Date Subject Keywords

Memo Number July 7, 2002 STI:02/07 Tricks: : CERIG vs RBE3, RIGID184 [Link] Tips and Tricks CERIG, RBE3, RIGID184

1. Introduction: Constraint equations provide many useful features in ANSYS, such as tying together dissimilar meshes, representing parts of the system not explicitly modeled, or distributing loads. Two automated methods of generating constraint equations are the CERIG and RBE3 commands. Because there is often confusion over their use, this memo hopes to provide some information on differences between the two methods. Constraint equations in ANSYS are linear, so they are not valid for large-rotation analyses. RIGID184 is a beta element in version 6.1 which provides rigid link/beam capabilities, valid for largerotation problems. The latter part of this memo will cover some details of this undocumented feature, available in 6.1. 2. Background on CERIG vs. RBE3: Constraint equations (CE) are linear equations which relate various DOF to each other, as shown in the following:

A = Ci DOFi
i =1

where A is a constant and Ci is a coefficient for a particular DOFi. CE are of a more general form than nodal coupling (CP), which relate DOF to each other directly (e.g., DOF1 = DOF2). In both cases, however, one often speaks of independent and dependent DOF because the former are the DOF actually solved for in the matrix equation [K]{u}={F}, then the latter are derived from the independent DOF via the constraint equations. In ANSYS, the constraint equations are written such that the first term is always a dependent DOF. CERIG and RBE3 are two of several commands in ANSYS to create complex constraint equations automatically for specific situations. CERIG is typically used to generate a rigid region, whereas RBE3 is often used to provide a weighed distribution of forces/moments/mass. Both are created in a similar fashion with one master node and several slave nodes. The CERIG command creates a CE-based RIGid region. The user selects one master node, several slave nodes, and the DOF affected. The master node in this case means that this is the node (and DOF) which control the behavior of the rigid region. Generally speaking, any rigid body has 6 DOF in 3D and 3 DOF in 2D hence, the master node should have the appropriate number of DOF to control how this rigid region moves. The slave nodes can have translational DOF only or rotational DOF as well, and this is specified via the Ldof argument of the CERIG command. While the CERIG command can be used to tie specific DOF only, the following discussion will assume use of one of two options (Ldof = ALL or Ldof = UXYZ) used to construct a typical rigid region. The first point of confusion commonly encountered is that users expect to have a master node by itself (unattached to any element) when using CERIG. In ANSYS, the actual DOF used by the node is determined by the attached element, such as TEMP, UX, WARP, or ROTZ. Since CERIG is a constraint equation, not an element, it does not provide information about active DOF. Hence, if the master node is unattached to any other element, a user should create a MASS21 element at the master node to provide that node with information on what the active DOF are. The actual mass of the MASS21 element usually doesnt matter unless inertial loads are present or dynamic analyses are involved, although the user can specify a very small mass value in these situations. Another point of confusion is that even when users create a MASS21 at the master node, KEYOPT(3)=2 (3-D mass without rotary inertia) is sometimes invoked by the user. Because of this, the active DOF at the master node of CERIG has translational DOF only. As noted above, generally speaking, any rigid body has 6 DOF in 3D (and 3 DOF in 2D), so rotational DOF are important to
1

Users more familiar with the GUI can access the CERIG command via the menu item: Main Menu > Preprocessor > Coupling / Ceqn > Rigid Region

