Automate post-processing of Solution Combination in Mechanical

JamesLockley

Hi!
I am new to Ansys and Workbench/Mechanical, but I am a long time FEA and Python user, so apologies if my terminologies and descriptions are a little off.

!!_ I am restricted to using Ansys 2022R1 because of internal verification requirements etc, I have the feeling newer version might fix this, but I can't change version this year !!

I am trying to automate a workflow where we have a slice of a pressure vessel model with 7 unit load static cases (Fx, Fy, Fz, Mx, My, Mz, Internal Pressure), and then use a Solution Combination to apply 96 combinations of the loads, each representing one of 96 similar components that have different system loads (the system loads come from a large piping model via Excel). As well as it being 96 combos, I need to do this for 3 load cases, and 4 different sizes, hence my enthusiasm to automate.

This is what I want/need to do:
- loop through the combinations in the solution combination

• find the point of maximum stress in region of interest
• create path through wall thickness to nearest point (on other side of wall)
• linearise the stress
• export to file

I have all of that working so far, apart from item 1 - the looping. I just can't figure out how to iterate through the solution combination. I can find the solution combinations object in the Tree, and I can check its name to make sure I have the right one, and I can find the stress object in its children that I can search through to find the Max, but I can't iterate, or specify which combination to process. I've tried recording the scripting, but nothing is written out for those actions.

My method at the moment, it to pick the combination I want to process in the tabulated data, "Retrieve This Result", and then run my script.

Any suggestions? Is there anything undocumented that can let me iterate?
Plan B is put an audio book on and spend 4 hours click/run/click/run/click/run... (but you know there will always be rework...).

I haven't posted any code, but let me know if you think that would help.

Thanks,
James

JamesLockley

Turns out my script was actually managing to loop through the SolutionCombination, seems to be working fine now. Setting the stressObj frame number seems to be enough.

Mike, thanks for the pointer, I've had a quick look and will definitely try DPF out next time.

Mike.Thompson

I would highly recommend checking out DPF for this kind of work. With DPF you can write a script that will pull stress results from multiple results files, and use operators to combine them in any arbitrary or complex way you want.
There are also operators to get closest nodes, as well as stress linearization.