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LM-TH-1
Learning Module 1
Thermal Analysis
Title Page Guide
What is a Learning Module?
A Learning Module (LM) is a structured, concise, and self-sufficient learning resource. An
LM provides the learner with the required content in a precise and concise manner, enabling
the learner to learn more efficiently and effectively. It has a number of characteristics that
distinguish it from a traditional textbook or textbook chapter:
An LM is learning objective driven, and its scope is clearly defined and bounded. The
module is compact and precise in presentation, and its core material contains only
contents essential for achieving the learning objectives. Since an LM is inherently
concise, it can be learned relatively quickly and efficiently.
An LM is independent and free-standing. Module-based learning is therefore nonsequential and flexible, and can be personalized with ease.
Presenting the material in a contained and precise fashion will allow the user to learn
effectively, reducing the time and effort spent and ultimately improving the learning
experience. This is the first module on thermal analysis and provides the user with the
necessary tools to complete a thermal FEM study with different boundary conditions. It goes
through all of the steps necessary to successfully complete an analysis, including geometry
creation, material selection, boundary condition specification, meshing, solution, and
validation. These steps are first covered conceptually and then worked through directly as
they are applied to an example problem.
Estimated Learning Time for This Module
Estimated learning time for this LM is equivalent to three 50-minute lectures, or one week of
study time for a 3 credit hour course.
How to Use This Module
The learning module is organized in sections. Each section contains a short explanation and a
link to where that section can be found. The explanation will give you an idea of what
content is in each section. The link will allow you to complete the parts of the module you
are interested in, while being able to skip any parts that you might already be familiar with.
The modularity of the LM allows for an efficient use of your time.
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Table of Contents
1. Learning Objectives ................................................................................................................ 3
2. Prerequisites ............................................................................................................................ 3
3. Pre-test .................................................................................................................................... 3
4. Tutorial Problem Statements................................................................................................... 4
5. Conceptual Analysis ............................................................................................................... 7
6. Abstract Modeling .................................................................................................................. 8
7. Software-Specific FEM Tutorials ........................................................................................... 8
8. Post-test ................................................................................................................................... 8
9. Practice Problems.................................................................................................................... 8
10. Assessment ............................................................................................................................ 9
Attachment A. Pre-Test ............................................................................................................ 10
Attachment B. Conceptual Analysis ......................................................................................... 12
Attachment C1. SolidWorks-Specific FEM Tutorial 1............................................................. 15
Attachment D. CoMetSolution-Specific FEM Tutorials .......................................................... 64
Attachment E. Post-Test ........................................................................................................... 65
Attachment F. Practice Problems .............................................................................................. 68
Attachment G. Solutions to Practice Problems ......................................................................... 74
Attachment H. Assessment ....................................................................................................... 81
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1. Learning Objectives
The objective of this module is to introduce the user to the process of static structural analysis
using FEM. Upon completion of the module, the user should have a good understanding of the
necessary logical steps of an FEM analysis, and be able to perform the following tasks:
Creating the solid geometry

Assigning material properties
Applying thermal boundary conditions
Meshing
Running the analysis
Verifying model correctness
Processing needed results
2. Prerequisites
In order to complete the learning module successfully, the following prerequisites are required:
By subject area:
o Heat Transfer
o Thermal Analysis
By topic:
knowledge of
o convection
o conduction
o radiation
o thermal resistance
o temperature distribution
o temperature gradient
o heat flux
o steady state analysis
o transient analysis
o energy balance
3. Pre-test
The pre-test should be taken before taking other sections of the module. The purpose of the pretest is to assess the user's prior knowledge in subject areas relevant to heat transfer and thermal
analysis. Questions are focused towards fundamental concepts including temperature
distribution, heat flux, thermal properties, and various boundary conditions.
The pre-test for this module given in Attachment I.
Link to Pre-test
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4. Tutorial Problem Statements

A good tutorial problem should focus on the logical steps in FEM modeling and demonstrate as
many aspects of the FEM software as possible. It should also be simple in mechanics with an
analytical solution available for validation. Three tutorial problems are covered in this learning
module.
Tutorial Problem 1
A 2.25x1.5x1.5 meter table frame made of AISI 304 steel is subjected to four different
temperatures at the bottom of each of its legs as shown below. Use FEM analysis to find the
temperature at points A, B, C, and D.
30 C
305 C
A
200 C
10 C
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Tutorial Problem 2
A flanged pipe made of plain carbon steel is subjected to both convective and conductive
boundary conditions. Fluid inside the pipe is at a temperature of 130C and has a convection
coefficient of hi = 160 W/m2-K. Air on the outside of the pipe is at 20C and has a convection
coefficient of ho = 70 W/m2-K. The right and left ends of the pipe are at temperatures of 450C
and 80C, respectively. There is a thermal resistance between the two flanges of 0.002 K-m2/W.
Use FEM analysis to analyze the pipe under both steady state and transient conditions.
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Tutorial Problem 3
A square block with a thin cutout inside is exposed to radiation from a source of 100C and
emissivity of 0.8. The outer faces are exposed to convective boundaries with h = 5 W/m2-K and
T = 27C. The cutout is 0.01m deep, has a thermal conductivity of k = 1.5 W/m-K, and the rest
of the dimensions are given in the figure below. Use FEM analysis to find the temperature
distribution throughout the model and plot the heat flux through the block.
0.4m
0.16m
0.05m
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5. Conceptual Analysis
Conceptual analysis is the abstraction of the logical steps in performing a task or solving a
problem. Conceptual analysis for FEM simulation is problem type dependent but softwareindependent, and is fundamental in understanding and solving the problem.
Conceptual analysis for static structural analysis reveals the following general logical steps:
1. Pre-processing
o Geometry creation
o Material property assignment
o Boundary condition specification
o Mesh generation
2. Solution
3. Post-processing
4. Validation
Attachment II discusses the conceptual analysis for the tutorial problem in this module.
Link to Conceptual Analysis
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6. Abstract Modeling
Abstract modeling is a process pioneered by CometSolutions Inc. Abstract modeling enables all
attributes of an FEM model (such as material properties, constraints, loads, mesh, etc.) to be
defined independently in an abstract fashion, thus reducing model complexity without affecting
model accuracy with respect to the simulation objective. It detaches attributes from one another,
and emphasizes conceptual understanding rather than focusing on software specifics. Evidently,
abstract modeling is independent of the specific software being used. This is a fundamental
departure from the way most FEM packages operate.
Conceptual analysis focuses on the abstraction of steps necessary for an FEM simulation, while
abstract modeling focuses on the abstraction and modularization of attributes that constitute an
FEM model. They are powerful enabling instruments in FEM teaching and learning.
Link to Abstract Modeling

7. Software-Specific FEM Tutorials
In software-specific FEM tutorial section, the tutorial problem is solved step by step in a
particular software package. This section fills in the details of the conceptual analysis as outlined
in previous section. It provides step by step details that correspond to the pre-processing,
solution, post-processing and validation phases using a particular software package.
Two commercial FEM packages are covered in this module: SolidWorks and CometSolution.
Below are the two links:
Link to SolidWorks FEM Tutorial 1
Link to CometSolution FEM Tutorials
8. Post-test
The post-test will be taken upon completion of the module. The first part of the post-test is from
the pre-test to test knowledge gained by the user, and the second part is focused on the FEM
simulation process covered by the tutorial.
Link to Post-Test
9. Practice Problems
The user should be able to solve practice problems after completing this module. The practice
problems provide a good reinforcement of the knowledge and skills learned in the module, and
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can be assigned as homework problems in teaching or self study problems to enhance learning.
These problems are similar to the tutorial problems worked in the module, but they involve
different geometries and thermal boundary conditions.
Link to Practice Problems

Link to Solutions for Practice Problems
10. Assessment
The assessment is provided as a way to receive feedback about the module. The user evaluates
several categories of the learning experience, including interactive learning, the module format,
its effectiveness and efficiency, the appropriateness of the sections, and the overall learning
experience. There is also the opportunity to give suggestions or comments about the module.
Link to Assessment
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Attachment A. Pre-Test
1. Heat transfer through a solid body is referred to as
o
o
o
o
Conduction
Convection
Radiation
Generation
2. The temperature gradient is defined as
o
o
o
o
Temperature rate of change per unit length

