Mechanical APDL Basic Analysis Guide - Ansys

Chapter 9: Selecting and Components
Figure 9.3 Layered Shell (SHELL281) with Nodes Located at Bottom Surface
Ply 3
Ply 2
Ply 1
Nodes located on bottom surface with KEYOPT(11) = 1
9.3. Grouping Geometry Items into Components and Assemblies
Sometimes it is convenient to group portions of the model and give them recognizable names, such as
WHEEL2, FIN7, IRONCORE, STATOR, ROTOR, etc. You can then conveniently select all items belonging to, for
example, WHEEL2, and work with them: apply boundary conditions, mesh them with nodes and elements,
produce graphics displays, and so forth.
The groupings may be components or assemblies. A component consists of one type of entity: nodes, elements,
keypoints, lines, areas, or volumes.
The Component Manager (Utility Menu> Select> Component Manager) provides convenient access to
your component operations. The Component Manager provides a coordinated and integrated interface to
the capabilities of the following commands:
CM
CMGRP
CMPLOT
CMDELE
CMLIST
CMSEL
CMEDIT
CMMOD
You can access each command's capability either through the Component Manager, or through individual
GUI paths, as noted. The following sections describe the individual component commands and the function
you can perform with them. See the appropriate command documentation for specific capabilities and
limitations.
Note
Using the Component Manager toolbar buttons (except Select Component/Assembly and Unselect
Component/Assembly will perform the specified operation on the highlighted component(s),
but the select status of the entities in the database will not be affected.
9.3.1. Creating Components
Use the CM command (Utility Menu> Select> Comp/Assembly> Create Component) to define a component.
For example, you can select all elements that constitute the rotor portion of a motor model and group them
into a component:
ESEL,,MAT,,2 ! Select rotor elements (material 2)
CM,ROTOR,ELEM ! Define component ROTOR using all selected elements
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