Workshop 15 – FEA-DEM

Transient Coupling

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 OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this workshop is to learn how to set up and run a

transient coupled DEM/FEA simulation using Rocky and ANSYS
Transient Structural within ANSYS Workbench.
How well the bucket part of an excavator holds up to its material load
after scooping will be the scenario considered in this workshop.

You will learn how to: And you will use these
Use a Workbench project to connect features:
Rocky to ANSYS SpaceClaim and Rocky Structural Component (in
Transient Structural - Mechanical. Workbench)
Setup and process a DEM simulation Rocky External Coupling entity
in Rocky using nested Parent-Child
Rocky Motion Frames and Motion
Motion Frames.
Preview
Export geometry loads out of Rocky
Mechanical Transient Analysis
for FEM Analysis.
Analyze pressure data exported out
of Rocky into ANSYS Transient
Structural.

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 PREREQUISITES

This workshop assumes that you are already familiar with the Rocky
user interface (UI) and with the project workflow.
If this is not the case, please refer to Workshop 01 – Transfer Chute
for a basic introduction about Rocky usage before beginning this
workshop.

This workshop also assumes that you are already familiar with the
following user interfaces:
ANSYS Workbench
ANSYS SpaceClaim Direct Modeler
ANSYS Transient Structural
If this is not the case, please refer to your ANSYS tutorials for basic
introduction about the software usage.

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 AGENDA

This Workshop is broken into the following six parts:

Part 1: Verify that Rocky is ready for coupling

Part 2: Set up a Rocky simulation within Workbench
Part 3: Set up and process the DEM results in Rocky
Part 4: Post Process the DEM results in Rocky
Part 5: Use Workbench to Transfer the DEM results from Rocky to
ANSYS Transient Structural
Part 6: Analyze the results within ANSYS Transient Structural

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PART 1: VERIFY THAT ROCKY
IS READY FOR COUPLING

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 ROCKY INSTALLATION

During Rocky installation, ensure

that the default options remain
selected:
Ansys Workbench Addin

Additionally, ensure this default

option is enabled while installing
Rocky:
ANSYS Workbench Addin
Integration (for desired ANSYS
versions)

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PART 2: SET UP A ROCKY
SIMULATION WITHIN
WORKBENCH

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GEOMETRY
The geometries in this tutorial are
composed of:
1) Bucket_STL (used only for the DEM)
(1) & (2)
2) Bucket_Solid (used only for the FEA)
3) Pit

In the workshop directory the ANSYS

SpaceClaim file Bucket.scdoc can be
found, which contains the three
geometries above.

(3)

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 WORKBENCH - SETUP

Open the ANSYS Workbench application.

Save the Workbench Project from the File, Save As... menu item.
From the Toolbox panel, under the Rocky DEM, Inc item, drag and drop Rocky
to the Project Schematic (as shown).

A new Rocky Analysis System appears (as shown on next slide).

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 WORKBENCH - ROCKY DEM ANALYSIS SYSTEM

The Rocky Analysis System block (A) is made up of four components,

as described below:

Rocky DEM
Analysis
System (A) ANSYS SpaceClaim
Geometry (A2)
Opens the ANSYS
SCDM user interface
Rocky DEM
Setup (A3)
Opens the Rocky Rocky DEM
user interface Results (A4)
Links results with
ANSYS Mechanical

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 GEOMETRY IMPORTATION

From the Rocky block, right-click

Geometry (A2), point to
Import Geometry, and then click
Browse…(as shown).
From the dialog that appears,
locate and select the input file
Bucket.scdoc, and then click Open.
Geometry (A2) will show a green
checkmark (as shown) if the
.scdoc file were correctly imported.

Note: Since ANSYS SCDM is a

component inside the Rocky
Analysis System block, you do not
need to export the geometries to
*.stl, as it is done automatically.

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 WORKBENCH - SETUP

From Analysis System, drag and

drop Transient Structural (B1) over
the Rocky Geometry (A2) item.
This creates a link between the two
Geometry components (A2 and B3).
Drag the Rocky Results (A4) over
Setup (B5) to transfer information
between the analyses.

From the Rocky Analysis System

block, double-click Setup (A3).
(Results shown on next screen.)

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 WORKBENCH - SETUP

The Rocky interface opens automatically with the linked geometry components
already set up (as shown).

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PART 3: SET UP AND PROCESS
THE DEM RESULTS IN ROCKY

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ROCKY - PHYSICS DEFINITION

For this workshop, the Numerical

Softening Factor will be lowered to
reduce the simulation time.
From the Data panel, select Physics.
From the Data Editors panel, select
the Momentum sub-tab, and then
change the Numerical Softening
Factor (as shown.)

