ANSYS Presentation

Chapter Eight
Results Postprocessing
Chapter Overview Training Manual
• In this chapter, aspects of reviewing results will be covered:
ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

– Viewing Results
– Scoping Results
– Exporting Results
– Coordinate Systems & Directional Results
– Solution Combinations
– Stress Singularities
– Error Estimation
– Convergence
• The capabilities described in this section are applicable to

all ANSYS licenses, except when noted otherwise
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A. Viewing Results Training Manual
• When selecting a results branch, the Context toolbar

displays ways of viewing results:
Displacement Scaling Display Method Contour Settings Outline Display Slice Planes
Min/Max Probe Tool Animation Controls Export AVI Convergence Alerts
All of these options except for “Convergence” will be

discussed next. “Convergence” is covered in Section C.
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… Displacement Scaling Training Manual
• For structural analyses (static, modal, buckling),

the deformed shape can be changed
– By default, the scaling is automatically exaggerated
to visualize the structural response more clearly
– The user can change to undeformed or actual deformation
No Displacement Scaling Automatic Displacement Scaling

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… Display Method Training Manual
• The “Geometry” button controls the contour

display method. Four choices are possible:
Exterior IsoSurfaces
“Exterior” is the default

display option and is
most commonly used.
“IsoSurfaces” is useful
to display regions with
the same contour value.
“Capped IsoSurfaces”
will remove regions of
the model where the
Capped IsoSurfaces Slice Planes contour values are
above (or below) a
specified value.
“Slice Planes” allow a
user to ‘cut’ through the
model visually. A
capped slice plane is
also available, as shown
on the left.
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Model shown is from a sample Inventor assembly. 8-5
… Contour Settings Training Manual
• The “Contours” button controls the way in

which contours are shown on the model
Smooth Contours Contour Bands
Isolines Solid Fill
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… Outline Display Training Manual
• The “Edges” button allows the user show the

undeformed geometry or mesh
No Wireframe Show Undeformed Wireframe
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Show Undeformed Model Show Elements 8-7
… Slice Planes Training Manual
• When in Slice Plane viewing mode, slice planes

can be added and edited
– To add a slice plane, simply select the “Draw Slice Plane” icon,
then click-drag with the left mouse across the Graphics
window. The path created will define the slice plane.
– To edit a slice plane, select the “Edit Planes” icon. The
defined planes will have a ‘handle’ in the Graphics window.
• Drag the handle to move the slice plane
• Click on one side of the bar to show capped slice display
• Select the handle, then hit the “Delete” key to remove plane
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Handles of 3 defined slice planes Move a slice plane by dragging handle Click on one side of bar to cap view 8-8
… Min/Max and Probe Tool Training Manual
• The min/max symbols can be removed by selecting

the “Maximum” and “Minimum” buttons
• Results can be queried on the model by selecting the
“Probe” button
– Left-mouse click to add an annotation of the value being
queried on the model.
– Use the “Label” button to select and delete unwanted
annotations
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… Animation Controls Training Manual
• The animation toolbar allows user to play,

pause, and stop animations
– The slider bar allows users to go through frame-by-frame
– The “Export Animation File” enables saving animation as AVI
– Animations will generally range from min to max value in a
linear fashion. On the other hand, for free vibration and
harmonic analysis, the full range will be correctly animated (+/-
max value).
– Animation speed can be
controlled via “View >
Animation Speed”
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… Alerts Training Manual
• Alerts are simple ways of check to see if a scalar

result quantity satisfies a criterion
– Alerts can be used on most contour results except for vector
results, Contact Tool results, and Shape Finder
– Simply select that result branch and add an Alert
– In the Details view, specify the criterion
• A minimum or maximum value of that result branch can be used
• Input the value which is used for the threshold
– In the Outline tree, a green checkmark indicates

that the criterion is satisfied. A red exclamation
mark indicates that the criterion was not satisfied.
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… Manipulating the Legend Training Manual
• For exterior contour plots, the legend can be manipulated

to show result distributions more clearly.
– Select the legend with the left mouse
– Drag white bars to change overall min/max values
• Out-of-range values are purple (high) and brown (low)
– Drag yellow bars to rescale legend
– Drag grey bars to change intermediate ranges
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Original Contour Legend Modified Contour Legend Inventory #002215
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• For Capped IsoSurface plots, the legend has additional

