
questionable with a 43.5% Global Precision Error.

The next step is to refine the mesh in the critical areas. We will go over this in the next
workshop #4.

.25 Linear Mesh

Max Von Mises

24.6 ksi

Translational Displacement

.00407 inch

Error Estimate

8.65e-8

Global % Precision error

Local % Precision error

43.5 %
NA %

Recommendation
Error Estimate

1.00e-8 (zero)

Global % Precision error

Local % Precision error

20 %
10 %

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Step 9. Save the analysis document

Steps:
1. From the File menu
select Save
Management.
2. Select document
you want to save.
3. Select Save As to
specify name and
path, select OK.

The pedal.CATPart
and .CATAnalysis
should each be saved
under a new name in
the work directory.

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