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 ROCKY - VISUALIZING THE GEOMETRY

To visualize the geometries in a 3D View window, from the Data panel,

drag and drop the Geometries entity onto the Workspace.

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ROCKY - VISUALIZING THE GEOMETRY

Since a coupled simulation with

ANSYS Mechanical will be carried out
for the bucket part, it is important to
verify that your mesh is fine enough
for the pressure field export.
Every triangle node will provide a
pressure vector, which will then be
applied as a load inside ANSYS
Mechanical.
To visualize the meshing, from the
Coloring tab for the Bucket
geometry, enable the Edges
checkbox (as shown).

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 INLET DEFINITION
For this workshop, an inlet must be defined in order to release particles into the
domain. From the Data panel, right-click Geometry, point to Create, and then
click Inlet.
Under Geometry, select the newly created Inlet <01>.
From the Data Editors panel, on the Geometry sub-tab, define: Center
Coordinates, Length, and Width (as shown).
From the Simulation Configuration sub-tab, define: Stop Time (as shown).
This is the time range during which this inlet will be active. Also check the
option Stop All Discharge at Stop Time.

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 BOUNDARY MOVEMENT

For this workshop, the Bucket geometry must rotate about the pivot point where
it joins the bucket arm (geometry not included) of the excavator.
As the bucket arm rotates, so too does the bucket, while the bucket itself pivots
in a separate motion.
To simulate the connected movements of the arm and bucket, a nested set of
motion frames must be created:
1. The Arm Motion (Parent)
Motion path shown in red

2. The Bucket Motion (Child)

Motion path shown in purple

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MOTION FRAMES

To add a new Motion Frame, right-click

Motion Frames and then select Create
Motion Frame.

To visualize the newly created Frame, click

Motion Frames and then click Preview.
A new window will appear showing the
geometry and the created Frame.
Adjust the Frame axis size by changing the
Default axis size parameter.

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 BUCKET MOTION –
PARENT FRAME

From the Frame tab in the

Data Editors panel, define
(as shown):
Name : Arm Motion
Two rotation motions will be
created for this frame.
To create the first motion,
click the green plus button
(Add Motion) and then define
(as shown):
Start Time and Stop Time
Type
Initial Angular Velocity (and
Unit)

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 BUCKET MOTION –
PARENT FRAME

To create the second motion

for this Frame, click the
green plus button again
(Add Motion) and then
define (as shown):
Start Time and Stop Time
Type
Initial Angular Velocity

This completes the Parent

Frame.

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MOTION FRAMES

To create the Child Frame, from the Data

panel, right-click Arm Motion and then click
Create Motion Frame.

A new Frame 01 entry appears nested

beneath the Arm Motion frame.

The nesting in the Data tree and bold label

treatment indicates that the new frame is a
Child frame of the Parent frame above it.
Select the new Frame 01 entry.

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 BUCKET MOTION –
CHILD FRAME

From the Frame tab in the

Data Editors panel, define (as
shown):
Name: Bucket Motion
Relative Position
Click the green plus button
(Add Motion) and then define
(as shown):
Start Time and Stop Time
Type
Initial Angular Velocity

This completes the Child

Frame.

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 ASSIGNING MOTION TO THE GEOMETRY

Once the two Motion Frames have been created, the Child frame can
be assigned to the bucket geometry.
Note: By selecting the Child frame, the linked Parent frame is automatically
included in the movements.
From the Data panel, under Geometries, select Bucket_STL <01> and
from the Custom Boundary tab, select Bucket Motion from the
Motion Frame drop-down list (as shown).
Also, change the geometry Enable Time to 1 s (as shown) so that the
bucket motion does not interfere with the particles being released into
the domain.

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 PREVIEWING MOTION

For this workshop, since the geometry has a motion with displacement
assigned, the movement can be previewed using the Motion Preview
window.
The Timestep toolbar (in yellow) is used for the results display.

0s 9s

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 ROCKY - MATERIAL DEFINITION

For this workshop, the default values for both the Default Boundary
and Default Particles materials will be used. (No changes.)

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INTERACTIONS BETWEEN MATERIALS

To set the interaction properties, click

Materials Interaction in the Data panel.
From the left drop-down list (as shown),
select Default Particles, and from the
right drop-down list, select, in order:
Default Boundary and Default
Particles.

Adjust the parameters for each of the

combinations according to the values
shown on the next slide.