Heat flow through a body
Temperature rate of change per unit volume
Temperature rate of change per unit area
3. Heat flux is defined by
o
o
o
o
The amount of heat generated per unit volume

The heat transfer rate per unit area
The amount of heat stored in a control volume
The temperature change per unit length
4. Heat transfer between a solid body and a fluid is referred to as
o
o
o
o
Conduction
Convection
Radiation
Generation
5. Which behavior best describes a material with a high thermal conductivity compared to a
material will a smaller thermal conductivity?
o
o
o
o
Temperature change is smaller through the solid

Heat flux is higher through the solid
Thermal resistance is lower through the solid
All of the above
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6. The convection coefficient is related to
o
o
o
o
The rate that heat is transferred between a solid and fluid

The rate that heat is transferred between two solids
The emissive power of the material
The heat generation capability of the material
7. The amount of heat transferred by radiation is directly related to
o
o
o
o
The Stephan-Boltzmann constant

The surface temperature
The emissivity of the material
All of the above
8. If no heat is transferred to or from a surface, it is referred to as
o
o
o
o
Isothermal
Exothermal
Adiabatic
Isobaric
9. When all temperatures are in equilibrium, the problem is assumed to be
o
o
o
o
Transient
Steady-State
Laminar
None of the above
10. Which of the following terms is not part of the energy balance for heat transfer?
o
o
o
o
Generated energy
Stored energy
Energy into the system
Energy destroyed
Click to continue
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Attachment B. Conceptual Analysis
Conceptual Analysis of Thermal Simulation

Conceptual analysis for a thermal problem using finite element analysis reveals that the
following logical steps and sub-steps are needed:
1. Pre-processing (building the model)
1. Geometry creation
2. Material property assignment
3. Boundary condition specification
4. Mesh generation
2. Solution (running the simulation)
3. Post-processing (getting results)
4. Validation (checking)
The above steps are explained in some detail as follows.
1. Pre-processing
The pre-processing in FEM simulation is analogous to building the structure or making the
specimen in physical testing. Several sub-steps involved in pre-processing are geometry creation,
material property assignment, boundary condition specification, and mesh generation.
The geometry of the structure to be analyzed is defined in the geometry creation step. After the
solid geometry is created, the material properties of the solid are specified in the material
property assignment step. The material properties required for the FEM analysis depends on the
type of analysis. Some common material properties for thermal analysis are thermal
conductivity, mass density, and specific heat.
For most novice users of FEM, the boundary condition specification step is probably the most
challenging of all pre-processing steps. Within a thermal analysis problem, there are various
boundary conditions that must be applied according to the problem statement. In a thermal
analysis, heat can flow by means of conduction, convection and radiation.
Conduction is the primary source of heat transfer through a solid body. Heat is
transferred by conduction from higher temperatures in the solid to lower temperatures in
the solid and the temperature variation is linear. Heat transfer by conduction is dependent
on the materials thermal conductivity (k) as well as the cross sectional area and the
temperature gradient (change in temperature/change in distance).
Convection is the primary source of heat transfer between one or more fluids. For
example, heat can travel by convection between a solid body and a fluid such as air or
water. The convection heat transfer coefficient (h) defines how quickly heat travels from
one boundary to the next. Heat transfer by convection is also dependent on the surface
area exposed to the fluid as well as the ambient and surface temperatures.
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A solid body can lose or absorb thermal energy due to radiation. Radiation can occur
between two different bodies or from a surface to ambient air. The heat transfer rate for
radiation is dependent on: the emissivity of the body, the exposed surface area, the
Stephan-Boltzmann constant, and the surface and ambient temperatures.
Other boundary conditions and properties also exist in a thermal analysis including:
Adiabatic There is no heat transfer through an adiabatic boundary condition. A surface
can be assumed to be adiabatic if there is no other boundary conditions applied to it.
Heat flux The heat transfer rate per unit area.
Heat generation The amount of heat generated within a system. Usually expressed in
units of W/m3.
Thermal energy balance The sum of all heat entering, exiting and generated is equal to
the amount of heat stored in a control volume.
Steady-state analysis All temperatures and results are assumed to be in equilibrium and
not changing over time.
Transient analysis An initial temperature is given and the problem is analyzed as the
temperature changes over time.
Mesh generation is the process of discretizing the body into finite elements and assembling the
discrete elements into an integral structure that approximates the original body. Most FEM
packages have their own default meshing parameters to mesh the model and run the analysis
while providing ways for the user to refine the mesh.
2. Solution
The solution is the process of solving the governing equations resulting from the discretized
FEM model. Although the mathematics for the solution process can be quite involved, this step
is transparent to the user and is usually as simple as clicking a solution button or issuing the
solution command.
3. Post-processing
The purpose of an FEM analysis is to obtain wanted results, and this is what the post-processing
step is for. Typically, various components or measures of temperature, heat flux, or temperature
gradient at any given location in the structure are available. The way a quantity is outputted
depends on the FEM software.
4. Validation
Although validation is not a formal part of the FEM analysis, it is important to be included.
Blindly trusting a simulation without checking its correctness can be dangerous. The validation
usually involves comparing FEM results at one or more selected positions with exact or
approximate solutions using classical approaches learned in heat transfer or thermal analysis
courses. Going through validation strengthens conceptual understanding and enhances learning.
Conceptual Analysis of a Given Problem
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This section will give an example of conceptual analysis that will be applied to the first tutorial
problem. The goal of the FEM simulation is to correctly set up the boundary conditions and then
find the temperature at various nodes. The problem shows a table frame with a given material
and four temperature boundaries applied to the legs. Conceptual analysis of the current problem
is described as follows.
1. Pre-processing (building the model)
The geometry of the structure is first created using the design feature of the FEM package. Next,
a material is assigned to the solid model. In this problem, the material of the frame is given as
AISI 304 steel. Depending on the software, the material is either directly selected as steel from
the material library, or the properties of the material given in the problem are inputted directly.
After assigning the material properties, the boundary conditions are specified. This problem has
4 different temperature boundaries that need to be applied. The rest of the faces and edges of the
frame are assumed to be adiabatic
The next step is to mesh the solid to discretize it into finite elements. Generally, commercial
FEA software has automatic default meshing parameters such as average element size of the
mesh, quality of the mesh, etc. Here the default parameters provided by the software are used.
2. Solution (running the simulation)
The next step is to run the simulation and obtain a solution. Usually the software provides
several solver options. The default solver usually works well. For some problems, a particular
solver may be faster or give more accurate results.
3. Post-processing (getting results)
After the analysis is complete, the post-processing steps are performed. Results such
temperature, heat flux, and temperature gradient can be viewed. In this example, the
temperatures can be checked at the 4 nodes of interest.
4. Validation (checking)
Validation is the final step in the analysis process. In this step, the temperatures at nodes 1-4 are
calculated by hand. These analytical solutions are compared with the software generated results
to check the validity of the analysis.
This completes the Conceptual Analysis section. Click the link below to continue with the
learning module.
Click to continue
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Attachment C1. SolidWorks-Specific FEM Tutorial 1
Overview: In this section, three tutorial problems will be solved using the commercial FEM
software SolidWorks. Although the underlying principles and logical steps of an FEM simulation
identified in the Conceptual Analysis section are independent of any particular FEM software,
the realization of conceptual analysis steps will be software dependent. The SolidWorks-specific
steps are described in this section.
This is a step-by-step tutorial. However, it is designed such that those who are familiar with the
details in a particular step can skip it and go directly into the next step.
Tutorial Problem 1. A four legged table frame is subjected to different temperatures at each
of its legs
0. Launching SolidWorks
SolidWorks Simulation is an integral part of the SolidWorks computer aided design software
suite. The general user interface of SolidWorks is shown in Figure 1.
Main menu
Frequently used command icons
Help icon
Roll over to
display
File,
Tools and
other menus
Figure 1: General user interface of SolidWorks.

