The analysis of thin components focuses on efficiently modeling and simulating structures with a small thickness, utilizing shell elements instead of solid elements, and frequently employing symmetry boundary conditions to reduce computation time.
This example demonstrates the use of shell elements and symmetry in a static analysis to simplify the 3D geometry of a thin-walled pulley (made of AISI 1020) and reduce the computational effort required to analyze its deflection and stress under a pressure load.
Mesh plot
Stress plot
Displacement plot
Reaction force
Source
- MySolidWorks Training
- Learning Path: SW Simulations
This content (including the analysis setup, simulation execution, and all resulting visual content—screenshots and videos) was individually performed and generated by me in SolidWorks Simulation, utilizing a combination of custom and existing parts provided by SolidWorks as guided by the MySolidWorks Training curriculum.
Chris Wachter | Portfolio 