Forces
Use the Forces tool to create forces and to edit the orientation and properties of forces.
Create Forces
A force entity, as the name suggests, is used to apply a force and/or a torque on a body.
Edit Forces
The created force can be of the type action only or action reaction. An action only force acts on a single body on which force is applied. An action reaction force acts on two bodies, one is called the action body and the other the reaction body.
Define the Connectivity of Forces
A force in MotionView can be defined as Translational, Rotational (torque), TransRotational (combination of force and torque), Line of Action Translational, Scalar along the Z axis, Scalar about the Z axis, or Single Component Rotational type. These properties can be assigned to the force using appropriate tabs that appear based on the selections in the Connectivity tab.
Define the Translational and/or Rotational Properties of Forces
Force/torque properties can be defined along/about three axes of the local reference marker using the Fx/Tx, Fy/Ty, and Fz/Tz fields in the Properties tab. In case of a Line of Action translational force, the line defines the direction of application and the property can be defined in a single field provided. The same is true for a Single Component Rotational torque.
Use User-Defined Properties for a Force
If desired, define the force using the User-Defined tab, which will allow you to specify the properties of the force using user subroutines.
Define a Non-linear Property Using a Curve
- Cubic
- AKIMA
- Linear
The CUBIC and AKIMA interpolators are spline functions that are evaluated internally by the solver. The LINEAR interpolator is implemented using a series of IF statements.
The independent variable of the curve is specified after an interpolation method is selected. For example, for a non-linear spring, the independent variable of the curve is typically the deflection of the spring. The independent variable in a non-linear property varies during the solution and is usually written in the form of an expression. Expressions allow you to use any formula to define the independent variable. MotionView provides an appropriate default expression for the independent variable for most springs, bushings, and forces.