In order to perform FEM analysis, it is necessary to enable the FEM component, called
SolidWorks Simulation, in the software.
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Step 1: Enabling SolidWorks Simulation

o Click "Tools" in the main menu. Select "Add-ins...". The Add-ins dialog window
appears, as shown in Figure 2.
o Check the boxes in both the Active Add-ins and Start Up columns corresponding
to SolidWorks Simulation.
o Checking the Active Add-ins box enables the SolidWorks for the current session.
Checking the Start Up box enables the SolidWorks for all future sessions whenever
SolidWorks starts up.
Check
SolidWorks
Simulation boxes
Figure 2: Location of the SolidWorks icon and
the boxes to be checked for adding it to the panel.
1. Pre-Processing
Purpose: The purpose of pre-processing is to create an FEM model for use in the next step of the
simulation, Solution. It consists of the following sub-steps:
Geometry creation
Material property assignment
Boundary condition specification
Mesh generation.
1.1 Geometry Creation
The purpose of Geometry Creation is to create a geometrical representation of the solid object or
structure to be analyzed in FEM. In SolidWorks such a geometric model is called a part. In this
tutorial, the necessary part has already been created in SolidWorks. The following steps will
open up the part for use in the FEM analysis.
Step 1: Opening the part for simulation. One of the following two options can be used.
o Option1: Double click the following icon to open the embedded part file, Table
Frame.SLDPRT, in SolidWorks.
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Table Frame.SLDPRT
Click SolidWorks part file icon to open it ==>

o Option 2: Download the part file Table Frame.SLDPRT from the web site
http://www.femlearning.org/. Use the File menu in SolidWorks to open the
downloaded part.
The SolidWorks model tree will appear with the given part name at the top. Above the model
tree, there should be various tabs labeled Features, Sketch, etc. If the Simulation tab is not
visible, go back to steps 1 and 2 to enable the SolidWorks Simulation package.
Step 2: Creating a Study
o Click the Simulation tab above the model tree
o Under the
drop-down menu select New Study
o In the box under Name type in Thermal Conduction Study
o Select Thermal underneath Type as in Figure 3
o Click
to create the study
Figure 3: Creating a thermal study
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1.1 Material Property Assignment
The next step in FEM analysis is to apply the material properties to the frame. The material is
given in the problem as AISI 304 and the SolidWorks libraries can be used to apply the material
properties.
Step 3: Applying the material
Select
in the upper left hand corner
In the Select material source section, select the From library files option
Expand the Steel section and choose AISI 304
Make sure Linear Elastic Isotropic option is selected under Model Type and
units are in SI
o Verify the settings with Figure 4 and click OK
o
o
o
o
Figure 4: Material property manager in SolidWorks

1.3 Boundary Condition Specification
Since this is a conduction study, the boundary conditions will be the temperatures at the four
legs. In a thermal study in SolidWorks, the boundary conditions are called thermal loads. The
next steps will apply the four different temperatures to the frame using thermal loads. The
temperatures need to be applied to the back faces of the frame so the figure needs to be rotated to
see the correct face.
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Step 4: Rotating the figure

o Click on the View Orientation icon in the top of the workspace
o Select the Back option as in Figure 5
Figure 5: Rotating the view

Note: The figure can also be rotated by pressing the scroll button the mouse and moving it
around. However, in this problem it is much easier to refer to the four faces from the back
orientation.
The part should now be oriented so the back four faces are visible. The boundary condition
temperatures can now be applied.
Step 5: Applying a temperature boundary to the upper right face
o Click on the
icon in the upper left corner of the screen to drop down the
thermal loads menu
o Select Temperature
o With the green box highlighted, select the upper right face of the frame as in Figure 6
o In the Temperature menu, change the units to Celsius
o Enter 30 in the numeric box next to it
o Click
to create the boundary temperature
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Figure 6: Setting a temperature boundary

Step 6: Applying a temperature boundary to the lower right face
o Click on the
thermal loads menu
o With the green box highlighted, select the lower right face of the frame
o Click
Step 7: Applying a temperature boundary to the lower left face
o Click on the
thermal loads menu
o With the green box highlighted, select the lower left face of the frame
o Click
Step 8: Applying a temperature boundary to the upper left face
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o Click on the
thermal loads menu
o With the green box highlighted, select the upper left face of the frame
o Click
The frame is now fully defined with the four boundary conditions and can be move on to mesh
generation and getting results.
1.4 Mesh Generation
Purpose: The purpose of the Mesh Generation sub-step is to discretize the part into elements.
The mesh consists of a network of these elements. In this example, large element sizes will cause
the software to run incorrectly so there needs to be a fine mesh.
Step 9: Meshing the model
o
o
o
o
Right click on the

icon in the model tree
Select Create Mesh
Under the Mesh Parameters menu, change the units to cm
Underneath the units, type 3.5cm in the Global Size box as in Figure
o Click
to create the mesh
2. Solution
Purpose: The Solution is the step where the computer solves the simulation problem and
generates results for use in the Post-Processing step.
Step 1: Running the simulation
o At the top of the screen, click
o When the analysis is finished, the
icon will appear on the model tree
3. Post-Processing
Purpose: The purpose of the Post-Processing step is to process the results of interest. For this
problem, the temperatures at four nodes will need to be acquired from the temperature plot.
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To solve the problem, a thermal plot needs to be defined. This plot will show the temperature at
any given element in the model.
Step 1: Defining a temperature plot
o Right click on the
o Select Define Thermal Plot
o Under the Display menu, select TEMP: Temperature in the first box and
Celsius in the second box as in Figure 7
o Click
to create the plot
Figure 7: Creating a temperature plot

A plot should appear on the frame that shows the temperature distribution at the different nodes
as well as a legend. By default, the numbers in the legend are in scientific format. To make the
legend and probe results easier to read, the plot will be changed to a floating number format.
Step 2: Formatting the plot
o Right click on the plot icon under
in the model tree
o Select Chart Options
o Inside the Position/Format section, change scientific(e) to floating(f) as in
Figure 8
o Click
to accept the changes
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Figure 7: Plot settings and how it affects the legend
Another formatting step that needs to be taken is to display the mesh along with the temperature
distribution on the plot.
Step 3: Displaying the mesh on the plot along with the temperature
o Right click on the plot and select Settings
o Click on the drop down menu underneath Boundary Options and change to Mesh
o Click
to accept changes.
Now that the plot is defined and formatted correctly, it can be probed to find the temperatures at
the four points of interest.
Step 4: Selecting the probe
o Right click on the temperature plot icon and select Probe
The probe property manager will appear with the options of At location and On Selected
Entities. When At location is selected under the Options menu, the probe can be used to
click on individual elements and it will display the temperature on the plot as well as underneath
the Results section. If On selected entities is selected, the probe can be used to find the
temperature at all the elements on a face, edge or vertex.
Step 5: Using the probe
o Choose At location from the Options menu
o Select the four corners of the frame as in Figure 8
o The software gives temperatures for corners A, B, C and D as 111.6, 181.2, 108.7,
and 143.2, respectively
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Figure 8: Probing the temperature plot at the four nodes

These answers will be verified in the next section.
Hand Calculations
To check the validity of the SolidWorks answers, a control volume needs to be defined around
each of the four nodes and an energy balance needs to be applied to find the theoretical
temperatures. Nodes A, B, C, and D will all have conduction heat transfer from three different
directions. Assume all heat transfer is coming into the node and use a control volume as in
Figure 9.
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30C
305C
q1
q2
q3
200C
10C
C
D
Figure 9: Sketch of the table frame with boundary conditions and control volume
Figure 9 shows the control volume and energy balance for node A. Heat transfer for conduction
is given by the following equation:

Where q is the heat transfer rate, k is the materials thermal conductivity, A is the cross sectional
area, TA is the temperature at node A, T is the temperature from the neighboring node, and L is
the distance from the neighboring node to node A.
Starting with an energy balance gives:

Since there is no energy generation or stored energy in this problem, the last two terms can be
neglected. Also, we assumed all the energy was going into node A so the energy out is zero. This
leaves:
0

0
Plugging in variables for q into the energy balance gives:

30

0

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Since the cross sectional area and the thermal conductivity are the same for the material, they
cancel out. Plugging in values for the length then gives:
30

0
1.5
2.25
1.5
The equation has three unknowns, so it cannot be solved without applying an energy balance to
the other three nodes. Once an energy balance has been applied to all four nodes, the variables
can be put into a matrix and solved for. From the above equation for node A, the coefficients for
each temperature are as follows:
$
1
1
1
1
1
30

%
0&

1.5 2.25 1.5
2.25
1.5
1.5
Repeating this process three more times gives:
1
1
1
1
1
305
$