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 ROCKY - INTERACTION BETWEEN MATERIALS

Static Friction: 0.3

Dynamic Friction: 0.3 Default
Adhesive Distance: 0.0001 Boundary
Force Fraction: 0
Restitution Coefficient: 0.3

Default
Particles

Static Friction: 0.9

Dynamic Friction: 0.9
Default
Adhesive Distance: 0.00125
Particles
Force Fraction: 0.07
Restitution Coefficient: 0.3

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ROCKY - PARTICLE GROUP DEFINITION

To create a new particle group, right-click

Particles in the Data panel and then select
Create Particle.

A new particle group is created under

Particles.
Select the newly created Particle <01>
entry, and then from the Data Editors panel,
modify the parameters as specified on the
following slide.

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 ROCKY - PARTICLE GROUP DEFINITION

From the Data Editors panel, ensure that Sphere is selected from the
Shape list (as shown).
From the Size sub-tab, specify the Size value (as shown).
From the Movement sub-tab, set the Rolling Resistance (as shown).

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ROCKY - MASS FLOW DEFINITION

To create a new particle mass flow, right-

click Input in the Data panel and then select
Create Particle Input.

A new entry is created under Input.

Select the newly created Particle Input <1>
and then from the Data Editors panel,
modify the parameters as specified on the
following slide.

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 ROCKY - MASS FLOW DEFINITION

From the Entry Point drop-down list, select Inlet <01> (as shown).
To add a new particle mass flow, click the green plus button.
From the Particle column, select the Particle <01> from the drop-down
list and then define the Tonnage (as shown).

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EXPORTING GEOMETRY LOADS
For this Workshop, transient loads on the bucket
geometry will be exported to ANSYS Transient
Structural.
From the Data Panel, under External Coupling, click
Geometry Loads.
From the Data Editors panel, under Select
Geometries, select the Bucket_STL <01> geometry
and then set the Time Range from 1s to 9s (as shown).
This will ensure that all the loads will be exported only for the
Bucket geometry during the 8 s interval that is set.

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 ROCKY - SOLVER DEFINITION
From the Data panel, click Solver and then from the Data Editors panel,
ensure that the Solver tab is selected.
From the Time sub-tab, define the Simulation Duration (as shown).
From the General sub-tab, enable the Collect Forces to FEM Analysis
checkbox, select CPU (or GPU/Multi GPU) as Simulation Target, and then set
the Number of Processors (or Target GPU(s)).
For this workshop, CPU will be fastest due to the low particle count.
Click Start.

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 STARTING THE SIMULATION

Once you click Start, the Simulation Summary window will be

displayed. It shows the geometry bounds, enabled models (wear,
breakage, non-round particles), number of particles and triangles, and
the calculated Timestep Duration.

IMPORTANT: After you review the summary, click Cancel and

then open the Workbench program.

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 STARTING THE SIMULATION

To run the Workbench project, from the Rocky block right-click Setup
(A3), and then click Update (as shown).

Rocky automatically opens and begins processing the DEM simulation.

Starting the simulation in ANSYS Workbench ensures that all the
information will be ready for FEA coupling later.

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 ROCKY - SIMULATION

In Rocky, particle states can be viewed in real time as

the simulation progresses.
The speed of the simulation depends on various
factors such as:
Number of mesh elements used to define the
geometry
Number of contacts in the simulation
domain at any time
Smallest particle size and
material stiffness
The particle shape and the
number of vertices used to
define the shape
Frequency of file output
Hardware used: CPU,
GPU, or Multi GPU
Note that this particular simulation
might take several hours to process.
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PART 4: POST PROCESS THE
DEM RESULTS IN ROCKY

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 ROCKY - POST PROCESS – TIME PLOT

When the DEM simulation is complete in Rocky, you can create a Time
Plot to evaluate the Forces and Power applied on the Bucket
geometry.
From the Window menu, click New Time Plot (Ctrl+T).
From the Data panel, under Geometries, select Bucket_STL <01> and
then from the Data Editors panel, select the Properties tab.
Click and drag Power over the plot window.
The result is shown on the next slide.

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ROCKY - POST PROCESS – TIME PLOT

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 ROCKY - POST PROCESS – TIME PLOT
Repeat the same procedure to evaluate the X-, Y- and Z-Force on the
Bucket_STL <01>.
Right-click the grid and select Axes Layout By Quantity.

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PART 5: USE WORKBENCH TO
TRANSFER THE DEM RESULTS
FROM ROCKY TO ANSYS
TRANSIENT STRUCTURAL

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ANSYS MECHANICAL – ROCKY COUPLING

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 COUPLING STEPS

The five steps that you take in Workshop to setup the FEA
coupled analysis are as follows :
Step 1: Select Geometries Step 4: Run the Coupled Solution
Select all geometries that are of Step 5: Post-Process the Results
interest. For this case, we will
Equivalent (Von Mises) Stresses
suppress the pit and the faceted
bucket. Total Deformation
Step 2: Verify Meshing
A mesh will be generated for robust
prediction of stresses.
Step 3: Set up the Analysis
Import the loads from Rocky
Define the simulation duration and
time step
Set the calculation modes
Apply boundary conditions

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 STARTING THE SIMULATION

Open Workbench.
In order bring the results from Rocky into ANSYS Mechanical, from the
Rocky block right-click Results (A4), and then click Refresh (as
shown).
Once the cell Results (A4) are refreshed, double-click Model (B4) to
open ANSYS Mechanical.

