Setting Up Motion Analysis in SolidWorks: A Step-by-Step Guide

Welcome to this part of our Multibody Dynamics using SolidWorks series! Today, we'll guide you through setting up motion analysis for the Geneva mechanism, completing our multibody dynamics assembly. By the end, you'll be able to simulate the interaction between the driver and the driven wheel effectively. Let’s jump right in! 

Step 1: Ensure Assembly Completion and SolidWorks Motion Installation 

Before we proceed, ensure that your SolidWorks assembly is complete. If any components are missing or improperly placed, you won’t be able to run the simulation correctly. Additionally, make sure SolidWorks Motion is installed. You can find it under the Add-Ins menu. If you don’t see the SolidWorks Motion add-in, right-click on the menu ribbon and enable it from the list of available add-ons. 

Once SolidWorks Motion is enabled, you’ll notice a at the bottom of your screen. By default, it may show "Animation," but for our purposes, switch it to Motion Analysis to begin the setup. 

Step 2: Adding the Motor 

Now, let's add a rotary motor to the driver to simulate its movement: 

1. Select the Motor Tool: Click on the motor icon in the toolbar. 
2. Pick the Driver Axis: Select the center axis of the driver component. You’ll see an arrow indicating the direction of the motor's rotation. 
3. Adjust Direction: If needed, reverse the direction by clicking on the arrow. 
4. Set Motor Type and Speed: You can choose different types of motors such as Servo motors or constant speed motors. For simplicity, we’ll set the motor to rotate at a constant 10 RPM. Feel free to experiment with different speeds to see how they affect the simulation. 

You can also set a start time delay if you want the motor to begin later in the simulation. For example, setting a delay of 10 seconds will start the motor after that period. 

 Step 3: Establish Contact Between Driver and Driven Components 

Next, we need to establish the contact forces between the driver and the driven wheel. This step ensures that force transmission occurs when the driver interacts with the driven wheel. 

1. Solid Body Contacts: Select Solid Body Contact and choose both the driver and driven components. 
2. Assign Material: For accuracy, assign material properties. In our case, we’ll use Steel for both components. This will affect how the contact forces are calculated during the simulation.

Step 4: Running the Motion Simulation 

Now that the motor and contact forces are set up, we can run the multibody dynamics simulation: 

1. Set Simulation Time: Decide on the duration of your simulation (e.g., 20 seconds). 
2. Calculate: Click on the Calculate button to start the simulation. The driver spindle will engage with the driven wheel, applying force to rotate the component. Once the driver leaves the slot, the driven wheel will stop, simulating the mechanism's motion. 
3. Observe the Process: The simulation will repeat if the driver re-engages with the driven wheel. You can extend the time if you want to simulate multiple rotations. 

Step 5: Analyzing Motion and Adjustments 

During the simulation, you can play, pause, or even slow down the motion to observe how the driver and driven wheels interact. This feature is particularly useful in SolidWorks for mechanical engineers when dealing with complex motion studies. You can also adjust the playback speed or enable loop mode to see repetitive motions continuously. 

Step 6: Post-Processing the Simulation Results 

Once the simulation is complete, we can extract valuable data for analysis. This is known as post-processing: 

1. Results and Plots: Click on Results and Plots to generate graphs based on the simulation. 
2. Contact Forces: For this example, we’ll analyze the contact forces between the driver and the driven wheel. Select Contact Force and the Total Force Magnitude to see how forces vary during the motion. 
3. Visualizing the Graph: The graph will show time on the X-axis and force on the Y-axis, giving you insight into how the components interact. You can replay the simulation and see when these forces peak. 

This data can be useful for further structural analysis, allowing you to optimize the design and performance of the Geneva mechanism. 

Conclusion 

In this blog, we’ve successfully set up and run a multibody dynamics simulation in SolidWorks for the Geneva mechanism. You now know how to add motors, establish contact forces, run simulations, and analyze the results. This process is an essential part of SolidWorks for students and professionals looking to master multibody dynamics modeling in SolidWorks. 

If you’re interested in advancing your skills, consider enrolling in a SolidWorks certification course or the Skill-Lync MBD Course. These courses provide comprehensive training in multibody dynamics, motion studies, and SolidWorks simulation. 

Stay tuned for the next blog, where we’ll dive deeper into extracting and optimizing simulation data! 

 This blog is part of our ongoing series on Multibody Dynamics using SolidWorks. 

If you missed the previous posts, check them out here.   

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