17.6.2.24. Electric Charge

The Electric Charge load simulates the application of an electric charge to a body.

This page includes the following sections:

Analysis Types

Electric Charge is available for the following analysis types:

Dimensional Types

The supported dimensional types for the Electric Charge boundary condition include:

  • 3D Simulation

  • 2D Simulation

Geometry Types

The supported geometry types for the Electric Charge boundary condition include:

  • Solid

  • Surface/Shell

Topology Selection Options

The supported topology selection options for Electric Charge include:

  • Body

  • Face

  • Edge

  • Vertex

  • Nodes

  • Element Face

  • Element

Magnitude Options

The supported Magnitude options for Electric Charge include the following:

  • Constant

  • Tabular (Frequency Varying)

Applying an Electric Charge Boundary Condition

To apply an Electric Charge:

  1. Select the Electric Charge option from the Electric group on the Environment Context tab. Alternatively, right-click the Environment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Electric Charge.

  2. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection, Named Selection, or Voltage Coupling and then specify the geometry.

  3. Specify a Magnitude.

Details Pane Properties

The selections available in the Details pane are described below.

CategoryProperty/Options/Description
Scope

Scoping Method: Options include:

  • Geometry Selection (default): Default setting, indicating that the boundary condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using a graphical selection tool.

    • Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the number of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which the boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

  • Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named Selection.

    • Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user–defined Named Selections.

  • Voltage Coupling: This option is only available for Coupled Field Harmonic and Coupled Field Modal analyses. It indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Voltage Coupling .

    • Voltage Coupling: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Voltage Coupling. This field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined Voltage Coupling objects.

Definition

Type: Read-only field that displays boundary condition type - Electric Charge.

Magnitude

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands, element types, and considerations are applicable for this boundary condition.

  • Electric Charge is applied using the F command.

  • Magnitude (constant and tabular) is always represented as a table in the input file.

  • In a piezoelectric or electrostatic-structural analysis, Electric Charge loading is interpreted as negative electric charge.

API Reference

For specific scripting information, see the Electric Charge section of the ACT API Reference Guide.