Postprocessing

After the calculation has been successfully completed, the post-processor displays the calculation results graphically. Here, the data interpretation takes place. This includes, besides the displacements, also stresses and nodal forces. The displacements provide information about the geometric deflections of the component. An excessive visualization ensures that even very small displacements can be seen. The scaling factor can be chosen individually. The equivalent stress allows to determine the mechanical durability of the component. These should not be greater than the supportable maximum stresses. The most precise stresses are at the Gauss points, since they are calculated from the exact changes (distortions) of the individual elements. All other stresses, in the elements or in the nodes, result from averaged Gauss point stresses and their validity is not that accurate. The support reactions can be read out from the nodal forces. This can be of interest for the further design of components of connecting parts, since a component rarely appears alone.

The distortions in all three coordinate directions, the absolute value of distortions, the stresses per element, in the nodes of the elements and in the Gaussian nodes, can be displayed. Also the resulting nodal forces can be visualized direction-dependent. For the thermos-mechanical analysis additionally the temperature, the thermal strain, the thermal forces and the heat flow are available as well. The non-linear and natural frequency analysis ties this to the respective load or frequency. The structure can be displayed deformed, non-deformed or overlapped. A self-defined filtering of the display data is also possible in order to highlight particular areas.