Assembly FEA
Guide to running static solidworks studies on assemblies.
Model Setup
fully define all parts with mates
replace any complex OTS parts (such as bearings, motor, differential) with a simplified solid body (ie, make a disk with the correct outer dimensions instead of a bearing)
suppress any threads from parts
make sure all parts have materials assigned
go to Evaluate > Interference Detection > Calculate
make sure there are no interferences
Simulation Setup
if you don’t see the Static tab you need to create a New Study in the Simulation tab at the top
Parts:
right click and Make Rigid for parts you don’t care about deformation of/can assume do not deform
make sure all parts have a green check icon
Connections:
change the default Global Bonded Interaction that automatically gets created to a Global Contact Interaction
right click Connections and add a Component Interaction for interactions that should be “bonded” rather than the default “contact” interaction (ie. welded parts, press fit parts)
right click Connections and add a bolt connection
Fixtures:
right click Fixed Geometry and select whatever faces you want fixed
External Loads:
right click and add whatever load is necessary
double checks before meshing:
right click Connections > Interaction Viewer > scroll to bottom Show All Interactions > Calculate: make sure all connections are showing up and labeled the correct type (Bonded vs Contact)
right click Connections > Under Constrained Bodies > Calculate: make sure it says model is fully constrained. if not take note of what parts are failing and double check the mates & connections related to that part
create mesh
run study