Load and Restraint Overview

You can select three types of loads; force, pressure, and torque, and two types of restraints; clamp and fixture.

This page discusses:

About Forces

Force applies a load in a single direction to the face center or distributed on the face. Design Guidance tools used to convey these forces are:

Point. Applies a concentrated force at the face center of the selected faces.
Distributed. Distribute the weight on the selected faces.

About Pressures

Pressure is a distributed load applied normal to a surface. The pressure magnitude is specified in units of force per area; this magnitude is applied normal to the transmission surface at every point on the surface. Unlike a force, which always acts in a single direction, a pressure is applied normal to all regions of a surface during the entire simulation, regardless of the surface curvature. The pressure components consists of a transmission surface and specified magnitude.

Pressure. Distributes the weight as a pressure acting normal to the selected faces.

Pressures typically represent the forces exerted by a gas on the walls of a container, such as air in a balloon. However, a pressure load can also be used to model any evenly distributed force across an area, such as the contact forces between two closely fitting, conforming parts.

About Torques

Torque is a twisting or rotational load applied to your model during normal usage. It may also indicate a spinning component in your assembly.

Torque. Applies a torque about an axis on selected faces.

About Restraints

You can specify a geometry not to move in the X, Y, and Z directions (global coordinate system). A Clamp restraint restricts all movement of selected portions of your model.

A Fixture restricts a movement within a particular plane and allows the selected surface to slide freely in other directions within the plane. For example, choosing an edge that is on the X plane restricts motion on that plane and allows motion in the Y and Z planes. You can select any edge as the direction to which the restraint is applied; cylindrical or curved surfaces are not allowed. The Design Guidance tools used to convey these restraints are:

Clamp. Restrains the part from moving in all directions.
Fixture. Restrains the part from moving in one or more directions.