/PSF

/PSF, Item, Comp, KEY, KSHELL, Color
Shows surface load symbols on model displays.

Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

Item, Comp

Labels identifying the surface load to be shown; see Table 226: /PSF - Valid Item and Component Labels.

KEY

Key to turn surface load symbols on or off:

0

 — 

Off (default).

1

 — 

On, shown as face outlines. Line surface loads (SFL) on solid model plots are shown as arrows.

2

 — 

On, shown as arrows.

3

 — 

On, shown as color filled surfaces. Line and area surface loads (SFL and SFA) on solid model plots are shown as arrows.

KSHELL

Visibility key for shell elements.

0

 — 

Off (default), surface load symbols are displayed only on visible load faces.

1

 — 

On, surface load symbols are displayed even if load face is not visible.

Color

Visibility key for contour legend.

ON

 — 

The symbols (arrows or face outlines) will show up in color with the legend showing the corresponding color labels (default).

OFF

 — 

The contour legend will not be displayed. The symbols (arrows or face outlines) will show up in grey. The size of the arrows will be proportional to the applied load.

Command Default

No surface load symbols are displayed.

Notes

/PSF determines whether and how to show surface loads on subsequent model displays.

If surface loads are applied to solid model entities, only solid model plots show the load symbols; node and element plots do not show them unless the loads are transferred (SFTRAN or SBCTRAN). Similarly, solid model plots do not show the load symbols if surface loads are applied to nodes and elements. For node and element plots of shell element models, the surface load symbols are shown only if the load face is visible from the current viewing direction.

The effects of the /PSF command are not cumulative (that is, the command does not modify an existing setting from a previously issued /PSF command). Only the setting specified via the most recent /PSF command applies.

If you issue a postprocessing (POST1) plot command that produces result contours (such as PLNSOL), /PSF has no effect. This behavior prevents conflicting contours in the graphics window.

When using the radiosity method (Item = RDSF and Comp = ENCL) with Key = 2, the radiation arrows point outward from any element face.

/PSF,STAT displays current /PSF settings, and /PSF,DEFA resets them back to default.

Other useful commands are /PNUM,SVAL,1 to show the values of the surface loads, /VSCALE to change arrow lengths, and /PBC and /PBF to activate other load symbols.

For beam elements, only the colors representing shear (GREEN) and normal (RED) pressures are displayed for the arrows. The color of these arrows does not correspond to the magnitudes in the contour legend. The length of these arrows does, however, correlate to the relative magnitude of the pressures.

For elements SURF159, SOLID272, SOLID273, PIPE288 and PIPE289, /PSF is not available when displaying elements with shapes determined from the real constants or section definition (/ESHAPE). For PIPE288 and PIPE289, only external loads applied via SFBEAM are displayed.

This command is valid in any processor.

Table 226: /PSF - Valid Item and Component Labels

ItemCompDescriptionComments
PRES [1]NORM (or blank)Applied pressure normal to the face (real component only).For element types other than SURF153, SURF154 and SURF156.
NORMApplied pressure normal to the face (real component).For element types SURF153, SURF154 and SURF156 with KEYOPT(2) = 0.

For supported structural elements with KCSYS = 0. [2]

TANXApplied pressure in the element tangential x direction (real component).
TANYApplied pressure in the element tangential- y direction (real component).
INRMApplied pressure normal to the face (imaginary component).
ITNXApplied pressure in the element tangential x direction (imaginary component).
ITNYApplied pressure in the element tangential y direction (imaginary component).
LOCXApplied pressure in the local x direction (real component).For element types SURF153, SURF154 and SURF156 with KEYOPT(2) = 1.

For supported structural elements with KCSYS = 1. [2]

LOCYApplied pressure in the local y direction (real component).
LOCZApplied pressure in the local z direction (real component).
ILCXApplied pressure in the local x direction (imaginary component).
ILCYApplied pressure in the local y direction (imaginary component).
ILCZApplied pressure in the local z direction (imaginary component).
RVECApplied pressure in the user-defined direction (real component).

For supported structural elements with KCSYS = 2. [2]

IVECApplied pressure in the user-defined direction (imaginary component).
CONVHCOEFApplied convection (film coefficient).
TBULKApplied convection (bulk temperature).
RADEMISApplied radiation (emissivity).
TAMBApplied radiation (ambient temperature).
RDSFEMSSRadiation emissivity.
ENCLEnclosure number.
FSINFluid-solid interface number.
HFLUXApplied heat flux.
FSIAcoustic fluid-structure interface flag.
IMPDApplied acoustic impedance.
SHLDCONDApplied conductivity.
MURApplied relative permeability.
MXWFMaxwell force flag.
INFExterior surface flag.
CHRGSApplied electric surface charge density.
BLIBoundary layer impedance flag.

  1. Pressure loads apply to the element coordinate system (KEYOPT(2) = 0). Adjust appropriately for a local coordinate system (KEYOPT(2) = 1). See Figure 153.2: Pressures, Figure 154.2: Pressures, and Figure 156.2: Pressures in the Element Reference.

  2. KCSYS is specified when issuing SFCONTROL.

Menu Paths

Utility Menu>PlotCtrls>Symbols