%
& 0
2.25
1.5 2.25 1.5
1.5
1.5
0

1
1
1
1
1
10
$

% &

1.5
1.5 2.25 1.5
2.25
1.5
1
1
1
1
1
200
0
& $

%
1.5
2.25
1.5 2.25 1.5
1.5
Using a matrix to solve the four equations gives the following:

1-2.25
* 1.78
) 11.78
2.25
)
)
0
1-1.5
)
1
0
( -1.5
0
1-1.5 0

20
/
1-1.5
0

203.3
/ 1 2 3 2
3
1
6.7
1.78
-2.25/ &
/
133.3
1-2.25
1.78 .
The results are tabulated in the table, along with the simulation results and the percent difference.
TA
TB
TC
TD
SolidWorks
111.6
181.2
108.7
143.2
Hand Calculations
110.2
182.0
107.6
143.0
Percent Difference
1.3
0.4
1.0
0.1
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Tutorial Problem 2. A pipe connected with a flange is subjected to convection, conduction,

and a thermal resistance
o Click "Tools" in the main menu. Select "Add-ins...". The Add-ins dialog window
appears, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: The Add-Ins manager and Simulation boxes
1. Pre-Processing
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Geometry creation
Mesh generation.

o Option1: Double click the following icon to open the embedded part file Flanged
Pipe.SLDASM in SolidWorks.
Flanged
Pipe.SLDASM
flange.SLDPRT
o Option 2: Download the part file Flanged Pipe.SLDASM and flange.SLDPRT

from the web site http://www.femlearning.org/. Use the File menu in SolidWorks to
open the downloaded part.
This problem will involve both steady state and transient heat transfer conditions. To study a heat
transfer problem in SolidWorks, a thermal study needs to be created.
Step 2: Creating a Study
o Under the
o In the box under Name type in Flanged Pipe Steady State Study
o Click
to create the study
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The next step in FEM analysis is to apply the material properties to the pipe and flange. The
material is given in the problem as plain carbon steel and the SolidWorks libraries can be used to
apply the material properties.
Select
In the Select material source section, select the From library files option
Expand the Steel section and choose Plain Carbon Steel
Make sure Linear Elastic Isotropic option is selected under Model Type and units
are in SI
o
o
o
o
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Figure 3: The material property manager and SolidWorks libraries

In the Boundary Condition Specification sub-step, the restraints and loads on the part are
defined. In this problem there are multiple boundary conditions. The pipe experiences convection
on both the outer and inner faces as well as conduction through the metal. There is also a small
thermal resistance between the two flanges that will need to be considered in the FEM
simulation. The SolidWorks Simulation software assumes that if no boundary conditions are
applied the surface is adiabatic. First the two temperature boundary conditions will be applied on
the ends of the pipe.
Step 4: Applying the 80C temperature boundary
o Click on the
thermal loads menu
o With the green box highlighted, select the left face of the pipe as in Figure 4
o Click
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Figure 4: Setting the first temperature boundary

Step 5: Applying the 450C temperature boundary
o Click on the
thermal loads menu
o Rotate the assembly so that the right face of the pipe can be viewed
o With the green box highlighted, select the right face of the pipe as in Figure 5
o Click
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Figure 5: Setting the second temperature boundary

In the next step the convective boundary will be applied to the outer face of the pipe. Half of the
pipe is well insulated, so the convection conditions will only be applied to the section of the pipe
that is exposed to air. For convection, two pieces of information are needed, the convection
coefficient (h) and the temperature of the ambient air (T). In this case h = 70 W/m2-K and T =
20C (293 K).
Step 6: Applying the outer convection boundary
o Click on the
thermal loads menu
o Select Convection
o Highlight the green box under Selected Entities and select the four outer faces of
the pipe and flange as in Figure 6
o Enter 70 in the Convection Coefficient box
o Enter 293 in the Bulk Ambient Temperature box
o Click
to create the boundary
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Figure 6: Applying the outer convective boundary

This problem also has convection on the inside of the pipe from the fluid. In this case, h = 160
W/m2-K and T = 130C (403 K).
Step 7: Applying the inner convective temperature boundary
o Click on the
thermal loads menu
o Select Convection
o Highlight the green box under Selected Entities and select both inner faces of the
pipe as in Figure 7
o Click
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Figure 7: Applying the inner convective boundary

The final boundary condition for this problem is the thermal resistance between the flanges.
Applying a thermal resistance is accomplished in SolidWorks by using the connections feature.
The connections manager in SolidWorks requires the user to select two faces and set the thermal
resistance. In this case, the two faces of the flange cannot be seen so an exploded view will have
to be created that will allow the two faces to be selected.
Step 8: Creating an exploded view
o Click on the Assembly tab in the command manager
o
o
o
o
Click on
to bring up the exploded view property manager
Highlight the Settings box and select flange <1> from the model tree
Select the z-axis
Type 100mm into the Explode distance box
o Verify the settings with Figure 8 and click
to accept
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Figure 8: Property manager for creating an exploded view

Now that the two inner faces of the flanges can be seen, the thermal resistance can be applied.
Step 9: Applying the thermal resistance
o Click on the
icon in the upper left hand corner of the screen to drop
down the connections menu
o Select Contact Set
o Under Type, select Thermal Resistance
o Highlight the green box and select one of the flange faces
o Highlight the pink box and select the other face of the flanges as in Figure 9
o Select Distributed under the Thermal Resistance menu
o Enter .002 (K-m^2)/W in the Thermal Resistance section
o Click
to apply the thermal resistance
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Figure 9: Applying a thermal resistance to the faces of the flange

The assembly is now fully defined according to the problem statement. The exploded view
created earlier can be collapsed and separated at any time and will not affect the simulation. The
next step is an optional step that will go over how to suppress an exploded view. The exploded
view will be needed later in the post processing section to find the temperature at the flanges.
Step 10: Suppressing the exploded view
o Click the Configuration Manager icon
o Expand all the tabs on the configuration tree by clicking the [+]
o Right click on ExplView1 and select Collapse
1.4 Mesh Generation
In this step the specific mesh parameters for the model will be defined.
Step 11: Meshing the model
o
o
o
o
Right click on the

Select Create Mesh
Under the Mesh Parameters menu, change the units to cm
Underneath the units, type 1cm in the Global Size box as in Figure 10
o Click
to create the mesh
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Figure 10: Mesh settings for the model

2. Solution
Now that the boundary conditions and mesh have been specified, the simulation needs to run and
get data for post-processing.
o Run the analysis by clicking

at the top of the screen

icon should appear
3. Post-Processing
The post-processing step of this problem will involve creating two different plots for the steady
state solution and then looking at the transient solution. The first plot to create will show the
temperature distribution throughout the pipe.
Step 1: Creating a temperature plot
o
o
o
o
Right click on the

icon
Select Define Thermal Plot
In the first box underneath Display, select TEMP: Temperature
Select Celsius in the next box
o Click
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The next two steps will format the plot to make it easier to read. First, the number formatting will
be changed from scientific to floating.
in the model tree
o Inside the Position/Format section, change scientific(e) to floating(g) as in
Figure 11
o Click
Figure 11: Changing the chart options to display floating numbers

Another formatting step that needs to be taken is to display the mesh along with the temperature
distribution on the plot.
Step 3: Displaying the mesh on the plot along with the temperature
o Right click on the plot and select Settings
o Click on the drop down menu underneath Boundary Options and change to Mesh
o Click
to accept changes.
The next plot will look at the temperature gradient in the pipe. This plot will be a vector plot
instead of a contour plot to better show how the direction and magnitude of the temperature
changes in the pipe.
Step 4: Creating a temperature gradient plot
icon
o In the first box underneath Display, select GRADN: Resultant Temp Gradient
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o Select C/cm in the next box
o Expand the Advanced Options tab and check the box next to Show as vector plot
o Click
The next step will format the plot to make it easier to read.
o
o
o
o
Right click on the plot icon under the

Select Vector plot options
In the first box under Options, type in 500
In the next box, type 80
o Click
tab
The first box in the vector plot options controls the size of the arrows and the second box
controls the density of the arrows. These two numbers can be adjusted for any thermal analysis
to make a vector plot more readable. The direction of the arrows represents the increasing
temperature and the size of the arrows represents the magnitude. The next two figures show the
vector plot at various points of interest.
Figure 12: Temperature gradient at the flange
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Figure 13: Temperature gradient on the insulated side of the pipe

