# Step-by-Step Tutorial: Homework of Session 2- Level 1 **URL:** \ **Category:** Drone Workshop (2015)\ **Created:** [October 23, 2015, 12:37pm UTC](https://www.simscale.com/forum/t/step-by-step-tutorial-homework-of-session-2-level-1/387 "2015-10-23T12:37:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![anon67859130](https://www.simscale.com/forum/letter_avatar/anon67859130/32/6_22734026db12803ebb3e059622ac3534.png) [@anon67859130](https://www.simscale.com/forum/u/anon67859130)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2015, 12:37pm UTC](https://www.simscale.com/forum/t/step-by-step-tutorial-homework-of-session-2-level-1/387/1 "2015-10-23T12:37:10Z")
> NOTE: This tutorial was updated on 08/2016 to match the updated version of the platform If you would like to watch the second session of the Drone Workshop again or in the case you missed it, you can access the full recording below. [![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/3X/c/a/ca92f43418a517ca232c7533bc7587a05b942cb0.jpeg "Drone Workshop (Session 2) - Static Structural Simulation of a Drone Part") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L98g0o0J57k) # Level 1 ## Exercise ![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/1X/b87ad42c98c93ca87381523f71690421aa86939e.PNG) Our aim is to investigate the displacement of the drone arm for different lift forces. **Therefore we will create a mesh of the arm and simulate the structural behavior of it for different forces (0.75N, 1.5N, 2.25N, 3N).** Your final homework project should contain 1 mesh and four simulation runs. You can submit your homework using the form. ## Step-by-Step First of all you have to import the geometry into your SimScale workspace. For this, you only have to [click on this link and a project with everything you need will be added to your workspace](https://www.simscale.com/workbench?publiclink=da31aed0-07a8-4616-90d3-f39a6e9cc5a2). Please note that this can take several minutes. ### Meshing - In the **Mesh Creator** tab, click on the geometry **Drone\_Arm** - Then, click on **New Mesh** button in the options panel. - Select **Tetrahedral with local refinements** and define following parameters: - _Name:_ **Mesh\_Coarse** (optional) - _Maximum mesh edge length [m]:_ **0.001** - _Minimal mesh edge length [m]:_ **0.0006** - _Specify the mesh order:_ **First order** - _NETGEN3D fineness parameter:_ **2 - Coarse** - _Activate NETGEN3D optimization:_ **true** - _Number of computing cores:_ **4** - Click on **Save** to save the setting. ![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/0/08cd3307e01d07692e93c8999abad6ed94ddd717.png) Now we have defined a range for the base mesh size which is fine for regions where we are not expecting high stress. Here you should keep in mind that, in general, the mesh size is related to the local accuracy of the simulation. It is therefore necessary to refine the mesh in curved surfaces with very small curvatures (fillets) where stress concentration is expected. We will now apply local refinements on the faces which are curved surfaces. - Click on the **New** button under _Mesh Refinement_. ![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/b/beb71438e544eb8a58ceaf6ac7da89c2da30b515.png) - Specify the following parameters - _Name_: **High Stress Zone Refinement** (optional) - _Maximum mesh edge length_: **0.0003** - _Minimal mesh edge length_: **0.0001** - NETGEN3D fineness parameter: **3 - Moderate** It is also possible and recommended to select the faces which you want to assign to the refinement graphically. - Choose _faces_ for _Filter for entity types_ and click on ![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/c/ce8206e0b92169e99fa67880b6b82fe11c013be3.png) so that you can select the faces which you need to refine. - Select all the fillets and curved surfaces, click on **Add selection from viewer** to assign the selected faces and then click **Save**. ![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/7/788e7765dfa8cc5087b0527ee523818514a851bf.png) ![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/c/c0ce6897151d928068ea00a770b3c79244543bb0.png) - Now our mesh is ready for computation. Click on the **Mesh\_Coarse** in the project tree and click the **Start** button. The mesh computation will begin automatically and will take around 5 min to complete. ![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/4/4520413d06c94dc85eb5015962187d0af249753c.png) - Once the mesh computation is finished, you will see **Finished** status in lower left corner and in the viewer you will see the meshed geometry. ![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/e/ee3d8fc6fc0c0d7314d8a4ea5a880c3b85e5d53f.png) ### Simulation Setup - After the mesh is completed we will