features to manipulate the display
– The middle long grey bar controls where the cutoff
value is for capped plots
– The striped areas show what values will not be
displayed. To toggle, simple click on the colored
areas on either side of the long grey bar
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Default Capped IsoSurface Modified Capped IsoSurface Inventory #002215
8-13
• The legend may also be changed by selecting the values

and directly inputting a numerical value
– Select the contour value, type in a new value, and [Enter]
– To rescale internal bands, select white bars and move them.
Internal bands automatically get rescaled evenly
– For example, when comparing two results, one may want to
change the legend to be the same for both
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… Vector Plots Training Manual
• Vector plots involve any vector result quantity with

direction, such as deformation, principal stresses/strains,
and heat flux
– Activate vectors for appropriate quantities using the vector
graphics icon
– Once the vectors are visible their appearance can be modified

using the vector display controls (see next slide for examples)
Vector Length Control Vector Length Control
Proportional Vectors Equal Length Vectors Grid Aligned Element Aligned Line Form Solid Form
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… Vector Plots Training Manual
• Examples

Solid Form, Grid Aligned Line Form, Grid Aligned
Proportional Length Equal Length
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… Multiple Viewports Training Manual
• Using multiple viewports is especially useful for

postprocessing, where more than one result
can be viewed at the same time
– Useful to compare multiple results, such as results from
different environments or multiple mode shapes
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… Default Settings Training Manual
• Under “Tools > Options… > Simulation: Graphics,” the

default graphics settings can be changed.
– This way, each user can make all results for new simulations
be displayed to his/her preference
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B. Scoping Results Training Manual
• Sometimes, limiting the display of results is useful when

postprocessing
– Although one can rescale the legend to get a better idea of the
result distribution on a certain part or surface, results scoping
automatically scales the legend and only shows the applicable
surface(s) or part(s), making result viewing easier.
– Scoping results on edges produces a path plot, allowing users
to see detailed results along selected edges
– Results scoping is very useful for convergence controls
(discussed later in this chapter)
– When using Contact Tool, Simulation automatically scopes
contact results to contact regions.
• Results scoping can be performed on any result item in the

Solution branch for any type of geometric quantity.
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… Scoping Surface/Part Results Training Manual
• To scope contour results, simply do either of the following:

– Select part(s) or surface(s), then request the result of interest
– Select the result item, then click on “Geometry” in the Details
view. Select the part(s) or surface(s), then click on Apply
• When this is performed, the Details view of the result item

will indicate that results will be shown only for the selected
items.
– The displayed values will show non-selected surfaces/parts as
translucent.
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… Scoping Surface/Part Results Training Manual
• Some examples of scoping results on surfaces/parts:

Scoping results on a single part Stress results on selected surfaces
Vector Principal Stresses on single part
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… Scoping Edge & Vertex Results Training Manual
• Results can be scoped to a single edge

– Select a single edge for results scoping
– A path plot of the result mapped on the edge will be displayed
• In a similar manner, results can also be scoped to a single

vertex. No ‘contour’ results will be displayed since only a
vertex is present, but the value will reported in the Details
view for the selected vertex
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… Renaming Scoped Results Training Manual
• For scoped results, it is often useful to automatically

rename the result branch
– Right-click on the result branch and select “Rename Based on
Definition.” The name will become more descriptive.
The result branch name is now more

descriptive, indicating it is a scoped
result on a given edge.
Renaming result branches is also
useful for directional results, as it will
change the name to the direction of the
stress or deformation or heat flux.
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C. Exporting Results Training Manual
• Tabular data from Simulation can be exported to Excel for

further data manipulation
• To export Worksheet tab information, do the following:
– Select the branch and click on the Worksheet tab
– Right-click the same branch and select “Export”
– This can be used for Geometry, Contact, Environment,
Frequency Finder, Buckling, and Harmonic Worksheets
• To export Contour Results

