Computational modeling
is essential for material and structural analyses for a multitude of reasons,
including for the improvement of design and reducing manufacturing costs.
However, the cost of commercial finite element packages prevent companies with
limited financial resources from accessing them. Free finite element solvers,
such as Warp3D, exist as robust alternatives to commercial finite element
analysis (FEA) packages. This and other open-source finite element solvers are
not necessarily easy to use. This is mainly due to a lack of a preprocessing
framework, where users can generate meshes, apply boundary conditions and
forces, or define materials. We developed a preprocessor for Warp3d, which is
referred to as <i>W3DInput</i>, to generate
input files for the processor. <i>W3DInput</i>
creates a general framework, at no cost, to go from CAD models to structural
analysis. With this preprocessor, the user can import a mesh from a mesh
generator software – for this project, Gmsh was utilized – and the preprocessor
will step the user through the necessary inputs for a Warp3D file. By using
this preprocessor, the input file is guaranteed to be in the correct order and format
that is readable by the solver, and makes it more accessible for users of all
levels. With this preprocessor, five use cases were created: a cantilever beam,
a displacement control test, a displacement control test with a material
defined by a user-defined stress-strain curve, a crystal plasticity model, and
pallet. Results were outputted to Exodus II files for viewing in Paraview, and
the results were verified by checking the stress-strain curves. Results from
these use cases show that the input files generated from the preprocessor
functions were correct.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/8049593 |
| Date | 14 May 2019 |
| Creators | Alexandra D Mallory (6640721) |
| Source Sets | Purdue University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis |
| Rights | CC BY 4.0 |
| Relation | https://figshare.com/articles/On_the_development_of_an_open-source_preprocessing_framework_for_finite_element_simulations/8049593 |
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