Mechanical APDL Basic Analysis Guide

Notes

• All operation commands (SADD,SMULT,SSUM, etc.) work only on the selected elements.


• The program does not update element table entries automatically when a different set of results is read
  into the database. An element table output listing displays headers which indicat e the status of each
  column relative to the current database. CURRENT indicat es that the column data is from the current
  database, PREVIOUS indicat es that it is from a previous database, and MIXED indicat es that it results from
  an operation between previous and current data. (Once a column is labeled mixed, it will not change
  status unless you erase or redefine it with all elements selected.) The following commands cause column
  headers to change from CURRENT to PREVIOUS:

SET Main Menu> General Postproc> selection criteria

LCASE Main Menu> General Postproc> Load Case> Read Load Case

LCOPER Main Menu> General Postproc> Load Case> operation

LCZERO Main Menu> General Postproc> Load Case> Zero Load Case

DESOL Main Menu> General Postproc> Define/Modify> Elem Results

• The ETABLE,REFL option, which refills (updates) the element table with values currently in the database,
  does not affect calculated items. In the above double-the-UX example, if you read in a different set of
  results and then issue ETABLE only the ABC column will be updated ("current" status). The ABC2 column
  remains as is (keeps its "previous" status).


• The program does not update the element table automatically after a new SET command. You can use
  that behavior to good advantage, such as comparing element results between two or more load steps,
  or even between two or more analyses.


• The following CALC module commands apply to calculations using the element table:

The SABS command (Main Menu> General Postproc> Element Table> Abs Value Option) causes

absolute values to be used in subsequent element table operations.

The SADD command (Main Menu> General Postproc> Element Table> Add Items) adds two spe-

cified columns in the element table.

The SALLOW command (Main Menu> General Postproc> Safety Factor> factor type) defines

allowable stresses for safety factor calculations.

The SEXP command (Main Menu> General Postproc> Element Table> Exponentiate) exponentiates

and multiplies two columns in the element table.

The SFACT command (Main Menu> General Postproc> Safety Factor> Restore NodeStrs orMain

Menu> General Postproc> Safety Factor> SF for Node Strs) defines which safety factor calculations

will be performed during subsequent display, select, or sort operations.

The SFCALC command (Main Menu> General Postproc> Safety Factor> SF for ElemTable) calculates

safety factors (for ETABLE items).

The SMAX command (Main Menu> General Postproc> Element Table> Find Maximum) compares

and stores the maximum of two columns.

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