– Right-click on the result branch of interest and select “Export”
– This can be used for any result item of interest
– Node numbers and result quantities will be exported
– Exporting large amounts of data can take some CPU time
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… Exporting Results Training Manual
• Usually, for result items, the internal ANSYS node number

and result quantity will be output as shown below.
• To include node locations, change this option under “Tools
menu > Options… > Simulation: Export”
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… Exporting Results Training Manual
• For principal stresses and strains, additional information of

the orientation needs to be included when export to .XLS:
– The generated Excel file will have 6 fields:
• The first three correspond to the maximum, middle and minimum
principal quantities (stresses or strains).
• The last three correspond to the ANSYS Euler angle sequence
(CLOCAL command in ANSYS) required to produce a coordinate
system whose X, Y and Z-axis are the directions of maximum,
middle and minimum principal quantities, respectively. This Euler
angle sequence is ThetaXY, ThetaYZ and ThetaZX and orients the
principal coordinate system relative to the global system.
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D. Coordinate Systems Training Manual
• If coordinate systems are defined, a new item will be

displayed in the Details view of directional results:
– As shown below, one can select from defined coordinate
systems. The selected coordinate system will define x-, y-,
and z-axes
– Direction Deformation, Normal/Shear Stress/Strain, and
Directional Heat Flux can use coordinate systems
• Principal stress/strain have their own angles associated with them
• Other result items are scalars, so there are no directions
associated with it.
• Vector plots show the direction, so they cannot use coordinate
systems.
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… Coordinate Systems Training Manual
• For the model shown below, one local

cylindrical coordinate system is defined
– Note that displaying Deformation in the x-
direction in the global and local coordinate
systems will show different results.
– If the user wants to see what is the radial
displacement at the larger hole, a local cylindrical coordinate
system allows to visualize this type of displacement.
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Deformation in Global X-Direction Deformation in Local Cylindrical X-Direction 8-28
E. Solution Combinations Training Manual
• For ANSYS Professional licenses and above, the Solution

Combination branch can be added to the Model branch to
provide combinations of existing Environment branches
– Solution combinations are only valid for linear static structural

analyses.
• Linear combinations are only valid if the analyses are linear
(Chapter 4). Nonlinear results should not be added together in a
linear fashion, although Contact Tool results can be added.
• Thermal-stress and other types of analyses are not supported
• The supports must be the same between Environments for the
results to be valid. Only the loading can change to allow for
solution combinations.
• Solution combination calculations are very quick and does not
require a re-solve.
ANSYS License Availability
DesignSpace Entra
DesignSpace March 29, 2005
Professional x Inventory #002215
Structural x
Mechanical/Multiphysics x 8-29
… Solution Combinations Training Manual
• To perform solution combinations, do the following:

– Add a Solution Combination branch. The Worksheet view will
appear
– In the Worksheet view, add Environments and a coefficient
(multiplier). The solution combination will be the sum of the
multiples of the various Environments selected.
– Request results from the
Context toolbar. These
results will reflect the sum
of the products of the
selected Environments

DesignSpace Entra
Structural x
• For example, consider the case below of a sample model

with two environments
“Environment” “Environment 3”
Solution Combination Results

DesignSpace Entra
Structural x
• Use of solution combinations allows the user to solve

different environments, thereby considering the effect of
different loads separately.
• By using the Solution Combination branch, a linear
combination of solutions can be solved for very quickly
without having to perform another separate solution.
• Multiple Solution Combination branches may be added, as
needed.

DesignSpace Entra
Structural x
F. Stress Singularities Training Manual
• In any finite-element analysis, one seeks to balance

accuracy and computational cost. As the mesh is refined,
one expects to get mathematically more precise results.
– Quantities directly solved for (degrees of freedom) such as
displacements and temperatures, converge without problems
– Derived quantities, such as stresses, strains, and heat flux,
should also converge as the mesh is refined, but not as fast or
smooth as DOF since these are derived from the DOF solution
– In some cases, however, derived quantities such as stresses
and heat flux will not converge as the mesh is refined. These
are situations where these values are artificially high. This
section will discuss situations where derived solution
quantities are artificially high.
• In thermal analyses, since temperature is the main quantity of
interest, the discussion in this section will focus on stresses
instead, not heat flux.
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… Stress Singularities Training Manual
• In a linear static structural analysis, there are several

sources which may cause artificially high stresses, two
common ones which are listed below:
– Stress singularities
• Geometry discontinuities, such as reentrant
corners (shown on right)
• Point/edge loads and constraints
– Overconstraints
• Fixed supports and other constraints which prevent Poisson’s
effect
• Fixed supports and other constraints which prevent thermal
expansion
• In the above situations, refining the mesh at the artificially

high stress area will keep increasing the stresses
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Model shown is from a sample Mechanical Desktop assembly. 8-34
… Stress Singularities Training Manual