set up the simulation. Click on the **Simulation Designer** tab. ![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/2/246a9998222ea14eed09ab677a69b75c93f04c65.png) - Click on **New** button to create a new simulation and give it a suitable name- **Load case-3N** (optional). ![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/3/353a624306ec1a76095854ebbc874ffcf9540e6b.png) - We don’t expect much deformation in this analysis (estimate of deformation can be calculated from beam equation). Therefore, we will select **Static analysis** as _Analysis Types_ and then click on **Save**. ![drone workshop, drone design, simulation setup static analysis](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/7/72ecd773dee407ad933a15c2d151dae2f310c220.png "Select static analysis") _Going forward, this tree will guide us through all necessary steps. Please note that some of the items are optional or not necessary and will therefore be skipped_ #### Domain selection - Next you have to specify which mesh you want to use for your simulation. Click on **Domain** item in the project tree and select Drone\_Arm mesh and then **Save**. ![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/5/5575ee6ba9a9d8427702cbdcfe05b77f43ffe5c0.png) #### Select Solid Materials Now you can define your new material based on your own material properties or access our **Material Library** which includes ready-to-use material models for several materials. - We will manually define an ABS Thermoplastic. Click therefore on the **Materials** item in the project tree and then on **New** button to create a new material. ![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/9/9db7a3d9936d40fa5f10fb1af0698fc311018a70.png) - Specify the following parameters: - _Name:_ **ABS Thermoplastic** - _Young’s Modulus [N/m2]:_ **1800000000** - _Poisson’s ratio:_ **0.35** - _Densiy[kg/m3]:_ **1040** - Now assign the material to volume of the arm ( **volumeOnGeoVolumes\_0** ) and **Save**. ![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/5/5c4a5b4fe8be853a93b9a8af265e5b9d5ea7bec4.png) #### Boundary Conditions Next we can start to define the boundary conditions. There are two kinds of boundary conditions for static structural simulations. 1. Constraint conditions are used to limit the degrees of freedom of the model. 2. Load conditions are used for applying an external load to the model - First we will define a constraint boundary condition to fix the arm. Click therefore on the **Constraint** under **Boundary Conditions** in the tree. - Click on **New** button ![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/2/28b6a6103ef6f7b4b3970d6179f666bebffb280b.png) - Specify the following parameters: - _Name_: **Fix** - _Type_: **Fixed Value** - _dx[m]_: **0** - _dy[m]_: **0** - _dz[m]_: **0** - Select **faces** for the option _Fliter for entity types_ under _Topological Mapping_. - Select the upper and lower surface of the arm mount ( **faceGroupOnGeoFace\_96** , **faceGroupOnGeoFace\_119** ) where we want to apply this boundary condition. - Click on **Add selection from viewer** in the bottom to assign this boundary condition to the surface. ![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/7/70b59a3516a0ad11357976562fc08876401798f7.png) - Now, we will apply the lift created by the propeller on the arm. We therefore create **load boundary condition** by going to **load** under **Boundary Conditions** in the tree and then clicking on **New** button. ![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/8/8978717048827dafe4cd38fe85a0fa9eac470ef8.png) - For the **Static Analysis** type there is no option for applying force on an area. Therefore, pressure is calculated by dividing force (3N) divided by area (2.304 x 10-4 m-2). - Specify the following parameters: - Finally choose the top surface of the engine mount and click on **Add selection from viewer** to assign this boundary condition to the surface. ![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/2/2a39ded024a47e7d908f1ef3535ede2d8883d8fe.png) In this tutorial we want to investigate the deformation of the arm for different lift forces. Therefore you can duplicate the set up and modify the load value for each load cases. **Numerics** , **Simulation Control** and **Result Control** , which are the next items in the project tree, can be skipped since the default settings are fine. ##### Simulation Runs - To start the simulation, click on the **Simulation Runs** item in the tree and click on the **New** button. ![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/4/484d4a5b78db4e348aae026d887619c351607fb7.png) - This will create a snapshot of your simulation settings as a new sub-item. - You can now start the simulation run by selecting it from the project