HS - 1650: Beam Cross-Section Study with Inspire Studio

In this tutorial, you will perform geometric changes in Inspire Studio via HyperStudy and study the effect of each dimension on responses.

Before you begin, copy the model files used in this tutorial from <hst.zip>/HS-1650/ to your working directory.
In this tutorial, you will:
  • Use Inspire Studio to change dimensions of an I-beam cross-section and generate a new CAD file.
  • Read the CAD file into HyperMesh and prepare a finite element model via automation script.
  • Run the finite element model in OptiStruct and extract displacement results.
Design Variables:
  • Width
  • Height
  • Web Thickness
  • Flange Thickness
Response: Maximum Deflection along the Y-axis
Finite Element Model:
  • Hexahedral Mesh
  • Fixed in all directions at one end
  • Bending load applied in positive Y direction at the other end


Figure 1.


Figure 2.

Specify Design Variables in Inspire Studio

  1. Open Inspire Studio.
  2. Open model.
    1. From the menu bar, click File > Open.
    2. In the Open File dialog, open Ibeam.iStudio from the working directory.
  3. From the Analysis ribbon, Design Table group, click the Design Table tool.
    The Design Table dialog opens.
  4. In the Model Browser, select Sketch to populate the Design Table dialog with available variables.


    Figure 3.
  5. Select all the variables, move them to the right window, and specify the Min and Max values as shown below.
    Unit of all dimensions are in meters.
    Variables Name Min Max
    Length D74 Width 0.08 0.12
    Length D75 Flange Thickness 0.008 0.012
    Distance D76 Wall Thickness 0.008 0.012
    Distance D77 Height 0.08 0.12
  6. Click Export and save the file as Ibeam.ist2hst to the working directory.
    The Ibeam.ist2hst contains all the necessary attributes of each variable to be read by HyperStudy.

Setup Inspire Studio Model

  1. Start HyperStudy.
  2. Start a new study in the following ways:
    • From the menu bar, click File > New.
    • On the ribbon, click .
  3. In the Add Study dialog, enter a study name, select a location for the study, and click OK.
  4. Go to the Define Models step.
  5. Add the Inspire Studio model by dragging-and-dropping the Ibeam.ist2hst file from the Directory into the work area.
    The Resource, Solver input file fields are populated.
  6. Change the extension Solver Input File to .x_t.
    Inspire Studio connection provides the CAD file in Parasolid format, so the extension of the Solver Input file is Ibeam.x_t.


    Figure 4.
  7. Click Import Variables.
    Ten input variables are imported from the Ibeam.ist2hst file.
  8. Go to the Define Input Variables step and review the input variables.


    Figure 5.
  9. Go to the Test Models step and click Run Definition.
    An approaches/setup_1-def/ directory is created inside the study Directory. The approaches/setup_1-def/run__00001/m_1 directory contains the output file (Ibeam.iges), which is the result of the nominal run.

Setup HyperMesh Batch Operator Model

After the Inspire Studio Model run is complete, a geometry file, Ibeam.iges, is output. This file is read by HyperMesh and a finite element model (Ibeam.fem) is prepared via the automation.tcl script in the working directory.

  1. Go to the Define Models step.
  2. Add an Operator model.
    1. Click Add Model.
    2. In the Add - Altair HyperStudy dialog, select Operator and click OK.
    3. Set the Solver Execution Script to HM Batch.


    Figure 6.
  3. Click Model Resources.
    The Model Resources dialog opens.
  4. In the Model Resources dialog, define a model dependency that references a tcl script to be used as the automation script.
    1. Select Operator 1 (m_2).
    2. Click Resource Assistant > Add File.
    3. In the Select File dialog, navigate to the working directory and add automation.tcl.
    4. Set the automation.tcl Operation to Copy.
  5. Repeat step 4 to define another model dependency using the Ibeam.x_t file found here: approaches/setup_1-def/run__00001/m_1.
  6. Review the Model Resources window and click Close.