If the area of artificially high stresses is not an area of interest,
one can usually scope results only on part(s) or surface(s) of
interest instead
• If the area of artificially high stresses is of interest, there are
several ways to obtain more accurate stress results:
– Stress singularities
• Model geometry with fillets or other details which do not cause geometric
discontinuities since some form of these (albeit small) would exist in the
actual system
• Point loads and constraints should only be used on line bodies. For solid
bodies, every load/constraint has a finite area on which it is applied, so these
should be applied on areas rather than vertices
– Overconstraints
• A Fixed Support is an idealization, and modeling the constraint properly may
be required (possibly including the geometry on which the part is connected)
– Although the above are some suggestions, these usually involve
additional effort or more nodes/elements, so it is up to the user to
review the results and understand if and why stresses may be
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G. Error Estimation Training Manual
• You can insert an Error result based on stresses

(structural), or heat flux (thermal) to help identify regions of
high error (see example next page).
• These regions show where the model would benefit from a
more refined mesh in order to get a more accurate answer.
• Regions of high error also indicate where refinement will
take place if convergence is used.
• More information on error
estimation is available in section
19.7 of the ANSYS Theory
Reference.
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. . . Error Estimation Training Manual
• Error plot shows region where element mesh refinement

may be necessary.
• Error is plotted in terms of energy.
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H. Convergence Training Manual
• As noted earlier, as the mesh is refined, the mathematical

model becomes more accurate. However, there is
computational cost associated with a finer mesh.
• Obtaining an optimal mesh requires the following:
– Having criteria to determine if a mesh is adequate
– Investing more elements only where needed
• Performing these tasks manually is cumbersome and

inexact
– The user would have to manually refine the mesh, resolve, and
compare results with previous solutions.
• Simulation has convergence controls to automate adaptive

mesh refinement to a user-specified level of accuracy
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… Convergence Training Manual
• To use this feature, simply select a result branch

and select the “Convergence” button on the
Context toolbar
– A Convergence branch will appear below the result branch
– In the Details view of the Convergence branch, select whether
the max or min value will be converged upon and input the
allowable change (as a percentage)
• For “Type,” “Minimum” is available since some result
quantities (e.g., directional deformation or minimum
principal stress) may have negative values
• For allowable change, default is 20%. However, 5% for
displacement and temperatures and 10% for other
quantities is a good starting point.
– In the Details view of the Solution branch, input the
max number of refinement loops per solve
• Input a reasonable value, such as 1 to 4, so that
Simulation will not try to refine the mesh indefinitely.
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• After this is completed, when solving, Simulation will

automatically refine the mesh and resolve
– At least two iterations are required (initial solution and first
refinement loop)
• The “Max Refinement Loops” in the Solution branch details allows
the user to set the max number of loops per solve to prevent
Simulation from excessive refinement. Usually, 2 to 4 max loops
should be more than enough. Default is 1 loop per solve.
– The mesh will automatically be refined only in areas deemed
necessary, based on error approximation techniques
– The convergence results will be stored for review in
the “Convergence” branch
• If not converged within the specified percentage, a red
exclamation mark will appear.
• If converged within the limits, a green checkmark will be shown
– The result branches will display only the last solution
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• After the solution is complete, one can view the results and

the last mesh
– Note that the mesh is refined only where needed, as shown in
the example below
– The Convergence branch shows the trend for each refinement
loop as well as the values and number of nodes and elements
in the mesh
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… Convergence & Stress Singularities Training Manual
• As noted in the previous chapter, there are some causes for

artificially high stresses
– Stress singularities are theoretically infinite stress, so
Simulation’s adaptive mesh refinement will indicate this
– By specifying a reasonable value for the “Max Refinement
Loops,” this will allow the user to know quickly whether a
stress singularity or other type of artificially high stress
source is present
In this case, it is clear that the stresses

will increase without bound.
By examining the model, it was clear
that a stress singularity existed, which
explains why the stresses do not
converge as it normally would.
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… Convergence & Scoping Training Manual
• Besides adding details to get rid of stress singularities, one

can also converge on scoped results.
– If the artificially high stress region is not of interest, one can
scope results on selected part(s) or surface(s) and add
convergence controls to those results only.
• This provides the user with control on where to perform mesh
refinement
• This also allows the user to ignore areas of artificially high
stresses which are not of interest
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… Convergence & Scoping Example Training Manual
• For example, consider the simple part below.

