Hi -
I'm trying to specify a localized traction pressure which is a providing a radial outward force over a square patch in my adjustable x-ray optics model. A schematic picture is shown in the link below, where the dots represent nodes, and red dots with arrows are forces:
http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~aldcroft/tmp/force_plot.png
This is a 2-d plot, but in reality the nodes are on a 3-d thin shell cylinder, so the forces won't all lie in the same plane. I've looked at the traction pressure example but I am unable to extrapolate from that example to specify my problem.
As an aside, it's quite possible I'm going about this all wrong. Recall that I'm trying to simulate a piezoelectric patch mounted on a glass thin walled cylinder. I think that the radial force input represents the situation when the piezo is actuated (but maybe not). Certainly this can be modeled as a thermo-elastic problem, with two materials: the cylinder with a CTE of 0.0 and the piezo material with a non-zero CTE. Then change the temperature of the whole system and calculate the resultant displacements. I don't see any examples that seem to show the thermo-elastic equations.
Many thanks in advance for your patience and help.
- Tom