Notice how on the convective side the resultant arrows are vertical as well as horizontal. On the
insulated side the arrows at the top and bottom are strictly horizontal. This is because no heat can
escape out of the insulation and the temperature gradient does not change direction. The arrows
are the largest near the 450C boundary condition because the temperature is increasing rapidly
around that area. Look at various areas on the pipe and flange and see how the temperature
gradient various at different boundary conditions and geometries.
To verify the solution, the probe will be used to find temperatures at three locations on the pipe
that will be compared to theoretical hand calculations. The three locations will be on either side
of the flange and in the middle of the insulated section of the pipe
Step 6: Probing the pipe
o
o
o
o
o
o
Rotate the part to the top orientation by using the

icon
Double click on the temperature plot to activate it
Right click on the temperature plot and select Probe
Under Options choose At location
Select a node in the middle of the insulated side as in Figure 14
SolidWorks gives the temperature to be 136.9
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Figure 14: Using the probe to find the temperature in the middle of the pipe
Step 7: Probing the flanges
o Select On selected entities
o Highlight the inside circumference of a flange and click Update
o Look for the Avg under the Summary tab as in Figure 15
o Right click on Edge<1> under Results and select Clear Selections
o Repeat the process for the other flange
o SolidWorks gives the temperatures to be 91.5 and 100.8
o Click
to exit the probe
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Figure 15: Probing the average temperature along the inside of the flange
These points will be verified in the next section. Now, the transient solution will be looked at to
see how transient analysis can be used in SolidWorks. The transient solution will show how the
temperature changes over time and the simulation software allows the user to specify the total
time and the time steps. The current study can be used to look at the transient solution, but the
properties of the current study need to be changed.
Step 8: Setting up the transient study
o Right click on Flanged Pipe Steady State Study in the model tree
o Select Properties
o Under Solution type, change from Steady State to Transient
o Type 2000 in Total time
o Type 200 in Time increment as in Figure 16
o Check the box next to Initial temperatures from thermal study
o Click OK
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Figure 16: Changing from a steady state to transient study using initial temperatures
When the simulation ran earlier in the tutorial, it solved for the steady state solution only. To get
the transient results, the analysis needs to be run again.
Step 9: Running the simulation for a transient study
in the top of the screen
The study will give a solution at every 200 seconds for a total of 2000, which gives a total of 10
sets of data. SolidWorks Simulation has several ways of examining the data and the next two
steps will go over how to watch the temperature change over time and how to graph it.
Step 10: Animating the plot
o Right click on the temperature plot icon under the
o Select Animate
o Click the Play button under Basics to start the animation
tab
The animation can be sped up or slowed down depending on user preference. Use the dial next to
Speed to control how fast the animation runs through its steps. Also, the start, end and
increment time can be adjusted by going back into the property manager. The next step will plot
values over time.
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Step 11: Graphing temperature over time
o
o
o
o
o
Right click on the temperature plot icon under the

tab
Select Probe
Choose At location from the probe property manager
Click various nodes on the pipe and flange to get a variety of data points
Click the Response icon under Report Options
A graph similar to Figure 17 should pop up after a few moments.
Figure 17: Various nodes as the temperature changes over time

Figure 17 shows the response of the system over time. In this case, the initial temperature of the
pipe was not specified so the data started at 0 K and increased to its steady state solution. The
software also allows the user to specify an initial temperature for a transient study. The next step
will set the initial temperature for all faces of the pipe to be 30C.
Step 12: Modifying the transient study
o Right click on Flanged Pipe Steady State Study in the model tree
o Select Properties
o Uncheck the box labeled Initial temperatures from thermal study
o Click OK
Now, a temperature boundary condition needs to be used to specify the initial temperature of all
the faces. The whole body needs to be set at an initial temperature of 30C. By default,
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SolidWorks is set to select exposed faces instead of entire bodies. The software has a selection
filter that allows the user to change between selecting faces, edges, solid bodies, etc.
Step 13: Using the selection filter tool
o In the main menu, go to View -> Toolbars -> Standard
o When the Standard toolbar appears, select
o Select the Filter Solid Bodies icon
This will allow the selection of an entire body when applying the initial temperature. The various
filters can be turned on and off as needed. The software will often revert to its default settings so
the filters may need to be applied multiple times.
Step 14: Setting an initial temperature
o Click on the
thermal loads menu
o Choose Initial temperature under Type
o Apply the selection filter as in Step 13
o Select the two pieces of the assembly
o Click
to set the initial temperature
The boundary condition markers in SolidWorks can make the model hard to read. To get rid of
the markers, right click on the icons under Thermal Loads and select Hide. The boundary
conditions will still be evaluated in the simulation but the markers will be hidden. Now that the
boundary conditions have changed, the study must be run again to get the results.
Step 15: Running the simulation for a transient study
Run the analysis by clicking
in the top of the screen
Repeat Steps 10 and 11 to see how the temperature graphs have changed over time with an initial
temperature set to 30C instead of 0K. The animation can also be run for the graph of the
temperature gradient. Activate the temperature gradient plot and run the animation to see how
the vector magnitudes change over time.
Verification
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In this section the temperatures acquired from the SolidWorks steady state temperature study
will be verified. The transient solution is much more complicated to solve so only the steady
state solution will be verified. To calculate the temperatures at the nodes, three control volumes
around the unknowns need to be set up as in the following figure.
CV 3
T1
CV 2
T2
CV 1
T4
T3
T5
Figure 18: Control volumes for the three unknown temperatures
The following dimensions will be needed to solve the problem: the outside diameter of the pipe
(Do), inside diameter (Di), diameter of the flange (Dflange), and the length of each section of pipe
(L). The dimensions are listed below along with the units.
Do = .08m
Di = .06m
Dflange = .15m
L = .40m
Each control volume will have an energy balance applied to it. There is both convection and
conduction heat transfer going in and out of each node so the following two equations are
needed:
Conduction
5 5

7
Where q is the heat transfer rate, k is the thermal conductivity, Ac is the cross sectional area, T
is the change in temperature from one node to the next, and 7 is the change in distance between
the two points.
Convection
58 9 :
Where q is the heat transfer rate, h is the convection coefficient, A is the surface area, T is the
temperature, and T is the ambient temperature.
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Also, the thermal resistance between the flanges needs to be accounted for. Thermal resistance is
related to the heat transfer rate by the following equation:

;<
Since all energy is assumed to be entering the node, the energy balance reduces to the following
equation:
0
For the first control volume, there is conduction on the left and right of the node and convection
on the inside of the pipe. The outer edge is adiabatic so no heat enters or leaves from the outside.
When using a temperature for the convection equations, use the temperature in the middle of the
node. For CV 1, it is just T4 but the other two control volumes need a center temperature that is
related to the neighboring nodal temperatures. The energy balances for the three control volumes
are below.
CV 1:
CV 2:
5
=
= 450
5
9?@ 1 A 1 -2B= 130
0
2
2
C<
=
5
9?@ 1 A 1 -4B? 1-4 =
130B 0
;
2
CV 3:
80
C<
5
9?@ 1 A 1 -2B?80 3-4 80
130B
;

9?@ 1 A 1 -2 @-4 AC< A B?80 3-4 80
20B 0
Substituting in numbers and solving for coefficients for T2, T3, and T4 gives the following three
equations:
0.473 6.98= 997
7.42 10.15 0.281= 392

15.5 7.42 682
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Solving for the three unknown temperatures and comparing to the simulation results gives:
T2 = 93.1C
T3 = 102.5C
T4 = 149.8C
T2
T3
T4
SolidWorks (C)
91.5
100.8
136.9
Hand Calculations (C)

93.1
102.5
149.8
Percent Difference (%)

1.7
1.7
9.4
The hand calculations compare well with the results from the simulation. Differences in the
numbers could be due to some of the assumptions made in the analysis such as neglecting the
missing area of the bolts when calculating resistance. Also, the area surrounding T4 has a high
temperature gradient so the results will not be as accurate when only one node is used to
represent the right side of the pipe. More accurate results could be obtained if more nodes were
used in this area.
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Tutorial Problem 3. A square box with a thin cutout in the middle exposed to
radiation and convection
o Click "Tools" in the main menu. Select "Add-ins...".
1. Pre-Processing
Geometry creation
Mesh generation.
o Option1: Double click the following icon to open the embedded part file Plate with
Cutout.SLDPRT in SolidWorks.
Plate with
Cutout.SLDPRT
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o Option 2: Download the part file Plate with Cutout.SLDPRT from the web site
http://www.femlearning.org/. Use the File menu in SolidWorks to open the
downloaded part.
Only of the block has been modeled instead of the whole piece. This is because the block is
symmetric about the center and adiabatic boundary conditions can be used to mirror the rest of
the block. Notice also that there is a square plate above the block that will be used to help create
the radiation boundary condition.
Step 2: Creating a thermal study
o Under the
o In the box under Name type in Radiation Study
o Click
to create the study

