Understanding the root cause from simulation error message

[jpones1975]

When I try to do a FEA simulation for the machine I get following error:

And many more such warnings and then this:

The DOF view is fully green, so cannot find any issues. The validity check also passes. 

Appreciate if some one could let me know how to find the root cause for this error starting with the error message.

Thanks

P

[TheCADWhisperer]

@jpones1975 

Can you File>Export your *.f3d file to your local drive and then Attach it here to a Reply?

[John_Holtz]

Hi @jpones1975 

If you view the output file, the warning/error summary at the end of the output should give E5000, E5001, or E5004. (To view the output file, right-click on "Results > Solver Data > Output".) There are three things that cause this error:

• lack of constraints or contact. (Fusion should have detect this properly with the DOF view, so this is not your problem.)
• bad material properties, such as a Poisson's ratio of 0.5, or two materials with vastly different modulus of elasticity such that Emax/Emin is a large ratio. (I do not know if Fusion checks for this.) Confirm the material properties are reasonable. (And don't assume the properties in the library are correct.)
• bad mesh that has caused distorted elements. Fusion may not check for this. Or maybe Fusion does check and the original mesh is okay, but the bad mesh occurs because the parts have interference and the process of removing the interference at the contact has distorted the mesh. I see from your screen capture that there is at least one bad element: 678487 and the warning about "SINGULAR GEOMETRY". Singularities are usually fatal in an analysis. The solutions to try are as follows:
  • Under the mesh settings, uncheck the option for "curved elements".
  • Use a smaller mesh size.

John