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 MECHANICAL – DEFINING THE STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

For this Workshop, we are only

interested in stresses on the
Bucket_Solid geometry.
To disable the other geometries
from further calculations, from
the Outline panel, under
Geometry, right-click
Bucket_Solid, and then click
Suppress All Other Bodies (as
shown).

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 MESH GENERATION FOR TRANSIENT STRUCTURAL
CALCULATION
From the Outline panel, select Mesh.
Under Sizing, select Size Function and then set it to Adaptive (as shown).
Go to Element Size, and specify 1.5e-003 m (as shown).
From the Outline panel, right-click Mesh, and then click Generate Mesh.

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 ANALYSIS SETTINGS

Under Transient, select Analysis

Settings.
Set the following parameters (as
shown):
Step End Time: 8 s
This equals the duration data that was
exported to FEA (defined in External
Coupling).
Auto Time Stepping: Off
Time Step: 5 e-002 s
This should correspond to the Rocky
output frequency.
Large Deflection: Off

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 REMOTE DISPLACEMENT

Select Transient and then from the Supports menu, select Remote
Displacement (as shown).
From the Remote Displacement Details panel, set the constraints as
shown (keeping only the Rotation Z as Free).

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 REMOTE DISPLACEMENT

For the Geometry, click on No Selection and while holding Ctrl key,
select both joint faces (as shown) and then click Apply.

Remote
Displacement 2

Remote
Displacement

Repeat the same setup for the creation of the Remote Displacement 2
applied to the faces shown above.

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 IMPORTED LOAD

Under Transient, right-click Imported Load (A4), point to Insert, and

then select Pressure (as shown).
This boundary condition will import the Particle Load.

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 IMPORTED LOAD

Select Imported Pressure,

and then set the following
parameters (as shown):
Geometry: Select No Selection,
right-click the Graphics Window,
select Select All (Ctrl+A), and
then click Apply.
All 61 Faces are now included for
Geometry (as shown).
Apply to: Corner Nodes
Tabular Loading: Ramped
Define By: Components

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 IMPORTED LOAD - TABULAR LOADING

The pressure’s components at each timestep must be selected in the

Imported Pressure table.

Rocky exports a single .csv file for every output:

For single loads, you can import the .csv file you want individually.
For long transient runs, is easier to make a single table of all the values and copy
them in that way.
To save time, for this workshop open the provided excel sheet
(FEA_Coupling.xlsx) and copy the columns into the Imported Pressure
table (see next slide).

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 IMPORTED LOAD - TABULAR LOADING

After filling the table, right-click Imported Pressure under Imported

Load (A4) and then click Import Load. This will interpolate all the
pressure loads from Rocky onto the structural Mesh.

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 STARTING THE SOLUTION

To insert results to be evaluated, right-click Solution (B6), point to

Insert, point to Deformation, and then select Total (as shown).
Repeat the same procedure from the Insert menu by pointing to
Stress, and then selecting Equivalent (Von-Mises).
To start the case, right-click Solution (B6), and click Solve (F5).

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 POST PROCESSING – VON MISES STRESSES

Under Solution (C6), select Total Deformation.

Time
Dependent
Results

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 POST PROCESSING – VON MISES STRESSES

Under Solution (C6), select Equivalent Stress.

Time
Dependent
Results

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 HELP – USER MANUAL

For further information on any topic presented, we suggest searching

the Rocky User Manual, which provides in-depth descriptions of the
tools and parameters.
To access it, from the main Rocky Toolbar click Help, point to
Manuals, and then click User Manual.

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 HELP – USER MANUAL

In the Rocky User Manual, use the Search tab to quickly find the topic
you are interested in:

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 CONCLUSIONS

ANSYS Workbench was used to couple Rocky DEM and ANSYS

Transient Structural simulations for the purpose of structural integrity
analysis with varying loads upon a bucket as a function of time.

During this workshop, it was possible to:

Understand how an ANSYS Workbench project can connect Rocky to ANSYS tools.
Set up and process a Rocky DEM simulation in which FEA loads are exported.
Use the FEA loads exported out of Rocky inside Transient Structural to further
analyze the structure of the component being studied.

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