– The part below has some geometric discontinuities, where
smoothers were not modeled to reduce model complexity
– For a given set of loading conditions, if the user knew that the
bottom of the part was failing, this may be a region of interest
the user would focus on.
Possible stress singularity
Region of interest
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Model shown is from a sample Mechanical Desktop assembly. 8-44
… Convergence & Scoping Example Training Manual

If convergence controls
were simply added to
the entire model, the
geometric discontinuity
would cause a stress
singularity which
increases without
bounds.
The solution becomes
very costly by including
the stress singularity.
On the other hand,

convergence controls
on scoped results
allows for adaptive
refinement only in user-
specified locations,
providing the user with
more control over the
mesh and the adaptive
solution.
In this way, the user can
get accurate stresses
on the bottom surface
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… Results Not Used with Convergence Training Manual
• Convergence cannot be used on the following result

quantities:
– Any type of vector result
– Contact Tool results
– Frequency Finder stress/strain results
– Buckling stress/strain results
– Harmonic analysis results
– Shape Finder results
– Fatigue Tool graph results
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… Convergence Summary Training Manual
• Using convergence controls helps to achieve a given level

of accuracy.
– Note that the “percent change” is related to the previous
solution. This is not “percent error” since Simulation does not
know beforehand what the ‘actual answer’ is.
– Convergence controls provides a way to get an accurate
answer based on the mathematical model. It does not
compensate for inaccurate assumptions, however! Hence, if
loads, supports, material properties, etc. are wrong, the
solution will still be inaccurate.
– Because use of convergence controls results in adaptive mesh
refinement, each new iteration will take longer than the
previous solution
• Although adaptive meshing will put more nodes and elements only
where needed, the mesh density will still increase
• Scoping results helps to minimize mesh density by explicitly
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I. Workshop 8 Training Manual
• Workshop 8 – Advanced Results Processing

• Goal:
– Analyze the high pressure vent assembly shown below and
then use some of the advanced postprocessing features to
review the stress and deflection results.
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Chapter Eight

• In this chapter, aspects of reviewing results will be covered:

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

• The capabilities described in this section are applicable to

• When selecting a results branch, the Context toolbar

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

Min/Max Probe Tool Animation Controls Export AVI Convergence Alerts

All of these options except for “Convergence” will be

March 29, 2005

• For structural analyses (static, modal, buckling),

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

No Displacement Scaling Automatic Displacement Scaling

• The “Geometry” button controls the contour

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

“Exterior” is the default

March 29, 2005

• The “Contours” button controls the way in

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

Isolines Solid Fill

March 29, 2005

• The “Edges” button allows the user show the

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

No Wireframe Show Undeformed Wireframe

March 29, 2005

• When in Slice Plane viewing mode, slice planes

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

March 29, 2005

• The min/max symbols can be removed by selecting

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

March 29, 2005

• The animation toolbar allows user to play,

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

March 29, 2005

• Alerts are simple ways of check to see if a scalar

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

– In the Outline tree, a green checkmark indicates

• For exterior contour plots, the legend can be manipulated

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

March 29, 2005

• For Capped IsoSurface plots, the legend has additional

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

March 29, 2005

• The legend may also be changed by selecting the values

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

March 29, 2005

• Vector plots involve any vector result quantity with

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

– Once the vectors are visible their appearance can be modified

Vector Length Control Vector Length Control

March 29, 2005

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

Proportional Length Equal Length

March 29, 2005

• Using multiple viewports is especially useful for

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

March 29, 2005

• Under “Tools > Options… > Simulation: Graphics,” the

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

March 29, 2005

• Sometimes, limiting the display of results is useful when

ANSYS Workbench – Simulation

• Results scoping can be performed on any result item in the

March 29, 2005