Modal Analysis in Creo

What is modal analysis? Why is it important?

Modal analysis studies show how structures vibrate (natural frequencies, mode shapes, damping ratios). It's vital in engineering for designing robust structures, controlling vibrations, failure analysis, optimization, and product development in industries like aerospace and automotive.

What is modal analysis used for?

Modal analysis is employed to study the dynamic behavior of structures and mechanical systems. It determines natural frequencies, mode shapes, and damping ratios, essential for designing robust structures capable of withstanding dynamic loads. This analysis aids in controlling vibrations in applications like aerospace and automotive engineering. By understanding modes and frequencies, engineers can optimize designs, identify potential failures, and ensure products meet safety and performance standards. It plays a pivotal role in product development, offering insights into structural integrity and aiding in the overall enhancement of mechanical systems for various engineering applications.

Benefits of modal analysis

Modal analysis offers crucial benefits in engineering. It enhances structural design by preventing resonance-related failures, ensuring robust structures. In applications like aerospace and automotive, it aids in controlling vibrations to promote stability. Additionally, modal analysis provides valuable insights for failure analysis, helping to optimize designs for safety and performance across various engineering applications.

Enhanced Structural Design

Modal analysis ensures robust structures by identifying natural frequencies and mode shapes, preventing resonance-related failures.

Vibration Control

Crucial in aerospace and automotive, modal analysis helps engineers control vibrations, ensuring stable and reliable mechanical systems.

Failure Analysis and Optimization

Modal analysis provides insights into potential failures, aiding optimization for safety and performance in diverse engineering applications.

Modal analysis for design engineers

Designers can incorporate modal analyses into their design process using Creo Simulation Live to adjust components in order to meet certain requirements.

This incorporation of simulation when designing is less about going into a full range of full fidelity simulation tools to guide your design decisions, and more about using accurate, easy-to-use studies that operate in real time as you edit parts of your design to quickly gauge if something will work or not.

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Modal analysis for analysts

Use modal analysis to calculate the natural frequencies and mode shapes of your model. You can also see the response to the natural frequencies of your model when it is subjected to time-dependent and/or oscillatory/vibration loads by running any dynamic analysis: dynamic time, dynamic frequency, dynamic random, or dynamic shock. Perform a modal analysis when you want Creo Ansys Simulation to calculate the natural or resonant frequencies (eigenvalues) of the model. Creo Ansys Simulation can also determine the relative displacements of the geometry when the model is vibrating at natural or resonant frequencies.

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Creo Simulation Live

Creo Ansys Simulation

Creo Ansys Simulation Advanced

Creo Simulation Live CSL is powered by Ansys to give you design guidance through real-time modal analysis.

Creo Ansys Simulation CAS is powered by Ansys to give you full fidelity modal analysis

Creo Ansys Simulation Advanced CASA is powered by Ansys to give you everything in CAS and more.

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Related simulation analysis capabilities

Thermal Analysis

Creo’s thermal simulation capabilities offer precise analysis, optimizing product designs for thermal performance, reducing errors, and enhancing efficiency.

Structural Analysis

Explore PTC’s solutions for incorporating structural analysis into the design process.

Finite Element Analysis

Improve product design by simulating complex thermal, structural, and modal problems before prototyping.

Computational Fluid Dynamics

Model digital fluids in your CAD system and save your company dollars in hardware prototyping costs.

Modal analysis frequently asked questions

Here are some FAQs regarding modal analysis.

What are modal analysis test methods?

While there are several analogous ways to test for modal analysis, we use the analytical approach using Finite Element Analysis. This utilizes numerical methods to simulate and analyze the dynamic behavior of structures. It involves creating a finite element model of the structure and solving equations of motion.
To learn more, reference this support article.

What is modal analysis in FEA theory?

Modal analysis in the context of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is a numerical method used to study the dynamic behavior of structures. FEA is a computational technique that divides a complex structure into smaller, simpler elements, allowing engineers to analyze and simulate its behavior under various conditions. Modal analysis, specifically in FEA theory, focuses on extracting the natural frequencies, mode shapes, and damping ratios of a structure.

Here's an overview of modal analysis in FEA theory:

Finite Element Model (FEM):
- A structure is discretized into finite elements, which are interconnected at nodes
- Material properties, geometry, and boundary conditions are defined for each element
Equation of Motion:
- The dynamic behavior of the structure is described by the equations of motion, which are typically second-order ordinary differential equations (ODEs).
Eigenvalue Problem:
- Modal analysis transforms the ODEs into an eigenvalue problem, where the natural frequencies (eigenvalues) and mode shapes (eigenvectors) are the solutions.
- The eigenvalues represent the frequencies at which the structure tends to vibrate, and the eigenvectors represent the corresponding mode shapes.
Solving the Eigenvalue Problem:
- Numerical methods, such as the Lanczos or QR algorithm, are used to solve the eigenvalue problem and obtain the natural frequencies and mode shapes.
Post-Processing:
- Once the eigenvalues and eigenvectors are obtained, engineers analyze the results to understand the structure's dynamic behavior.
- Natural frequencies indicate the rates at which the structure vibrates under free conditions.
- Mode shapes show the spatial distribution of vibrations associated with each natural frequency.
Damping Ratio:
- Damping ratios can also be determined to quantify the amount of energy dissipated during vibration.
Modal Superposition:
- Modal superposition is a technique used to represent the dynamic response of the structure as a combination of modal contributions.
- This approach simplifies the analysis of complex dynamic loading conditions.

What are the types of modal analysis?

Modal and buckling analysis are crucial in structural engineering to assess the dynamic and stability aspects of a design. Modal analysis helps determine the natural frequency modes of vibration, essential for understanding a structure's response to dynamic forces. It automatically handles rigid modes, providing insights into unconstrained vibrations. On the other hand, buckling analysis is vital for assessing structural stability, identifying critical loads, and solving unstable snap-through problems. By determining buckling loads, engineers can ensure designs withstand compressive forces without catastrophic failures. Together, modal and buckling analysis contribute to optimizing structures, preventing resonances, and ensuring stability under various loading conditions.

What is the difference between Creo Simulation Live (CSL), Creo Ansys Simulation (CAS), and Creo Ansys Simulation Advanced (CASA)?

Designed uniquely for the engineer, PTC’s simulation software has the familiar Creo user interface, engineering terminology, and seamless integration with CAD and CAE data. You have at your fingertips a complete structural, thermal, and vibration analysis solution, with a comprehensive set of finite elements analysis (FEA) capabilities.

When you want real-time feedback as you design, choose Creo Simulation Live powered by Ansys. Just define a few simple conditions and the software does the rest, presenting results in real time as you edit or create features. That’s not just convenience and speed, that’s design guidance as a normal part of your workflow.

When you want a comprehensive analysis of your model while you design, choose Creo Ansys Simulation (CAS) or Creo Ansys Simulation Advanced (CASA). While both are built for design refinement and validation, CASA has the added benefit of supporting use cases like non-linear contact and non-linear materials. CASA also allows you to run combined structural and thermal studies.

Modal analysis in Creo