How to apply spring element?

[JS_9824412]

Kind of new to the Spring element in CREO Simulate. Is it possible to simply the 5 spring disc washers (see below illustration) with only one spring element? I have simply the rod as a series of beam elements.

Thanks for any hints.

[VladimirN]

@VladimirPalffy Could you please take a look?

[Chris3]

You can add datum points along the rod's axis and then connect beams or springs to those datum points to give you the stiffness / spring properties that you are looking for.

[JS_9824412]

Thanks.

One end of the spring element will be attached to one of the datum points that you have mentioned, the other end will be attached to a datum point added to the fixed supporting plate at the center of its through hole. This datum point is part of the plate through a rigid link or RBE2.

I am implementing the above now.

[JS_9824412]

Still don't know how to assign the stiffness values for compression spring. So I temporarily used a hollow beam to connect the two points for representing the stack of spring washers. I am not sure yet how much errors it has caused.

[Chris3 · Accepted solution]

If you make the spring an advanced spring then you can enter in the spring matrix in any of the vector elements that you need.

A beam does the same thing only it uses the geometry and material properties that you have provided to generate those stiffness values.

[JS_9824412]

Thanks for your enlightening and encouraging feedback. I am motivated to make the change now: replace the hollow beam element with an advanced spring element.

[JS_9824412]

Applied Kxx (the axial direction) as the calculated lb/in value, and let Kyy and Kzz be zero, the modal analysis shows rigid move modes. So gave Kyy and Kzz a random number saying 1000 lb/in as countermeasure. No idea how much error would be induced in vib analysis.