AnalyzingAssembliesI UsingFastenersLecture UsingFasteners.

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Using Fasteners
Fasteners are used in assemblies to simulate the connection that would be created by a bolt or screw.
Series of springs Stiffness:

Manual Computed (based on references materials)

Types:

Bolts Screws

Assembly Components before Fasteners added

Assembly Components after Fasteners added LectureNotes Using Fasteners Fasteners are used in Mechanica to fasten two components at a specific location or hole. Fasteners create a series of springs that simulate the two components being fastened with a bolt or screw. Fastener definition enables the user to manually input the stiffness of the fastener or Mechanica can compute based upon the references and material specified. There are two types of fasteners in Mechanica:

Bolts: Bolts can be created on solid or shell element components. If the edge of a hole is used as a reference, then the holes must completely penetrate both parts. If one of the holes is a blind hole, then a bolt connection cannot be created. Screws: This fastener type is only valid for solids. One of the holes selected for references must be a blind hole, while the other a through hole. If both holes are through holes, then a bolt connection would be more suitable.

Best Practices Fasteners are most commonly defined using the edges of holes. When using this reference type, it is important to know that the surfaces both holes lie on must be flat, the holes must be right cylindrical holes, and that the holes must be lined up with each other. Fasteners can only connect two components at a time, and will not work correctly if the two parts are interfering with each other, or if there are intervening components. Mechanica uses the references selected by the user to determine which surfaces on the parts are separate, and creates separation stiffness between them. In other words, the components no longer behave as though they are bonded together; rather they are connected only through the defined fasteners.

 UsingFastenersDemonstration UsingFasteners_demo.mp4 UsingFastenersProcedure

Procedure: Using Fasteners

Scenario
Create a bolt connection between two assembly components. UsingFasteners pump_intake.asm

Task 1. Open the Mechanica application and create a Bolt connection.

1. Click Applications > Mechanica. 2. Click Create Fastener from the Mechanica toolbar.

3. Verify that the Fastener Type drop-down menu is set to Bolt and the References drop-down menu is set to Edge-Edge. 4. Click Named View List > ZOOM1 to zoom in on a hole in the FRAME.PRT part.

5. Select the edge of the hole on the FRAME.PRT part as shown in the figure.

6. Click Named View List > ZOOM2 to zoom in on the corresponding other end of the hole in the BACKHEAD.PRT part. 7. Select the edge of the hole on the BACKHEAD.PRT part as shown in the figure.

8. Mechanica has already detected the diameter of the hole and entered it (0.5 in) in the diameter field. 9. Verify that the Material field is set to STEEL. 10. Click OK to complete the Fastener Definition and close the dialog box.

11. Click OK to close the Warning dialog box. Note the warning dialog box that displays. It is basically warning you that these surfaces, which would have been considered bonded based on their

proximity to one another, will not be consider bonded. Instead, the fastener stiffness will be applied at the fastener location.

12. Click Named View List

> Default Orientation.

13. Note the resulting icon indicating a Fastener Connection has been created.

Task 2. Save the model and erase it from memory.

1. Return to the Standard Pro/ENGINEER mode by clicking Applications > Standard. 2. Click Save from the main toolbar and click OK to save the model. 3. Click File > Close Window from the main menu. 4. Click File > Erase > Not Displayed > OK to erase the model from memory. This completes the procedure. UsingFastenersExercise

Exercise: Using Fasteners

Objectives
After successfully completing this exercise, you will be able to:

Create a Fastener. Apply Preload to a Fastener. Utilize default Fastener measures.

Scenario
For the past few hundred years, screws and bolts have been an essential staple of engineering applications. They are commonly used to fasten multiple components together. However, fasteners do much more than simply connect multiple components. By

turning a screw or bolt a few extra turns after securing components together, a significant amount of preload is applied. Preload in fasteners compresses the fastened components together and creates a state where any external force has to relieve this compression before the fasteners begin to deform. In other words, when a fastener has preload applied, it will shoulder only a small portion of any external load until separation occurs. Fasteners in Mechanica are implemented as springs. The stiffness of these springs is by default calculated from the dimensions of the holes selected. Preload is implemented by setting the natural length of the spring to be shorter than the distance between the ends of each hole. In this exercise, fasteners will be assigned to a steel manifold assembly under a pressure load. The number of holes in the assembly has been greatly reduced to avoid tedium, so only four fasteners will be created. Correct application of preload will be discussed, and the tensile force in the fasteners will be determined. FastenerExercise manifold.asm

Task 1. Open the Mechanica application and create some Fasteners with Preload.
1. Open Mechanica by clicking Applications > Mechanica from the main menu. Note that the model has a pressure load, constraints, and a material property already assigned. The current value of the pressure load is zero, and the reason for this will become clear.

