ANSYS AIM HIGH SCHOOL PROJECT GUIDEEARTHQUAKE RESISTANT BUILDINGSCHOOLPeters Township High School (McMurray, Pennsylvania)
INSTRUCTOR
Christopher Allen

CONTACTallenc@pt-sd.org

PROJECT OBJECTIVE
Design a structural steel system for a building that can survive a 4.0 earthquake for 10 seconds.
PROJECT OVERVIEWThis project follows the iterative design method (prototyping, testing, analyzing, and refining thedesign) to achieve minimum requirements with a primary goal of a project-based approach toarchitectural and structural design. This portion of the overall project is completed in a digitalformat using ANSYS AIM to test structural steel systems in the event of a 4.0 earthquake.
Results of the structural analysis are utilized when building a physically scaled model of thedesign.
PROJECT STRATEGYThis project relies upon the scaffolding method in education culminating with a project-based
challenge. Prior knowledge includes parametric modeling techniques, structural engineering
concepts, architectural concepts, technologies in construction, and material science. This
project is presented to students in three phases: research, design and simulation, physicalscaled model test.
Research Phase:​ As an introduction to this project students are exposed to skyscraper building
design concepts and technologies past, present, and future. The next step in this phase is todiscuss concepts relating to natural disasters and how they affect buildings, focusing specificallyon earthquake. Finally, students research steel structure systems and how they are used in theconstruction of a building.
Design and Simulation Phase:​ Students begin preliminary designs in the form of rough sketches
and moving on to technical drawings. This leads them into the parametric modeling phase
where a teams of two students produce individual 3D models of a steel structure system for a
four-floored building. These models are each tested in ANSYS AIM to determine which of thetwo designs would perform better during a 4.0 earthquake.
Physical Scaled Model Phase:​ Based on the results from the Design and Simulation Phase, theteams will build a 40:1 scaled model of the steel structure system they perform the best during
the simulation. The scaled model will be tested on an earthquake simulation shake table andvideo will be recorded for analysis and evaluation. Students will used the video to determine thefailures in their design and compare with the results from the ANSYS AIM simulation test.

EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT BUILDINGREQUIREMENTS AND GRADING RUBRICDIRECTIONS
Section 1:​ Design and develop a 3D model of a steel structure system for a building with thegiven ​Building Requirements​ below.
Section 2:​ Export your building design as a ​STEP File​ and use ANSYS AIM to test the ​Verticaland Horizontal Loads ​with the parameters below.
SECTION 1: 3D MODEL
Building Requirements (20 pts.): ​Minus 5 points from final grade for every infraction
Base/Foundation Dimensions
LengthWidth
Height160 in.
160 in.
20 in.
Overall Tower Dimensions
Lengths
Width
Height160-200 in.
160-200 in.
520 in.
Individual Floor Dimensions
LengthWidth
Height (including 1 beam)
160-200 in.
160-200 in.
120 in.
General Building Requirements
Required Number of Floor
Steel Beam Dimensions
Live Load Per Floor
45 in.
30 psi.
SECTION 2: SIMULATION
Vertical Load Simulation Results (60 pts.)
Equivalent Stress (40 pts.):​ If the maximum value of equivalent stress induced in the material is morethan strength of the material the design will fail. Points are awarded based on the performance of yourdesign in the simulation.
MassLow (32,000 & Below)

Mid (32,001-38,000)

High (38,001 & Above)

StressBelow
Yellow

Yellow

Above
Yellow

Below
Yellow

Yellow

Above
Yellow

Below
Yellow

Yellow

Above
Yellow

Value

4037353330

2725

23

20

Displacement Magnitude (20 pts.): ​Distance, as measured directly between the start point and theend point with no directional consideration.
Below Yellow

Yellow(based on the number of contact points)

Above Yellow

206-1952Horizontal (Seismic) Load Simulation Results (60 pts.)
Equivalent Stress (40 pts.):​ If the maximum value of equivalent stress induced in the material is morethan strength of the material the design will fail. Points are awarded based on the performance of yourdesign in the simulation.
MassLow (32,000 & Below)

Mid (32,001-38,000)

High (38,001 & Above)

StressBelow
Yellow

Yellow

Above
Yellow

Below
Yellow

Yellow

Above
Yellow

Below
Yellow

Yellow

Above
Yellow

Value

403735333027252320

Displacement Magnitude (20 pts.): ​Distance, as measured directly between the start point and theend point with no directional consideration.
Below Yellow

Yellow(based on the number of contact points)

Above Yellow

56-19

203

EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT BUILDINGSIMULATION PROCESS GUIDE
1. ANSYS AIM and File Setup
a. When AIM opens you will see the following screenb. In the ​Study​ ​Panel​ select ​ ​Structural​ ​for the “Simulation Process Template”

4c. On the next panel, “​Structural Template”, ​everything for the project file should
be set and look like the following image.

d. Click ​Create Simulation Process​ and a window will open to ​Import ExistingGeometry, ​which is where you will​ ​select your ​ STEP File (.STP)
2. Prepare and Edit Geometrya. Once your geometry has imported you will be looking at a new window with 3
important areas we will be using to set up our simulation

5

i.

Area 1 - Geometry View

ii.