    Figure 7.
  7. In the Solver Input Arguments field for Operator 1, click and enter the arguments as shown below and click OK.


    Figure 8.
    The argument (m_2.file_2) is a reference to the model resource varname and tells HyperMesh Batch which tcl script to run. 
    -tcl "C:/… /approaches/setup_1-def/run__00001/m_2/automation.tcl"
  8. Go to the Test Models step and click Run Definition.
  9. In the Altair HyperStudy dialog, click Overwrite.
    The approaches/setup_1-def/run__00001/m_2 directory containing the output file Ibeam.fem, the result of the nominal run, is created.

Setup OptiStruct Operator Model

After the HyperMesh Operator Model run is complete, an input file (Ibeam.fem) is created to be used for finite element analysis in OptiStruct.

  1. Go to the Define Models step.
  2. Add an Operator model.
    1. Click Add Model.
    2. In the Add - Altair HyperStudy dialog, select Operator, change the Label to Operator 2, and click OK.
    3. Set the Solver Execution Script to OptiStruct.


    Figure 9.
  3. Click Model Resources.
    The Model Resources dialog opens.
  4. Define a model dependency that references Ibeam.fem to be used as the input file for OptiStruct.
    1. Select Operator 2 (m_3).
    2. Click Resource Assistant > Add File.
    3. In the Select File dialog, navigate to the approaches/setup_1-def/run__00001/m_2 directory and open the Ibeam.fem file.


    Figure 10.
  5. Click Close.
  6. In the Solver Input Arguments field for Operator 2, click and enter the arguments as shown below and click OK.


    Figure 11.
    The argument (m_3.file_2) is a reference to the model resource’s varname and tells OptiStruct which input file to run.
    C:/… /approaches/setup_1-def/run__00001/m_3/Ibeam.fem
  7. Go to the Test Models step and click Run Definition.
  8. In the Altair HyperStudy dialog, click Overwrite.
    The approaches/setup_1-def/run__00001/m_3 directory containing the output file Ibeam.h3d, the result of the nominal run, is created.

Create Output Response

In this step, you will create a single output response: Maximum Displacement of all nodes in Y direction.

  1. Go to the Define Output Responses step.
  2. Create the Maximum Displacement output response.
    1. From the Directory, drag-and-drop the Ibeam.h3d file from approaches/setup_1- def/run__00001/m_3 to the work area.
    2. In the File Assistant dialog, set the Reading technology to Altair® HyperWorks® (Hyper3D Reader) and click Next.
    3. Select Multiple Items at Multiple Time Steps and click Next.
    4. Define the following options and click Next.
      • Set Type to Displacement (Grids).
      • Set Request to First Request - Last Request.
      • Set Components to Y.


      Figure 12.
    5. In Data Sources and Responses, select Single Data Source and Create Individual Response (Maximum).


      Figure 13.
    6. Click Finish.
  3. Click Evaluate.
The Maximum Displacement (Grids) Y output response is added to the work area.

Run DOE Study

  1. Add a DOE.
    1. In the Explorer, right-click and select Add from the context menu.
    2. In the Add dialog, select DOE.
    3. For Definition from, select Setup and click OK.
  2. Go to the DOE 1 > Specifications step.
  3. In the work area, set the Mode to Modified Extensible Lattice Sequence.
  4. In the Settings tab of the Channel selector, change the Number of Runs to 5.
    Five is the minimum number of runs for a multivariate effect calculation.
  5. Click Apply.
  6. Go to the DOE 1 > Evaluate step.
  7. Click Evaluate Tasks.
  8. Go to the DOE 1 > Post-Processing step.
  9. Review Pareto plot.
    1. Click the Pareto Plot tab.
    2. Above the Channel selector, click and verify Multivariate Effects is selected.
    3. Review the correlation between the input variables and output responses.


    Figure 14.