The next step in FEM analysis is to apply the material properties to the plate. The material
properties are given in the problem as k = 1.5 W/m-K and mass density equal to 7000 kg/m3.
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Select
In the Select material source section, select the Custom defined option
Type 7000 next to Mass density
Type 1.5 next to Thermal conductivity
Make sure Linear Elastic Isotropic option is selected under Model Type and units
are in SI
o
o
o
o
o
Figure 19: Material property manager

In this example there are three boundary conditions: radiation, convection, and adiabatic. By
default, SolidWorks Simulation assumes any undefined surfaces to be adiabatic so those
boundary conditions do not need to be defined. First, the convection boundary conditions will be
applied.
Step 4: Applying a convective boundary
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o Click on the
thermal loads menu
o Select Convection
o Highlight the green box under Selected Entities and select the four outer faces of
the box as in Figure 3
o Click
Figure 20: Convection property manager and selected faces for the problem
The next boundary condition for the box involves radiation. In SolidWorks, radiation can be
simulated from surface to surface or surface to ambient air. In this case, there is a thin plate
radiating to the box so the open system option will be selected. First, the temperature of the
flat plate needs to be defined. The next step will apply the boundary condition to the thin plate.
Step 5: Applying a temperature to the plate
o Click on the
thermal loads menu
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o Highlight the green box and select the lower face of the plate
o Type 100 underneath the Temperature menu and change the units to Celsius as
in Figure 4
o Click
Figure 21: Setting the temperature for the lower face of the plate
Now that the plate has a defined temperature, the software can be instructed to radiate to the box.
To accomplish this, a radiation boundary must be defined. In this example, the plate will radiate
from the plates lower surface to the boxs upper face as well as radiate from the plate to the
ambient air. This is considered an open system by the software.
Step 6: Defining a radiation boundary
o Click on the
thermal loads menu
o Select Radiation
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o
o
o
o
o
Underneath the Type section, select Surface to surface

Highlight the green box and select the faces of the plate and the box as in Figure 5
Check the box labeled Open system
Type 27 in the temperature box and change the units to C
Type 0.8 for the emissivity
o Click
Figure 22: Applying the radiation boundary between the two faces
All of the boundary conditions are now defined in the model and it is ready to be meshed.
1.4 Mesh Generation
In this step we will define specific mesh parameters for the model.
Step 7: Creating the mesh
o Select Create Mesh
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o Under the Mesh Parameters menu, change the units to in
o Underneath the units, type .4in in the Global Size box as in Figure 6
o Click
to create the mesh
Figure 23: Mesh parameters for the model
2. Solution
Purpose: The Solution is the step where the computer solves the simulation problem and
generates results for use in the Post-Processing step.
at the top of the screen
icon will appear on the model tree
3. Post-Processing
Purpose: The purpose of the Post-Processing step is to process the results of interest.
The post-processing for this problem involves creating a temperature plot as well as a vector plot
of the heat flux.
Step 1: Creating a temperature plot
icon
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o In the first box underneath Display, select TEMP: Temperature
o Select Celsius in the next box
o Click
The default settings for the temperature plot make it difficult to read because the temperature of
the box does not vary much from top to bottom. The top plate is at 100C and the box averages
around 35C. To see the effect of the cutout section on the temperature distribution, the color
range for the graph needs to be adjusted. The next two steps will format the plot to make it easier
to read. First, the number formatting will be changed from scientific to floating and then the
color range will be adjusted.
in the model tree
o Under Display Options change from Automatic to Defined
o In the boxes underneath Defined, type 34 and 40 as in Figure 7
o Inside the Position/Format section, change scientific(e) to floating(g)
o Click
Figure 24: Modifying the chart options to make the temperature variation more visible
Now the temperature variation can be seen easier on the box. Another formatting step is to
display the mesh elements along with the temperature distribution on the plot.
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Step 3: Displaying the mesh
o Right click on the temperature plot icon and select Settings
o Under Boundary Options, change to Mesh
o Click
Before creating the next plot, various points on the model will be gathered from the temperature
plot by using the probe.
Step 4: Using the probe
o Right click on the temperature plot icon and select Probe
o Choose At location under Options
o Select the four nodes near the cutout as in Figure 8
o The probe gives 38.46, 37.70, 36.30, and 35.47
Figure 25: Acquiring temperatures at various points of interest using the probe
Although the temperatures are all within a few degrees of another, the box has some unusual
temperature distribution around the cutout. To get a better idea of how the temperature varies
around the cutout, the other option in the probe menu will be used to graph the temperature along
the top and bottom edges.
Step 5: Using the probe to graph the temperature along the top edge
o Choose On selected entities from the probe manager
o Highlight the top edge of the box
o Click Update to generate the data
o Click the plot icon under Report Options
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Figure 26: Temperature variation along the top edge starting at the corner with the cutout
Figure 9 shows the temperature distribution along the edge. Without a cutout, the temperature
along the edge would vary linearly. In this case, the temperature is higher than normal in the first
45% of the graph and then levels off to an even slope after the cutout ends. Next, the bottom
edge will be graphed to see its variation.
Step 6: Using the probe to graph the temperature along the bottom edge
o Choose On selected entities from the probe manager
o Highlight the bottom edge of the box
o Click Update to generate the data
o Click the plot icon under Report Options
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Figure 27: Temperature variation along the bottom edge starting at the corner underneath the
cutout
This time, Figure 10, is showing the bottom edge of the box. Again, the temperature does not
follow the linear pattern that it normally would if there was no cutout. The bottom corner of the
box underneath the cutout is the coldest part off the model and the temperature goes back up
before it levels off into a linear slope around 65%. To better understand why the small cutout is
skewing the temperature, a plot of the heat flux through the box will be created. Instead of color
contrast, this will be a vector plot to make it easier to understand.
Step 7: Creating a vector plot of the heat flux
o
o
o
o
o
Right click on the

icon
Select Define Thermal Plot
In the first box underneath Display, select HFLUX: Resultant Heat Flux
Select W/m^2 in the next box
Expand the Advanced Options tab and check the box next to Show as vector plot
o Click
The next step will format the plot to make it easier to read. The SolidWorks Simulation software
has options that can vary the vector size and density.
o Right click on the plot icon under the
o Select Vector plot options
tab
59
Figure 28: Modifying the
vector plot
LM-TH-1
o In the first box under Options, type in 300
o In the next box, type 80 as in Figure 11
o Click
Switch the view to the left orientation and zoom in on the area of the cutout. The plot should
resemble Figure 12.
Figure 29: Left side view of the heat flux around the cutout
Figure 12 shows the direction and magnitude of the heat flux moving through the box. From this
picture, it is clear why the coldest part of the box was the bottom corner and why the temperature
was skewed around the cutout. This is because the heat has to flow by conduction through the
box. However, there is no conduction through the cutout and so the heat has to flow around it,
which makes it a take longer path to the bottom corner. The front view of the box can be seen in
Figure 13.
Figure 30: Front view of the heat flux around the cutout
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Again, the heat is flowing normally through most of the box with the exception of the heat flow
around the cutout. The lack of conduction creates a sort of kink in the flow of heat that forces it
to magnify in the areas immediately around the cutout. This increases the temperature along the
edges of the cutout, which is why temperatures in Figure 10 were highest at areas around the
cutout.
Verification
To verify the simulation solution, temperatures will be calculated at four points on the box. In
this problem there are nodes that have radiation, convection, and conduction. For the three
modes of heat transfer, the following three equations are needed for the energy balance.
Convection
58 9 :
Where q is the heat transfer rate, h is the convection coefficient, A is the surface area, T is the
temperature, and T is the ambient temperature.
Conduction
5

7
Where q is the heat transfer rate, k is the thermal conductivity, A is the cross sectional area, and
x is the change in distance from one node to the next.
Radiation
EF =
Where q is the heat transfer rate, is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant (5.67x10-8), is the
emissivity, A is the surface area being radiated, and Ts is the temperature of the surface emitting
radiation. In this case, q represents the rate of heat leaving the upper plate with a surface
temperature of 100C (373 K) and =0.8. The surface it is radiating to does not absorb all of the
radiation from the plate. The amount of heat transferred to the second surface is also dependent
on the distance the plates are from each other and the surface temperatures of both plates. If the
radiating plate is assumed to be a point source with radiation emitting equally in a hemisphere to
the plate, the diagram would look like Figure 14.
A1 = 2r2
A2 = L2
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Figure 14: Surface areas of the radiation and box
In this case, the amount of heat transferred to the bottom surface is related to total heat by an area
ratio.