Area 2 - Workflow Paneliii.

Area 3 - Simulation Process Panel

63. Preparing the Mesha. In the ​Workflow ​area select ​Mesh​.

b. In the ​Mesh Panel​ do not make any changes and click ​Generate Mesh​.

c. The building will now look like it has a net all over it which is the ​Mesh. ​The meshrepresents the discretization of the physical domain into a mathematical model.
The mesh enables AIM to assemble a system of equations, which are used tocompute the physical response of the domain.

4. Define the Support Structural Conditiona. In the ​Physics Process Panel​ find the ​Structural Conditions ​item. Click on theAdd​ button and select ​Support​.

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b. The ​Support 1 Panel​ will open in the top left of the screen and under theLocation ​box we will need to add the area of our model where the support of theground will be located. In our case it will be at the bottom of our ​Foundation.

c. Next, navigate to the ​bottom​ of your ​Foundation​ by ​clicking on the buildingand dragging your mouse until you can see the bottom.

d. To actually select the bottom of the foundation you need to use the ​Selection
Buttons ​located in menu on the​ top-right​ of the screen. Make sure that the ​Face
Selection​ button is selected which is indicated by the it being shown as ​orange​.

e. Click the ​Bottom Face​ of the ​Foundation​ to select this face, which will turnorange​.

8f.

​ inally, with the face selected go ​Support 1​ ​Panel​ and in the ​Location ​box click
Fthe ​Plus Button​ ​to add the face to the ​Support 1 Condition​.

5. Define the Pressure Structural Condition
a. Return to the ​Physics Process​ by selecting it in the ​Workflow Panel​.
b. Add another ​Structural Condition ​using the ​Add​ button located next to theStructural Conditions​ line and select ​ Pressure​.

c. The ​Pressure 1​ ​Conditions Panel​ will appear in the top-left of the screen andjust like with the ​Support 1​ ​Condition​ we will need to add a location where thepressure will be applied to our structure.
d. Using the same method of navigating around the building, select the ​top faces​ ​ofeach floor.

9e. Add these to the ​Pressure Condition​ by clicking the ​Plus Button​ in thelocation ​line of the ​Pressure 1 Panel​.

f.

Next we need to define the amount of pressure to be applied to the locations thatyou selected. Enter the amount of​ 206842.719 [Pa]g. Finally, click the ​Physics​ button located in the ​Workflow​ ​Panel​ to return to thePhysics Process Panel​. To complete the Physics portion of this simulation clickthe ​Solve Physics​ button located at the bottom of the this panel.
106. Run the Simulation and Evaluate Resultsa. Click Evaluate in ​Workflow Panelb. In the ​Evaluate Process Panel ​click on the ​Evaluate Results​ button to run thesimulation.

c. The ​Results Process Panel​ will have then show an “Up to Date” symbol ingreen.

d. Now we can see the results by click on the word ​Results​ in this panel. Doing thiswill bring up another panel with two items, ​Equivalent Stress​ and ​Displacement
Magnitude. ​ ​Clicking the arrows located in the top-left​ will allow you tonavigate between the two results.
11e. Selecting one of these will bring up the results with the option to play ananimation of the simulation. To play the animation click on the ​play button
located above your building.

7. Document Resultsa. Navigate the camera to a view that shows your entire design.
b. Right-Click ​on your design and then click ​“Save Image As…”

c. In the ​“Save Image As” ​box that opens click on the button to the right of the“File” ​box that has ​3 dots​ and select your H​ : Drive​ to save each picture
128. Add Seismic (Lateral) Forces to Simulation
a. Add another ​Structural Condition ​using the ​Add​ button located next to the
Structural Conditions​ line and select F​ orce​.

b. In the ​Selection Menu​ we need to use the ​Line Selector​ tool, shown below inorange​.

c. Select the lines along the ​first floor beams or foundation ​(depending on yourdesign) holding ​CTRL​ to select both. Then in the ​Force 1 ​ menu click the ​+button in the ​Location ​ field to add those lines.

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d. In the ​Magnitude ​field add a value of ​301033.4[N]e. Click in the ​Direction Based on Geometry Selection​ section and ​select anedge that is perpendicular​ to the edges you selected for the ​Locationf.

Back in the ​Force 1 ​menu click on the R​ eplace​ button in the ​Direction Basedon Geometry Selection which ​which will change the direction of the arrow tofacing directly at the beam selected earlier.
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g. Repeat these steps to add ​Force Structural Conditions​ in the same exact way
for each floor. Use the following amounts below as the ​magnitude​ in Newtons.
i.
Floor 2 = 301033.4[N]ii.
Floor 3 = 560547 [N]iii.
Floor 4 = 820060.8 [N]iv.
Roof = 1123691[N]h. After adding all of the new ​Structural Conditions ​go back to the ​Physics
Process Panel​ and click S​ olve Physics​.
i. Finally, go to the ​Results Process Panel​ and click ​Evaluate Results
9. Document Resultsa. Navigate the camera to a view that shows your entire design.
b. Right-Click ​on your design and then click ​“Save Image As…”

c. In the ​“Save Image As” ​box that opens click on the button to the right of the“File” ​box that has ​3 dots​ and select your H​ : Drive​ to save each picture15