What are the options for boundary conditions in ANSYS WB structural analysis?

[raunak(esmilo)]

I am trying to perform a simple simulation in ANSYS WB Mechanical. Description is given below in image, thickness of the plate is 5 mm. Problem is I am unable to decide which type of support should I provide for this.

 

[strive]

Static support on one end - this will give propper reaction forces.
Note however that you migh get singularities on the edges of that face. That is normal hence you can ignore them.

 

[Mech_Engineer]

Boundary conditions for this kind of problem are a bit of an art form, ideally you will want to "kinematically constrain" the block such that it can deform but not have any rigid body motion. Based on the forces being applied you have a few options I can think of:

1. Strive's solution: fix the nodes on one side of the block, apply 40 kN to the opposite side. This has the disadvantage of not allowing deformation in the x-direction along that face. This may be a problem depending on your desired analysis outcome.
2. Possible alternative: apply the loads at the edges of the block and use no deformation constraints. This will result in "weak springs" being added to the model to prevent rigid body motion (http://xansys.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=86806); in theory you will still get a usable result.
3. Preferred solution: constrain the block using kinematic principles. Assuming this is a 2-d analysis I would recommend defining a node in the center of the block and apply zero X and Y translation (prevents rigid body motion); also apply zero Y translation at a single node at the midpoint edge of the block. This will prevent rigid body motion (center node) and rotation (edge node), and should give you the most "idealized" response for the block (i.e. it will expand and deform as if floating in space with nothing holding it).