ANSYS workbench allows you to define point masses and remote forces to simulate forces acting on an assembly. There maybe several reasons for going with either option but both have their pros and cons and capabilities.
What is a point mass?
In ANSYS, the inertial effects from a body can be idealized using a point mass. This idealization of the mass spares us from actually modeling the mass in the geometry. If acceleration is applied to a system, the point mass will be subjected to a corresponding force. Point masses will also affect the results from modal and harmonic analyses. Similarly, in a dynamic analysis point mass can be used along with velocity to simulate momentum.
What is a remote force?
As the name suggests a remote force is a force that is “scoped” to a geometry but can originate anywhere in space. Like point masses, remote forces also allow us to simulate forces associated with certain bodies in an assembly without actually modeling the bodies.
Which one to use for static structural analysis?
It is obvious that we need point masses to model inertial effects. But in a static structural analysis, where inertial effects are not calculated, we have an option between using a point mass or a remote force. Here are some considerations.
- For static structural analysis the remote force (F), can be replaced with a corresponding point mass (m), and acceleration (a). The two models will give identical results.
- If you have multiple load steps in the analysis, you cannot have the point mass activated for some of the load steps and deactivated or suppressed for others. This is possible with a remote force.
- Point masses are generally a more efficient choice for large static structural models where accelerations are applied (such as simulating seismic accelerations). For most other cases, remote forces may be the better option.