< $ % 22.8 G

Figure 15 shows the four control volumes that will be applied to the box. Note the differences in
surface area when calculating the heat transfer from convection. Also account for the missing
space in the box by subtracting the missing area for the conduction equations. Use the remaining
section as the cross sectional area, Ac,2.
CV 1
T1
CV 2
T2
CV 3
CV 2
T3
T4
Figure 15: Control volumes for the energy balance

Assuming all of the heat transfer is going into the node, the energy balance reduces to:
0
For the first control volume, there is radiation, conduction and convection.
CV 1
11.4 5,
CV 2

9 I,J , -2K :
0
7
5,

5,
9?, B :
0
7
7
5,

=
5,
9?, B :
0
7
7
CV 3
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CV 4
5,
=

9 I,LM , -2K = :
0
7
Plugging in values and rearranging the equation to solve for the coefficients gives:
12.87 12 34.8
12 32.3 20.2 3.604

20.2 32.3 12= 3.604
12 12.87= 23.41
The hand calculations along with simulation results and percent differences are given below.
T1
T2
T3
T4
Hand Calculations
(C)
40.61
39.72
39.21
38.38
SolidWorks (C)
38.4
37.7
36.3
35.5
Percent Difference
(%)
5.7
5.3
8.0
8.1
The differences in this case could be due to the geometry assumptions made in when performing
the hand calculations or the irregular temperature distribution in areas around the cutout.
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Attachment D. CoMetSolution-Specific FEM Tutorials
64
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Attachment E. Post-Test
1. What is a plot that uses arrows of various sizes instead of contrasting colors called?
o
o
o
o
Vector Plot
Contour Plot
Linear Plot
None of the above
2. What parameters need to be defined in convection boundary?
o
o
o
o
Convection coefficient and surface temperature

Convection coefficient and ambient temperature
Ambient temperature and surface temperature
Surface temperature and thermal conductivity
3. The amount of heat transfer per unit area is referred to as
o
o
o
o
Temperature gradient
Heat flux
Temperature distribution
Temperature flow
4. Which direction does heat flow between two different temperatures?
o
o
o
o
Cold to hot
Hot to cold
Into the system
Out of the system
5. A surface with no specified boundary condition is assumed have what kind of boundary
o
o
o
o
Initial temperature
Adiabatic
Convection
Radiation
65
LM-TH-1
6. What extra parameters are required for a transient study as opposed to steady-state?
o
o
o
o
Time step
Final temperature
Initial temperature
Both I and III
7. How does temperature approximately vary through a solid with no heat generation?
o
o
o
o
Linear
Logarithmic
Exponential
Parabolic
8. What material properties are needed for a thermal analysis?
o
o
o
o
Thermal conductivity
Specific heat
Density
All of the above
9. Which option is radiation heat transfer not dependent on?
o
o
o
o
Emissivity
Distance from source
Thermal conductivity
Surface temperature
10. Thermal resistance is inversely related to
o
o
o
o
Heat flux
Temperature change
Heat generation
All of the above
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LM-TH-1
11. Which of the following is not a boundary condition in SolidWorks?
o
o
o
o
Temperature
Convection
Conduction
Radiation
12. Which post-processing options are available in a transient study?
o
o
o
o
Animating the plot

Looking at the time response of a certain node on a plot
Plotting a certain time step
All of the above
13. What are the heat transfer equations for conduction, convection, and radiation?
14. What tool must be used to acquire data from a thermal plot?
15. Describe how to apply a thermal resistance between two faces.
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Attachment F. Practice Problems
Problem 1
A metal sphere of diameter d = 30mm is initially at temperature Ti = 700 K. At t=0, the sphere is
placed in a fluid environment that has properties of T = 300 K and h = 50 W/m2-K. The
properties of the steel are k = 35 W/m-K, = 7500 kg/m3, and c = 550 J/kg-K. Find the surface
temperature of the sphere after 500 seconds.
T = 300 K
h = 50 W/m2-K
Ti = 700 K
Click the icon below to open the part
Problem_1.SLDPRT
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Problem 2
An infinite wall with thickness t = 20mm is exposed to different temperatures on each side of the
wall as in Figure 2. The wall has a thermal conductivity of 5.0 W/m-K and density of 6000
kg/m3.
a) Find the heat flux through the wall
b) Find the surface temperature on each side of the wall
T o, =70C
ho = 50 W/m2-K
t
T i, =10C
hi = 20 W/m2-K
Problem_2.SLDPRT
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Problem 3
A plane wall is exposed to convection on both sides. The wall is split into two parts with the
inside wall made of AISI 304 steel and the other made of a material with properties k = . 25, =
100, and c = 1200. There is a thermal resistance between the two sides of .005 m2-K/W. Find the
heat flux through the walls and the surface temperatures T1, T2, T3, and T4.
T,i = 50C
hi = 15C
T,o = -20C
ho = 40C
T1
T2
T3
T4
Click the assembly icon below to open the part
Problem_3.SLDASM
Steel Wall.SLDPRT
Plane Wall.SLDPRT
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Problem 4
A thin brass loop of diameter d = 15 cm has 6 different legs of 7.5cm each and is exposed to the
temperature boundary conditions below. Nodes 4-6 are also exposed to convection along the
cross sectional area at the end of each leg leg (T = 50C, h = 80 W/m2-K). Find the temperatures
at nodes 1-9.
20C
100
C
50C
8
7
3
2
5
Problem_4.SLDPRT
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Problem 5
A thin aluminum plate (1060 alloy) is exposed to a radiation from a surface 100mm away, with
Ts = 200C, = 0.7. A second plate is exposed to radiation from the same surface but at a
distance of 300mm. Both plates are 10x100x200mm and are exposed to convection on all sides
with h = 15 W/m2-K and T = 27C. Find the surface temperatures of each plate (assume
constant surface temperatures throughout the plates and a closed system for radiation).
.1m
Ts = 200C
.3m
Problem_5.SLDPRT
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Problem 6
Three aluminum (1060 alloy) plates are exposed to radiation from a source with Ts = 200C and
= 0.7. The plates have a cross sectional area of .0025 m2 and are oriented at 200 mm away from
the source as shown in the figure below. Find the surface temperature of each plate (assume
constant surface temperatures throughout the plates and a closed system for radiation).
3
4
2
r = .2 m
60
45
1
Problem_6.SLDPRT
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Attachment G. Solutions to Practice Problems
Solution to Problem 1
74
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Solution 1
Assume Lumped Capacitance Method
N
O5 PJ
412.5 Q
9
R
: :
exp R-N
500
300 700 300
expV 500-412.5W XYZ. [ \
From SolidWorks
T(500) = 435.1 K
Percent Difference
435.1 419.0
] 100% _. `%
435.1
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Solution 2
a) heat flux
;
"

;
1 7 1
1 . 02 1

0.074 b c G
9

9
50
5
20
"
70 10
eY[. e f/hi
. 074
70 810.8
1 V1-50W j_. e k
b) surface temperatures
Check T
q
T1
T2
53.8 810.8
1 V. 02-5W j[. j k
50.5 810.8
1 ?1-20B 10k
Hand Calculation
810.8
53.8
50.5
SolidWorks
810.8
53.64
50.39
Percent Error (%)

0.0
0.29
0.22
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Solution 3
Heat flux
;
Temperatures
;
"

;
1 7
7
1

.005

9
9
1 0.1
0.2
1

0.005

0. 903 b c/G
15 16
0.25 40
"
50 20
``. jY f/hi
0.903
50 V1-15W 1 77.51
XX. e_
44.83 ?0.1-16B 1 77.51

