17.6.2.25. Electric Charge

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

This page includes the following topics:

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)

    Note:  When you are performing a multiple-step analysis and you are using solution restarts, the first load step should be the active load step in the Tabular Data window.

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: Supported for Coupled Field Harmonic and Coupled Field Modal analyses Only. 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.