Tutorial 2.05
This series of three demos shows users how to create the transport domain below, to discretize the domain into finite elements (part 1), to create sections (part 2), and to specify initial and boundary conditions (part 3):
Solid 3 - Demo1
In this demo we again start from the very beginning and create the object, i.e., a parallelepiped with a lowered surface in the middle part.
Video (5.4 MB) - Play - Download
- We first create a New Project Test3.
- Define Geometry:
- In the Geometry Information dialog window we define the Type of Geometry (3D Layered) and Domain Definition (General).
- Since the Work Plane is by default in the x-y coordinate plane, we again select the Reverse Z-direction view of this work plane (i.e., from above).
- Next from the Tools Side Bar, we select the Surface by Rectangle command, and in the graphical part of the view define the base surface to be 400 * 500 cm.
- We now click the View All command on the toolbar.
- Next we click with the right mouse button on the front line, which causes a hanging menu to appear. From this menu we select the Split Lines Graphically command. A square cursor appears with which we select nodes having x coordinates of 150, 200, 300, and 350 cm.
- Using the command Line – Abscissa from the Tools Sidebar, we now define lines that indicate where the top surface is lowered.
- On the toolbar we click at the Isometric View.
- Using the Solid – Extruded command (from the Tools Sidebar) we create an object with a constant height of 250 cm.
- Using the Thickness Vector command we adjust the height of the top surface.
- Now we select the Full model.
- Generate Finite Element Mesh:
- By clicking on the View/Edit FE-Mesh command at the toolbar followed by the Generate FE-Mesh on the Tools Sidebar we generate the finite element mesh. When the FE-Mesh is generated the FE-Mesh Information dialog appears with statistics about the FE-Mesh (i.e., number of nodes, and 1D, 2D, and 3D elements).
- The demo shows again various types of domain manipulations. We can see that corners of the pit are not well defined.
- We next return to the View/Edit Domain Geometry and add two additional lines at the base surface. This operation requires deletion of the finite element mesh. After the two lines are added we regenerate the finite element mesh. Now we can see that the corners of the pit are well defined.
=== Solid 3 - Demo2 === This demo starts with the transport domain created and discretized in the previous demo, and shows that this domain is by default divided into sections consisting of horizontal layers and the entire vertical surface. The demo also demonstrates how to include user-defined sections. Sections are objects that can be used to display selected variables and/or specify the initial and boundary conditions.
Video (4.5 MB) - Play - Download
- We first click on the Sections Tab on the left Sidebar. The demo then shows default sections, first the vertical section, and then selected horizontal sections.
- We next create a new section that is a subset of the existing horizontal section 21. First the horizontal section is displayed in the x-y Work Plane and the perspective view is disabled, after which we cut the subsection using the Cut with Rectangle command from the FE-Mesh Section Part of the Tools Sidebar. We select only the lowered part of the section.
- Next a new section My Section1 is created using the New Section from View command from the FE-Mesh Section Part of the Tools Sidebar. This new section will appear in the list of sections in the Sections Sidebar.
- We next create another new section that is a subset of the entire FE-Mesh. We first display the whole FE-Mesh in the x-y Work Plane and disable the perspective view, and then cut the subsection using the Cut with Rectangle command on the FE-Mesh Section Part of the Tools Sidebar. Again, we select only the lowered part of the transport domain. The new section now looks as follows:
- This section is named My Section2 and appears also in the list of sections in the Sections Sidebar.
- The demo now demonstrates additional operations that are possible with this subsection. The video also shows again the created sections My Section1 and MySection2
Solid 3 - Demo3
This demo uses the transport domain created and discretized in the previous demo and demonstrates how the initial and boundary conditions can be specified using default and new sections.
Video (3.9 MB) - Play - Download 
- From the toolbar we select the View/Edit Domain Properties command (or View->Domain Properties). The program will display the transport domain with information on material distribution. Each material is represented with one color (only one material is used in this demo).
- When one double clicks on any node, the Edit Material dialog appears, to allow users to change the assigned material using a listbox.
- From the toolbar we select the View/Edit Initial Conditions command (or View->Initial Conditions).
- We next select the entire domain, and click on the Set Values command from the Tool Sidebar.
- From the Water Flow Initial Conditions dialog we select Linear Distribution of the pressure head with depth and specify the top and bottom pressure head values.
- The demo next shows that properties may be displayed using various options, such as Isolines, Contours, Color Edges, and Color Points. The demo also shows that the properties can be displayed on the entire FE-Mesh, or on various default or created sections.
- From the toolbar we select the View/Edit Boundary Conditions command (or View->Boundary Conditions).
- Since we want to specify the boundary conditions only at the transport domain top surface, we select from the Sections Sidebar the top horizontal section.
- On this top horizontal section we can now specify atmospheric boundary condition (using the Atmospheric Boundary command from the Tools Sidebar.
- Using My Section1 Section from the Section Sidebar, we next specify a Variable Head 1 boundary condition along the lowered surface.
- Finally, the boundary conditions on the entire FE-Mesh are displayed as shown below.