CSWP Assembly Mass Properties Analysis 3 â Questions and Answers
Question 1: When using 'Include hidden bodies/components' in the Mass Properties dialog, what effect does this have?
- It includes bodies hidden using Hide/Show in the calculation (Correct answer)
- It adds virtual components to the calculation
- It forces SolidWorks to recalculate suppressed parts
- It enables mass calculation for weldment cut lists
Correct answer: It includes bodies hidden using Hide/Show in the calculation
Checking 'Include hidden bodies/components' ensures bodies that are visually hidden are still counted in the mass properties result.
Question 2: For a CSWP exam scenario, if the assembly mass properties show the center of mass at X=15mm, Y=20mm, Z=10mm and you mirror the entire assembly about the YZ plane, what happens to the X coordinate of the center of mass?
- It remains at X=15mm
- It moves to X=-15mm (Correct answer)
- It moves to X=30mm
- It moves to X=0mm
Correct answer: It moves to X=-15mm
Mirroring about the YZ plane negates the X coordinate, so X=15mm becomes X=-15mm.
Question 3: Which SolidWorks feature allows you to add a point mass to a location in an assembly without modeling the actual geometry?
- Virtual component
- Mass Point
- Point Mass (under Insert > Assembly Feature) (Correct answer)
- Reference Point with assigned density
Correct answer: Point Mass (under Insert > Assembly Feature)
The Point Mass feature (Insert > Assembly Feature > Point Mass) adds a lumped mass at a specified location in the assembly.
Question 4: In a CSWP scenario, you need the moment of inertia about the center of mass rather than the origin. What does SolidWorks require you to use?
- A derived configuration
- The parallel axis theorem applied manually
- The 'Taken at the center of mass' option in Mass Properties (Correct answer)
- A simulation study
Correct answer: The 'Taken at the center of mass' option in Mass Properties
SolidWorks provides a 'Taken at the center of mass' option in the Mass Properties dialog to output inertia relative to the COM.
Question 5: If a component in a SolidWorks assembly uses a configuration with a different geometry than the default, which configuration's mass is used in the assembly mass properties?
- Always the default configuration
- The configuration active in the assembly context (Correct answer)
- The heaviest configuration for conservative analysis
- The first alphabetically named configuration
Correct answer: The configuration active in the assembly context
SolidWorks uses the configuration that is currently active within the assembly, which may differ from the part's default configuration.
Question 6: What does the 'Ixx', 'Iyy', and 'Izz' values represent in a SolidWorks Mass Properties report?
- Moment of inertia about the X, Y, and Z axes respectively (Correct answer)
- Cross-sectional area moments about each axis
- Principal stress components
- Surface area contributions along each axis
Correct answer: Moment of inertia about the X, Y, and Z axes respectively
Ixx, Iyy, and Izz are the principal diagonal terms of the inertia tensor, representing moments of inertia about the X, Y, and Z axes.
Question 7: In SolidWorks, what is the unit of moment of inertia in the default MMGS unit system?
- kg¡m²
- g¡mm² (Correct answer)
- kg¡mm²
- N¡mm²
Correct answer: g¡mm²
In the MMGS (millimeter-gram-second) unit system, moment of inertia is expressed in g¡mm².
CSWP Assembly Mass Properties Analysis 3
When using 'Include hidden bodies/components' in the Mass Properties dialog, what effect does this have?