specify the behavior of the rigid region. (Even if no rotation is expected, the user can subsequently constrain the rotational DOF of the master node.) In the case of CERIG, it is important to note that the master node contains the independent DOF, and the slave nodes contain the dependent DOF. Hence, the user can specify boundary conditions on the master node only boundary conditions conflicting with the slave DOF used in CERIG should not be applied to the slave nodes. This should be a reasonable requirement because, as a rigid region, a user should not be able to specify movement on a local area of the rigid region otherwise, the region is no longer rigid. Even for the cases of rotated nodes, ANSYS will generate the correct constraint equations with CERIG, as long as the nodes are rotated prior to issuing the CERIG command. The RBE3 command, on the other hand, behaves differently than CERIG. The user specifies options similar to the CERIG command with one master and several slave nodes, although there are some differences between the two commands. The first difference is that the master node in RBE3 is really a dependent node. As noted above, the master node in CERIG defines the behavior of the rigid region, so it has the independent DOF. In RBE3, however, the master node is actually a dependent node, and the slave nodes define the independent DOF. This means that RBE3 does not define a rigid region but, instead, it is a way in which forces/moments/mass on the master (dependent) DOF can be distributed to the slave 3 (independent) DOF. Secondly, the user has the option of inputting two array parameters listing the slave nodes and the weighting factors for each slave node used for the interpolation of the forces/moments (by default, the weighting factor is 1.0). A force applied on the master node is distributed to the slave nodes proportional to the weighting factors. A moment applied on the master node is distributed as forces to the slave nodes which are proportional to the distance from the slave nodes times the weighting factors. Lastly, while any DOF can be considered for the master node (usually, all 6 DOF for the master are used to transmit forces and moments), only translational DOF are used for the slave nodes. This is because of the fact that the master node is the dependent node its rotation can be fully described by the translation of the slave (independent) nodes. The RBE3 master node being a dependent node also has the implication that a load can be applied on it, but a constraint cannot. To compare the differences between CERIG and RBE3, a summary is provided below: Table 1
Master Node (1 node) CERIG Command Independent DOF Can apply loads or constrain master node Dependent DOF CE 1 (Depends on Ldof argument and 'n') N/A Describe a rigid region in model RBE3 Command Dependent DOF Can only apply loads on master node Independent DOF 1 CE 6 (Depends on DOF argument) Supplied by array parameter in Wtfact Distribute forces, moments, or mass
2

Slave Nodes ('n' nodes) Number of CEs Generated Optional weight factors Example use

Users more familiar with the GUI can access the RBE3 command via the menu item: Main Menu > Preprocessor > Coupling / Ceqn > Dist F/M at Mstr 3 For example, the RBE3 command constructs CEs for rotational DOF based on the location of the slave nodes to the master node because of the fact that, for an applied moment, the distance from the slave node to the master node needs to be considered.

3. Difference with Nastran: For users who are familiar with Nastran, ANSYSs CERIG command is similar to Nastrans RBE2 element, and the ANSYS RBE3 command is similar to Nastrans RBE3 element with Ci set to 123. ANSYSs requirement that the master node needs to be attached to an element often causes confusion, but this is due to the difference in the definition of active DOF in ANSYS and Nastran. In Nastran, each grid point (node) has 6 DOF. Hence, the DOF associated with a node are predefined, so Nastran does not require the master node to be attached to any elements when using RBE2 or RBE3. However, the user must constrain unused DOF (such as via PARAM,AUTOSPC,YES), as in the case with solid-only elements (HEXA, TETRA) or 2D analyses. By not appropriately constraining unused DOF, the matrix is singular and cannot be solved for. In ANSYS, the element type defines the active DOF. Hence, there is a distinction between active DOF for solid and shell/beam elements as well as a difference between 2D vs. 3D elements. A node can have any number of active DOF, depending on what elements are connected to it (such as for coupled-field problems). Hence, for CERIG and RBE3, an element with 6 DOF should be connected to the master node, and a common method is to use MASS21 if no other elements are connected to the master node. Conversely, the user does not need to worry about any unused DOF, as in the case with Nastran. This is not to say one method is better than the other, but this section was merely added in hopes of explaining the reasoning of the different modeling methods with both programs when using CERIG (RBE2) and RBE3. 4. Example of use of CERIG and RBE3: The attached input files plate_cerig.inp and plate_rbe3.inp run the models shown here. A shell plate with a hole is constrained at both ends. Both CERIG and RBE3 are used to model a region in the hole, and a load is applied to the master node in the center. A linear static analysis is run. The exaggerated deformed shape clearly shows that in the case with CERIG on the left, the hole retains its shape since the region is assumed to be rigid. On the other hand, the hole changes shape in the case with RBE3 since the slave nodes contain the independent DOF. Hence, both cases transmit the load, but the two situations can be thought of as representing extreme conditions (rigid region/infinite stiffness vs. no stiffness). Figure 1 (CERIG) Figure 2 (RBE)