XX. _X
44.34 . 005
1 77.51
X_. Zl
= 43.96 V0.2-0.25W 1 77.51

Ye. [j
q
T1
T2
T3
T4
Hand Calculations
77.51
44.83
44.34
43.96
-18.05
SolidWorks
77.53
44.68
44.20
43.81
-18.21
Percent Difference
0.03
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.9
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Solution 4
Length of each arc
m
Length of each leg
@A
0.0785 b
6
0.075 m
Node equations
5

7
58 9 :
Since the area is equal in all the node equations it has been ignored in the coefficients
calculations. Thermal conductivity cancels in all equations except at nodes with convection (46). Plugging in values gives the following coefficient matrix.
1
38.81
-12.74
0
-1467
0
0
-12.74
0
0
2
-12.74
38.81
-12.74
0
-1467
0
0
0
0
Node
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
3
0
-12.74
38.81
0
0
-1467
0
0
-12.74
4
-13.33
0
0
1547
0
0
0
0
0
Temperature
5
6
0
0
-13.33
0
0
-13.33
0
0
1547
0
0
1547
0
0
0
0
0
0
Hand Calculations
72.66
79.65
88.42
71.48
78.11
86.44
66.90
58.04
99.48
7
-12.74
0
0
0
0
0
38.81
-12.74
0
SolidWorks
73.1
80.28
89.23
71.9
78.75
87.2
66.83
59.29
99.61
8
0
0
0
0
0
0
-12.74
38.81
-12.74
9
0
0
-12.74
0
0
0
0
-12.74
38.81
0
0
0
4000
4000
4000
931
133
1995
Percent Difference
0.60
0.78
0.91
0.58
0.81
0.87
0.10
2.11
0.13
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58
Solution 5
EF= 5.67710no

0.7
. 02
473=
39.7 G
58 9 :
:
1st plate
Absorbed radiation, r = 0.1 m
. 02
39.7 G $
% 12.64 G
2@.1

, 27
2nd plate
Absorbed radiation, r = 0.3 m
12.64
Xj. _k
15
.046
. 02
39.7 G $
% 1.404 G
2@.3

, :
Temperature
Ts,1
Ts,2

9

1.404
27
iZ. [k
15
. 046
9
Hand Calculations
45.3
29.0
SolidWorks
42.0
30.7
Percent Difference
7.8
5.5
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Solution 6
58
EF= 5.67710no

0.7
. 0025
473=
4.97 G
58 9 :
:
27
. 0025cos 60
4.97 p
t2@.2
u
5.005
27
= 27
Temperature
T2
T3
T4

9
. 0025cos 0
4.97 p
t2@.2
u
5.005
. 0025cos 45
4.97 p
t2@.2
u
5.005
Hand Calculations
28.0
29.0
28.7
ie. [k
iZ. [k
ie. `k
SolidWorks
28.96
31.23
29.77
Percent Difference
3.3
7.1
3.5
80
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Attachment H. Assessment
Please rank the following 3 questions on the order of 1 to 5
1- Little or no experience
2- Some experience
3- Moderate experience
4- Much experience
5- Used almost daily
Before completing this learning module:
1
How much experience have you had with the FEM method?
How much experience have you had with this specific topic?
How much experience have you had with the specific
software?
How has your knowledge of the FEM method improved between the pre-test and the end of the
module?
o
o
o
o
No improvement
Minor improvements, still have many questions
Moderate improvements, still have few questions
Major improvements
Do you feel the pre and post test questions accurately tested the most important learning topics in
this subject?
o
o
o
Yes
No
Neutral
How useful were the practice problems?
o
o
o
o
o
Very helpful
Helpful
Indifferent
Unhelpful
Very unhelpful
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Do you feel there was sufficient material contained in the learning module to answer all the post
test questions and complete the FEM analysis of the practice problems?
o
o
Yes
No
If yes, did you acquire help from an outside source or complete the module on your
own?
If not, which problems/concepts did you struggle with?
Do you feel it was bad to not have a teacher there to answer any questions you might have?
o
o
o
It didnt matter
It would have been nice
I really wanted to ask a question
How did the interactivity of the program affect your learning?
o
o
o
o
o
Improved it a lot
Improved it some
No difference
Hurt it some
Hurt it a lot
The six levels of Blooms Taxonomy are listed below. Rank how well this learning module
covers each level, with 5 meaning exceptionally well and 1 meaning very poor.
1. Knowledge (remembering previously learned material)
O 5
O 4
O 3
O 2
O 1
2. Comprehension (the ability to grasp the meaning of the material and give examples)
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O
O
O
O
O
5
4
3
2
1
3. Application (the ability to use the material in new situations)

O 5
O 4
O 3
O 2
O 1
4. Analysis (the ability to break down material into its component parts so that its
organizational structure may be understood)
O 5
O 4
O 3
O 2
O 1
5. Synthesis (the ability to put parts together to form a new whole)
O 5
O 4
O 3
O 2
O 1
6. Evaluation (the ability to judge the value of the material for a given purpose)
O 5
O 4
O 3
O 2
O 1
Do you think the mixed text and video format works well?
o
o
o
Yes
Indifferent
No
Do you think the module presents an effective method of learning FEA?
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o
o
o
Yes
Indifferent
No
Did you prefer this module over the traditional classroom learning experience? Why or why not.
How accurate would it be to call this module self-contained and stand-alone?
o
o
o
o
o
Very accurate
Accurate
Indifferent
Inaccurate
Very inaccurate
What specifically did you like and/or dislike about the module.
Was there any part of the module that you felt was unnecessary of redundant? Was there a need
for any additional parts?
Please list any suggestions for improving this module.
84
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Overall, how would you rate your experience taking this module?
o
o
o
o
o
Excellent
Fair
Average
Poor
Awful
85

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LM-TH-1

Creating the solid geometry

4. Tutorial Problem Statements

Link to Abstract Modeling

Link to Practice Problems

1. Heat transfer through a solid body is referred to as

2. The temperature gradient is defined as

Temperature rate of change per unit length

3. Heat flux is defined by

The amount of heat generated per unit volume

4. Heat transfer between a solid body and a fluid is referred to as

Temperature change is smaller through the solid

6. The convection coefficient is related to

The rate that heat is transferred between a solid and fluid

7. The amount of heat transferred by radiation is directly related to

The Stephan-Boltzmann constant

8. If no heat is transferred to or from a surface, it is referred to as

9. When all temperatures are in equilibrium, the problem is assumed to be

Conceptual Analysis of Thermal Simulation

Frequently used command icons

Figure 1: General user interface of SolidWorks.

Step 1: Enabling SolidWorks Simulation

Click SolidWorks part file icon to open it ==>

to create the study

Figure 3: Creating a thermal study

Figure 4: Material property manager in SolidWorks

Step 4: Rotating the figure

Figure 5: Rotating the view

to create the boundary temperature

Figure 6: Setting a temperature boundary

to create the boundary temperature

Step 7: Applying a temperature boundary to the lower left face

to create the boundary temperature

Step 8: Applying a temperature boundary to the upper left face

to create the boundary temperature

Right click on the

to create the mesh

icon will appear on the model tree

to create the plot

Figure 7: Creating a temperature plot

to accept the changes

Figure 7: Plot settings and how it affects the legend

Figure 8: Probing the temperature plot at the four nodes

     

Plugging in variables for q into the energy balance gives:

Repeating this process three more times gives:

Using a matrix to solve the four equations gives the following:

Tutorial Problem 2. A pipe connected with a flange is subjected to convection, conduction,

Figure 1: The Add-Ins manager and Simulation boxes

1.1 Geometry Creation

Click SolidWorks part file icon to open it ==>

o Option 2: Download the part file Flanged Pipe.SLDASM and flange.SLDPRT

to create the study

Figure 2: Creating a thermal study

1.2 Material Property Assignment

Figure 3: The material property manager and SolidWorks libraries

to create the boundary temperature

Figure 4: Setting the first temperature boundary

to create the boundary temperature

Figure 5: Setting the second temperature boundary

to create the boundary

Figure 6: Applying the outer convective boundary

to create the boundary

Figure 7: Applying the inner convective boundary

7.42 10.15 0.281= 392

12 32.3 20.2 3.604