ME 443/643

Design Techniques in
Mechanical Engineering

Lecture 2:
Introduction to HyperMesh
Instructor:
Dr. Jagadeep Thota

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Altair HyperWorks Software
Altair has free student version edition of
HyperWorks software.
The link to buy the free version is listed below:
http://www.altairuniversity.com/front-
page/hyperworks-11-0-student-edition/
Major limitations of free version:
Can only create models up to 10,000 nodes (maybe
okay for the class, but there is a chance your project
model may shoot above the 10,000 nodes limit)
Only CAD models from SolidWorks OR in an IGES
format can be imported into HyperMesh.

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Computational FEA Stages
Computational FEA can be broken down into
three stages:
Pre-processing
Involves creating the FE model and applying the necessary
loads and boundary conditions
HyperMesh
Processing (Solver)
Solving the FE problem by running the FE model created in
the previous step
Radioss (Bulk data)
Post-Processing
Animating or plotting the required results obtained from
processing the FE model
HyperView

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Starting HyperMesh Software
Click on the Windows
start button
Click on Program Files
Click on Altair
HyperWorks 11.0 (62- (1)

bit) folder
Click on HyperMesh
icon

(2)

Click/Select at this location

(#) Sequence of steps

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 HyperMesh Graphics User Interface (GUI)

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Description of HyperMesh GUI

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 HyperMesh View Toolbar

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 HyperMesh 3D View Control Toolbar

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Three Steps of Discretization
First step in any FE software is to create nodes
The most common method is by typing the x, y & z coordinates
of the node
Second step is to create lines between any two nodes
The last step, which is meshing, is to either:
Divide the lines into smaller lines (elements) for 1D elements
For 2D models, divide the area enclosed by the lines into smaller
areas (elements)

Create Create Create

Nodes Lines Mesh 1D

2D Elements
Lines Elements
Nodes

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Geometry Creation in HyperMesh
Let us create a square of 2 units length

(1)
(2)

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Creation of Nodes

(4) Coordinates of
(10)
the second node

(5) Click on create

(6) Coordinates of
the third node

(7) Click on create

(8) Coordinates of
the fourth node

(1)
(3)
(2) Coordinates of (9) Click on create
the first node

(11)

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Creation of Lines

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Creation of Lines

(5) Repeat steps

(2), (3) & (4) to
(2) Select atleast two nodes (3) draw lines
to create a line between them between other
nodes

(1) (4)

(6)

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Collectors
In order to define any single component in HyperMesh,
four collectors need to be created
Component Collector: the geometry and mesh of the component
is stored here
Material Collector: the material of the component needs to be
created here
Property Collector: this defines if the elements (mesh) used for
the component is 1D (beam), 2D (shell) or 3D (solid)
Load Collector: Any loads or boundary conditions (supports)
created for the component will be assigned to this collector
The component collector links the material and property
collector
The load collector does not need to be linked to the
component collector

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Collectors
An automatic component collector was created by HyperMesh as soon
as the first line was created
This only happens when there are no collectors under the Component
tree
If there is one (or more) component collector already created, then any
geometry or mesh created will automatically be assigned to the last
active component collector
Hence, make sure before creation of any geometry or mesh that you are
assigning the right collector to it

Property Collector

Material Collector
Load Collector

Component Collector

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Deleting

(2)

(1)

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Deleting

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Deleting

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Deleting

(1) Select these 3 lines

by clicking on them

(2)

(3)

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Creation of Circle

(2) (1)

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Creation of Circle

Select this node by

clicking on it
This will be center
(2) node of the circle

(3)

(1)

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Creation of Circle

This defines the axis

normal to circle face

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Creation of Circle

(2)

(1)

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Creating Component Collector
The circle and line are in the same component collector auto2
We are going to create a new component collector quarter circle

After step (5), there will

be component collector
named quarter circle
created in the tab area
under the Component
tree

(1)

(5)
(2)
(3)
(4)

(6)

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Creating Quarter Circle

(2)

Center of the arc

(quarter circle is the
present case)

(1) (4)

These two are defined

similar to the circle (3)

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Creating Nodes on Line
We will be converting the quarter circle into
For this we need to create a node at either end of the quarter circle

(2) (1)

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Creating Nodes on Line

(1) (2)

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Creating Nodes on Line

Select this line

(1)

(2)

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Change Component Collector
We will create the lines in auto2 collector
For this we have to make auto2 the current active component collector
The current active collector will be shown in bold in the tab area under the collector tree
and also its name will be displayed at the bottom right box of the HyperMesh screen

Active collector will

be shown in bold

Active load
collector will
be displayed
here
(2)

Active component collector

will be displayed here (3)

(1)

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Create Lines

(4) Repeat steps (2)

& (3) to create the
other line and close
the geometry

(2)
Select these
two nodes

(3)
(1)

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Changing Component Collector

We will change the

component collector of
these two lines to the
component collector of
the quarter circle

(2)

(1)

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Change Component Collector

(1)
(2)

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Change Component Collector

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Change Component Collector

Select these
two lines
(1)

(2)

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Change Component Collector

(1)

(2)

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Change Component Collector

(1)

(2)

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT
 Concluding Remarks
Work on the HyperMesh tutorials posted on the
course website during off-class hours
Redo what was taught/shown in this
presentation

Next Class
Theory
Direct Stiffness Method (a finite element method)

ME 443/643: HyperMesh JT