The choice of using CERIG or RBE3 depends upon the application and the FE model. These two commands provide the user with powerful tools in not only applying loads but connecting meshes/regions and other functions without having to use stiff beams or generating the constraint equations manually.

5. RIGID184: As noted earlier, constraint equations are linear relationships between DOF, so they are valid for small-deflection analyses. However, constraint equations are not valid for large-rotation problems. In 6.1, a beta feature is available which provides the user with rigid link/beam elements for use in largerotation problems. These elements can be used to represent rigid regions or rigid connections, even in nonlinear applications. Because this is an undocumented feature, the user is warned to use this at his/her own risk. The element is tentatively planned to be released as a documented, fully supported feature in ANSYS 7.0, which is currently scheduled to be released in October 2002. The RIGID184 element is not supported in the GUI, so the user must use commands in generating these elements. RIGID184 assumes a unit area cross-section. It requires no real constants and has optional material properties of ALPX and DENS for thermal expansion and density, respectively. KEYOPT(1) controls element behavior (active DOF) where KEYOPT(1)=0 represents a rigid link (UX, UY, UZ only) and KEYOPT(1)=1 mimics a rigid beam (6 DOF). This element can also be used for birth and death applications. The rigid behavior is internally satisfied with Lagrange multipliers. This means that RIGID184 requires use of direct solvers, either sparse (EQSLV,SPARSE preferred) or frontal (EQSLV,FRONT). Also, because this is an element whose active DOF are determined by KEYOPT(1), unlike CERIG or RBE3, the use of MASS21 is unnecessary when modeling rigid regions. 6. Example of use of RIGID184: A simple example of a loop meshed with BEAM188 with L-shaped crosssection was used to verify the large-rotation capability of RIGID184. Two models were created, one with RIGID184, the other with CERIG (and a MASS21 element in the center of the second model), as shown on the right. These are supplied as input files [Link] and [Link], respectively. The only constraint in the model is applied to the center node. A rotation about the x-axis (in plane of page) is applied, and the resulting deformation should be stress-free (rigid-body rotation). The results for the two cases are shown below. As expected, the case with RIGID184 produces no stress on the BEAM188 elements (stress reported between 1e-8 and 1e-11). On the other hand, the CERIG model shows artifically high stresses up to 1e+6. The resulting deformation is also incorrect for the CERIG case. This can be explained by the fact that constraint equations are linear relationships of rotation and translation which are no longer valid in the large-rotation case. Figure 3 (RIGID184) Figure 4 (CERIG)

An additional input file, plate_rigid184.inp, is similar to the example shown in Section 4 but using RIGID184 instead. As the reader may find, the results are the same as with CERIG for this linear, small-deflection situation, so this helps to validate the use of RIGID184 in modeling rigid regions.

7. Conclusion: CERIG and RBE3 provide useful tools in automatically generating complex constraint equations for a variety of purposes. As with all features in ANSYS, however, it is important to understand some of the basic behavior, such that one can use the modeling methods correctly. Since CEs are linear, they are valid for small-rotation problems only. Hence, the use of the 6.1 beta element, RIGID184, is useful for generating rigid connections/regions in nonlinear problems.

__________________________ Sheldon Imaoka ANSYS, Inc. This document is not being provided in my capacity as an ANSYS employee. I am solely responsible for the content.

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