Boundary Conditions

For static analyses, models must be sufficiently constrained such that all rigid body motion is removed. Rigid body motion is defined as translation or rotational movement along or about the 3 primary (X, Y and Z) geometric axes. In SIMSOLID Cloud, constraints (as well as loads) are applied to one or more part faces. The following types of constraints are available:

Immovable support

Enforces zero translational displacements in all directions. It is applied to one or more faces in the model.

Slider support

enforces zero displacement in directions normal to the surface direction. Displacements tangent to the surface are unconstrained. Sliding support can be used to define planes of symmetry.

Hinge support

Hinge supports allow a part to freely rotate about the center-line of a cylindrical face but constrains movement in both the radial and axial directions. Hinge supports can only be applied to full or partial cylindrical faces. The cylindrical faces may be either concave or convex.