tree and then click on the Start button. ![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/f/f82582b46748b615aeadb69616ec79bb75fd080b.png) - Once your simulation is finished, you will see a **Finished** status in the lower left corner. ### Post-Processing - Click on **Post-processing** tab. - Click on the **Solution fields** in the project tree to access the 3D simulation results. ![diy drone design, simulation results postprocessing](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/d/d10a048970071e0af02ae0aa54498e51227eaf62.png "Click on the Solution Fields to access the 3D simulation results") We can also apply filters on our simulation result to get more insights. - First we will visualize the deformation of the arm using the **Warp By Vector** filter. Click therefore on the **Add Filter** button. ![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/1X/0c7d2666ec0d55976e237f7a7ef901444c057a8b.png) - Now you can choose the **Wrap By Vector** filter from the list ![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/b/bc81fbdde111ab06ad03110a84b26170c9c7fa33.png) - In the **Property panel** you can define a scale factor for the displacement ( **20** ). Now you will be able to see the deformed and undeformed geometry and finally click on **tick mark** to apply the changes. ![](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/9/97a35966f2505dbbd2e00a8a87b02b10f3585ec0.png) - To differentiate between the deformed and undeformed shape click on **Run1** and then change the _field_ to **solid color** and also change the _opacity_ to **0.3** to make the undeformed result little transparent. Click on **tick mark** to apply the changes. The final result looks like this. ![diy drone design, simulation results postprocessing](https://www.simscale.com/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/8/80e7d4882ecf3f5d5d97f4649678cda7af7e3c29.png "Final simulation result") Congratulations, you have completed the Homework of Session 2 - Level 1 and can now move on to the next level: ### [Homework Session 2 - Level 2](https://www.simscale.com/forum/t/step-by-step-tutorial-homework-of-session-2-level-2/381/1) ---
**Author:** ![anon67859130](https://www.simscale.com/forum/letter_avatar/anon67859130/32/6_22734026db12803ebb3e059622ac3534.png) [@anon67859130](https://www.simscale.com/forum/u/anon67859130)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2015, 12:37pm UTC](https://www.simscale.com/forum/t/step-by-step-tutorial-homework-of-session-2-level-1/387/2 "2015-10-23T12:37:17Z")
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**Author:** ![anon67859130](https://www.simscale.com/forum/letter_avatar/anon67859130/32/6_22734026db12803ebb3e059622ac3534.png) [@anon67859130](https://www.simscale.com/forum/u/anon67859130)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2015, 3:09pm UTC](https://www.simscale.com/forum/t/step-by-step-tutorial-homework-of-session-2-level-1/387/3 "2015-10-23T15:09:36Z")
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**Author:** ![cjquijano](https://www.simscale.com/forum/user_avatar/www.simscale.com/cjquijano/32/24358_2.png) [@cjquijano](https://www.simscale.com/forum/u/cjquijano)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2015, 2:43pm UTC](https://www.simscale.com/forum/t/step-by-step-tutorial-homework-of-session-2-level-1/387/4 "2015-10-26T14:43:32Z")
Hello Milad, I am curious for this exercise why we setup the simulation for a nonlinear static analysis? Was if just for practice? It seems like we should have been able to pick the Static Analysis, and not the Static Analysis - advances option. Thanks, Christopher ---
**Author:** ![gurav\_harsh](https://www.simscale.com/forum/user_avatar/www.simscale.com/gurav_harsh/32/406_2.png) [@gurav\_harsh](https://www.simscale.com/forum/u/gurav_harsh)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2016, 5:45am UTC](https://www.simscale.com/forum/t/step-by-step-tutorial-homework-of-session-2-level-1/387/5 "2016-01-09T05:45:33Z")
In shown von-mises stress post processing, what is its UNIT? Cause I guess 1698000 MPa stress will be too high to sustain. How can we decide at what stress the design is safe or not? Please reply ASAP. ---
**Author:** ![DMajstorovic](https://www.simscale.com/forum/user_avatar/www.simscale.com/dmajstorovic/32/944_2.png) [@DMajstorovic](https://www.simscale.com/forum/u/DMajstorovic)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 2:33pm UTC](https://www.simscale.com/forum/t/step-by-step-tutorial-homework-of-session-2-level-1/387/6 "2016-01-13T14:33:05Z")
Pascal, _Pa_ - Hence, 1.69e+06 Pa. The most simplest answer - If the maximum value of Von Mises stress induced in the material is lower(lesser) than strength of the material, your design will sustain it.