Challenge 2- Comparing the performance of three types of beams under bending load.
Objective:
The aim of this challenge is to perform a simulation of the bending of a beam and comapre the results for 3 different cross-sections in terms of stress, strain and displacement values.
Case setup and execution:
For all the 3 cases following procedure was followed:
First the cross section of the beam was sketched, which was extruded to the length of 400 mm.
To create fillets, the "Sketch fillets" option was used. The "Smart dimensioning" option was used to ensure the accurate dimensions of the sketches.
Then from the “Solidworks add-ins”, “Simulation” option was selected. This opened the simulator GUI of the software.
Here the type of simulation was selected as “Static” and “linear”.
To ensure uniformity, all the 3 beams were assigned the same material of carbon steel.
By right-clicking the “Fixtures” option, “Fixed geometry” option was selected. The 2 opposite faces of the beams were fixed in all DOFs.
Under “external loads”, “Force” was used to apply the force of 1500 N on the specified face of the beam.
Then by right-clicking on “mesh” the “create mesh” option was selected to mesh the entire model.
Then the “Run this study” option was selected to solve the simulation.
The results are presented below:
Results:
Rectangular section
Stress
Strain
Displacement
I-section
Stress
Strain
Displacement
C-section
Stress
Strain
Displacement
Conclusion:
The following table summarises the results (maximum values):
| Section | Rectangular | I-section | C-section |
| Stress (MPa) | 1.409 | 4.851 | 16.37 |
| Strain | 4.915e-06 | 1.758e-05 | 5.252e-05 |
| Displacement (mm) | 9.094e-04 | 5.220e-03 | 3.630e-02 |
Thus the C-section has the highest values of deflection, strain and stress. The results go on increasing from rectangular to I-section to C-section. This is due to the different values of the area moment of inertia of the 3 sections as well as the different geometry, which affects the deformation. The rectangular section is the best out of the 3. Thus the simulation is successfully completed.