Duplicate skeleton driven assembly

[szeles1996]

Hi,

I am working on a modell, driven by a skeleton (i have a seperate part file in which I have made the skeleton whic drives the parts - multibody design - the individual parts are created by the "make components" feature). I would like to run a FEM analysis in Ansys, however some simplificaions are needed to be done on the modell. 

I would like to hear suggestion on how can i copy the mutlibody part, the individual parts and the main assembly, so that it still driven by the skeleton (seperately from the original one) and that Inventor wont be mixing up the simplied and the original parts. 

In the main assemebly several parts are constraid (several parts are the same through the machine), the main assembly is not einterly driven by the master multibody part. I am working with an ipj, the location and the workspace is assgined. 

Thanks in advance. 

[jtylerbc · Accepted solution]

To do what you are actually asking for, I would use the Copy function in Design Assistant to create the independent copy of the assembly, skeleton, and resulting parts.

However, to make an analysis copy like you describe, this is not the method I would typically use.  Generally I would make a derived part from the assembly, keeping separate solid bodies.  This part becomes the analysis model instead of your copied assembly.  I would then use Direct Edit functions in the part to do my simplification, deleting faces to remove holes, moving faces to close gaps, etc.  If necessary, you can add additional features in the part, such as extruding "plates" to apply the load to a specific area.

With this method, everything stays linked together, including your analysis model.  So if you make changes to the original, you don't have to duplicate those changes on your analysis copy - you just open and update it.

Skeleton --> Parts

Parts --> Assembly

Assembly --> Analysis Part

Essentially this is the multisolid workflow, but backwards (going from assembly to single part).  One thing to note here is that if the assembly is 100% driven by the multisolid, then you can just derive the skeleton instead of the assembly.  Where I work, we sometimes use this technique to do preliminary analysis before we have even pushed out the individual components and built the assembly.

One thing to note here - we are still using Autodesk Simulation Mechanical for the time being.  So I have no experience with using this method in Ansys.  I would expect it to work, but have never done it myself.

[szeles1996]

What you have suggested is a supprinsigly simple, intutitve and adaptive solution. Thank you very much, for sure I will use this method later on.

The only reason why I cannot (not efficiently) use this method is that fact that my design consits of mutliple I beams, and for the FEM calculation only (the modell must resemble the real beam) i would like to remove the skewness of the beams which dirven my be the skeleton. 

I will use the copy feature, i will get back later. 

Thank you very much, you have given a very good piece of advice for me. 

[jtylerbc]

That makes sense.  The derived part solution works for my company in most cases, but occasionally we run into something that it doesn't work well for also.

It doesn't solve everything, but where it applies, it can be very useful.