2. Click Create Fastener

from the Mechanica toolbar.

3. Verify that Name field is set to Fastener1, the Fastener Type field is set to Bolt, and the References drop-down menu is set to Edge-Edge. 4. Select the edges of two coincident holes on the COVER_PLATE.PRT and TOP_BOLT_PLATE.PRT components, similar to the edges highlighted in red as shown.

5. Select Advanced from the Type drop-down menu.

6. Select the Include Preload check box. Type 500 in the Preload Force field. 7. The dialog box should now appear as shown in the figure. Click OK to complete the Fastener Definition and close the dialog box. 8. Note the Warning in the pop-up window and click OK to close the dialog box.

9. Repeat steps 2 through 8 for the other three holes on the top of the model.

Task 2. Create a static analysis to measure the preload tensile force in each fastener.
1. Click Mechanica Analyses/Studies from the main toolbar.

2. Click File > New Static... from the Analyses and Design Studies dialog box. 3. Verify that ConstraintSet1 and LoadSet1 are selected and click OK to complete the Static Analysis Definition and close the dialog box. Since the pressure load has a magnitude of zero, this analysis will analyze the model only under the effect of the preload on the fasteners.

4. Click Start Run

> Yes to start the analysis. once the analysis is started.

5. Click Display Study Status

6. When the analysis has complete, review the results in the Run Status window. In particular, note the resulting values for fastener1_tensile_force, fastener2_tensile_force, fastener3_tensile_force, and fastener4_tensile_force as shown in the figure. These tensile forces should report as approximately 358N instead of the 500N specified by the preload.

With zero load on the model, the expectation is that the fastener tensile force will be equal to the preload value entered. Because the fastener is implemented as a spring (or group of springs), the preload causes

COVER_PLATE.PRT and TOP_BOLT_PLATE.PRT to deform under the preload. This deformation shortens the length of the fastener, and as such the tensile force drops. If the assembly components were rigid, the tensile force would be identical to the preload. To correct this, the value of the preload needs to be adjusted. Because the static deformation is linear, the preload should be scaled by the ratio between the desired value (500) and the reported value (357). So the new preload value would be: preload force = 500N * 500N / 358N 698.3N.

7. Click Close to close the Run Status window.

Task 3. Correct the preload force for each fastener so it provides the required 500 N of preload force.

1. Click the Expand icon + next to Connections field in the model tree. Click the Expand icon + next to Fasteners field in the model tree. 2. Right-click Fastener1 in the model tree and select Edit Definition. 3. Type 698.3 in the Preload Force field. 4. Click OK to close the dialog box. 5. Note the Warning in the pop-up window and click OK to close the dialog box. 6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 for Fastener2, Fastener3, and Fastener4.

Task 4. Run the Analysis.

1. Click Mechanica Analyses/Studies from the main toolbar.

2. Select preload_calibration from the list of Analyses and Design Studies. 3. Click Start Run > Yes to start the analysis. once the analysis is started.

4. Click Display Study Status

5. When the analysis is complete, note once again the resulting values for fastener1_tensile_force, fastener2_tensile_force, fastener3_tensile_force, and fastener4_tensile_force as shown in the figure. The analysis should now report approximately 500N for each of the fastener tensile force measures.

6. Click Close to close the Diagnostics dialog box. Click Close to close the Run Status window. Click Close to close the Analyses and Design Studies dialog box.

Task 5. Save the model and erase it from memory.

1. Return to the Standard Pro/ENGINEER mode by clicking Applications > Standard.

2. Click Save

from the main toolbar and click OK to save the model.

3. Click File > Close Window from the main menu. 4. Click File > Erase > Not Displayed > OK to erase the model from memory. This completes the exercise.