Solid Edge for simulationand optimization
Solution brief

Siemens PLM Software

The Solid Edge® software embedded
simulation solution, Solid Edge
Simulation, enables engineers to ensurethat designs are appropriate for their
purpose: strong enough to do the job,
but not overbuilt. Solid Edge Simulation
offers several different types of simulation analyses, including linear static,
thermal, vibration (or modal) andbuckling, as well as combinations ofmultiple study types.
Analyzing beams and frames with asubtype of linear static analysis
Beam analysis is a great tool in Solid
Edge Simulation for users who design
frame structures. Using beam analysis,
you can quickly validate the strength ofparts and assemblies, focusing solely onframe elements and eliminating thetime and resources required to analyze
complex shapes and features. Beamanalysis enables you to see if assemblies

are overbuilt based on the amount ofstress exerted on them, potentiallycausing manufacturing to spend moremoney than necessary on stock materials. The user-friendly interface of Solid
Edge Simulation, which is completely
integrated in Solid Edge, makes it easyto create simulation studies.

the study. This allows you to create
real-life scenarios to test your 3D parts.
Once the study is set up, running abeam analysis is fast and efficient. With
Solid Edge Simulation, you don’t need
to worry about the exact frame geometry to solve for the reaction forces on
its members.

When creating analyses in Solid Edge,
there is a consistent and intuitive
workflow. It consists of defining thegeometry that makes up the study,
setting appropriate loads the part orassembly will be subjected to andsetting constraints to simulate proper
reactions from the elements making up

www.siemens.com/solidedge

Once solved, Solid Edge provides aneasy-to-understand readout of theresults. If changes need to be made,Solid Edge allows you to quickly andeasily edit the model, and then simply
rerun the existing simulation study toreview results of the change.
In addition to supporting multiple study
types, Solid Edge can be used to leverage several mesh types, including
surface meshing, solid meshing or bothto optimize speed and accuracy whensimulating parts and assemblies.
Take, for example, a leveler, made up ofa threaded bolt running through anadjustment bracket (used to control thebalance of the suspended engine).

Imagine there is a requirement that thebolt can’t bend more than 1 millimeter(mm) because the adjustment bracket
won’t work properly.

To optimize the simulation analysis, youcan represent sheet metal end caps as
surfaces, a much more lightweight
representation for the study. Mixing
surface and general body meshes is agreat way to simulate sheet metal
bodies along with formed parts.

Once everything is set up, you can meshand solve the study. Solid Edge gives
users complete control over the meshsettings for both solid and surface
meshes. You can easily change yourview of results; for example, from stress
distribution to displacement using a
dropdown.

With the end caps defined, you can thenset up the study. No matter the type ofstudy being run, common steps areused to set them up. You have geometry, loads and constraints – just like inbeam analysis – but in the assembly
study you need to define how the partsconnect (this was done automatically inthe beam analysis based on the proximity of the beams to one another).
Solid Edge Simulation provides great
connection creation tools such as
options for bolted, edge and manual
definitions. However, one of the besttime-saving options is the auto connection command, which allows you toquickly create all connectors
automatically.

If you don’t get your desired results thefirst time – such as if our beam from theprevious example has a displacement of
more than 1 mm – Solid Edge synchronous technology allows you to easily
make changes to your design depending on your objectives. However, rather
than manually making time-consumingchanges to reach the appropriate
results, Solid Edge provides simulation
optimization to automate and optimize
your design.
Simulation optimization is a wizardbased tool that allows users to define
objectives of simulation studies andcustomize how their parts can bechanged in order to converge on themost optimized version. In this case,simply set your objective to a maximum
displacement of 1 mm.

Next, define the limits of the parts,
such as stresses they cannot exceed,
and define what changes you want
Solid Edge to make, such as thickness
and length of components.
The remainder of the options in thestudy define what is considered solved.
The optimization function iterates,
taking the values of each subsequent
study to make closer approximations towhat the most optimized condition will
be in much less time than it would taketo run each of these studies independently. In the end, Solid Edge provides
you with a comprehensive summary of
all of the studies and their associatedvalues.
The optimization summary is producedin Excel spreadsheet software, allowing
you to easily customize the output ifdesired.

Once optimized, you can save andoutput results, including animations, foruse in design reviews, marketing materials, etc. Generating study reports from

Solid Edge Simulation is easy; by using
Solid Edge, you can automate thecreation of screen captures of study
results and other pertinent information
with multiple options for output
formatting.

As you can see, Solid Edge Simulation iswell suited for design engineers: frommaking sure your designs are appropriate for their purpose and providing asimple and intuitive method for setting
up studies, to a full optimization capability that automates solving multiple
variables with minimal designer input.
You can do this by leveraging Femap™
software and Nastran® software, industry-leading simulation technology.

To see simulation and optimization inaction, check out the video below:
https://youtu.be/515un5vL-2Y?list=PL1
m1vu8_quoDNRgX4We5aFJJOsORatflT

Siemens PLM Software
www.siemens.com/plm
Americas +1 314 264 8287
Europe+44 (0) 1276 413200
Asia-Pacific +852 2230 3308

© 2017 Siemens Product Lifecycle Management
Software Inc. Siemens and the Siemens logo
are registered trademarks of Siemens AG.
D-Cubed, Femap, Fibersim, Geolus, I-deas, J T,NX, Parasolid, Solid Edge, Syncrofit, Teamcenterand Tecnomatix are trademarks or registeredtrademarks of Siemens Product Lifecycle
Management Software Inc. or its subsidiaries inthe United States and in other countries. Excel
is a trademark or registered trademark ofMicrosoft Corporation. Nastran is a registeredtrademark of the National Aeronautics andSpace Administration. All other trademarks,registered trademarks or service marks belong
to their respective holders.
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