Autodesk Inventor Nastran Training

Lesson 1 • Inventor Nastran Interface Overview

Navigating the ribbon, browser tree, and graphics window in Inventor Nastran. Familiarity with the UI accelerates setup efficiency throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Simulation File Management

Creating, saving, and organising Nastran simulation files linked to Inventor assemblies. Proper file management prevents data loss and supports team collaboration.

Lesson 3 • Coordinate Systems and Units

Defining global and local coordinate systems and selecting consistent unit sets. Correct coordinate and unit configuration is critical for accurate result interpretation.

Lesson 1 • Assembly Simplification for FEA

Removing non-structural components and merging bodies to streamline assembly analysis. Simplified assemblies reduce preprocessing time and solver memory requirements.

Lesson 2 • Symmetry and Model Reduction

Applying planar, axial, and cyclic symmetry to reduce model size. Smaller models solve faster and allow finer mesh refinement within the same compute budget.

Lesson 3 • Model Idealisation Strategies

Converting 3D solids to shells, beams, and midplane representations where appropriate. Idealisation reduces model complexity while preserving structural behaviour.

Lesson 1 • Temperature-Dependent Material Behaviour

Defining material properties as functions of temperature for thermal-structural analyses. Temperature dependency is required for accurate high-temperature or cryogenic simulations.

Lesson 2 • Isotropic Material Properties

Defining elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio, and density for isotropic metals and plastics. These properties govern linear static and dynamic response calculations.

Lesson 3 • Material Library and Custom Materials

Accessing the built-in material library and creating custom material definitions. Accurate material data is the single largest driver of simulation result fidelity.

Lesson 1 • Mesh Convergence Studies

Running successive mesh refinements to confirm result independence from element size. Convergence studies validate that reported stresses and displacements are numerically reliable.

Lesson 2 • Automatic Mesh Generation

Using the automatic mesher to create tetrahedral and hexahedral meshes on solid bodies. Automatic meshing provides a rapid starting point for most structural analyses.

Lesson 3 • Shell and Beam Element Meshing

Meshing idealised shell surfaces and beam cross-sections with appropriate element types. Shell and beam meshes require specific offset and orientation settings for correct behaviour.

Lesson 4 • Local Mesh Refinement

Applying local size controls, surface refinement, and edge seeding at stress concentrations. Targeted refinement improves result accuracy without inflating total element count.

Lesson 1 • Force and Pressure Loads

Defining concentrated forces, distributed pressures, and bearing loads on model geometry. Load direction, magnitude, and distribution must match the physical use case precisely.

Lesson 2 • Thermal and Inertial Loads

Applying temperature fields, gravity, and rotational inertia as structural load inputs. These loads are essential for thermal-structural coupling and rotating machinery analysis.

Lesson 3 • Load Cases and Combinations

Organising multiple load scenarios into load cases and combining them for envelope analysis. Load case management enables efficient evaluation of all design-critical conditions.

Lesson 1 • Stress and Displacement Results

Visualising von Mises stress, principal stresses, and nodal displacements in the results environment. Result interpretation drives design decisions and safety factor calculations.

Lesson 2 • Normal Modes Analysis Setup

Configuring and running a normal modes extraction to find natural frequencies and mode shapes. Modal results are foundational for dynamic and fatigue analyses in later chapters.

Lesson 3 • Modal Result Interpretation

Evaluating effective mass participation, mode shapes, and resonance risk from modal output. Understanding modal behaviour guides design changes to avoid resonance in service.

Lesson 4 • Safety Factor and Margin Evaluation

Calculating safety factors against yield and ultimate strength from static results. Margin evaluation determines whether the design meets structural performance requirements.

Lesson 1 • Frequency Response Analysis

Computing steady-state response to harmonic excitation across a frequency range. Frequency response identifies resonance amplification and guides damping design decisions.

Lesson 2 • Nonlinear Static Analysis Fundamentals

Enabling geometric and material nonlinearity for large-deformation and plasticity problems. Nonlinear analysis is required when linear assumptions produce unconservative results.

Lesson 3 • Transient Dynamic Analysis

Setting up time-history loading and direct time integration for transient response problems. Transient analysis captures peak stresses from impact, shock, and time-varying forces.

Lesson 4 • Random Vibration and Shock Analysis

Applying power spectral density and shock response spectra for vibration environment analysis. These analyses qualify designs for transportation, seismic, and aerospace load environments.

Lesson 1 • Buckling Analysis

Running linear buckling to determine critical load multipliers and buckling mode shapes. Buckling analysis is mandatory for slender structures under compressive or shear loading.

Lesson 2 • Fatigue Analysis Basics

Estimating fatigue life and damage from cyclic stress results using S-N curve data. Fatigue analysis identifies components at risk of failure before yield stress is reached.

Lesson 3 • Transient Thermal Analysis

Configuring time-dependent heat loads and initial conditions for transient thermal solutions. Transient analysis captures temperature gradients during heating, cooling, and cycling.

Lesson 4 • Thermal-Structural Coupling

Mapping thermal results onto structural models to compute thermally induced stresses. Coupled analysis reveals thermal stress hotspots that purely mechanical analysis misses.