Use the Seam panel to create connectors that represent line connectors such as seam
welds. These connectors can later be realized as standard or custom weld
representations.
Location: Connectors module
When the Seam panel is active, only seam-type connectors display in the modeling window; graphics for other connector types are
suppressed until you exit the panel.
Subpanel Organization
The Seam panel is arranged into several subpanels. You can move freely between
subpanels. Your work on one subpanel will not be lost if you switch to a different
subpanel. However, similar settings will not be shared between subpanels, so for
example changing the tolerance in one subpanel does not change it in any of the
others. In most cases one or more green command buttons on the right edge of the
subpanel must be used to execute the function once all options have been
specified.
Seam Subpanel
Create and realize seam connectors.
Create Subpanel
Create, but do not realize seam connectors.
Realize Subpanel
Realize existing seam connectors (no creation or editing possible).
Edit Subpanel
Edit existing seam connectors.
Partition Subpanel
Partition (separate into sections of connections that passed or failed
valid projections) an existing seam connector.
The Seam, Create and Realize subpanels use the same set of options.
The first column contains everything related to connector creation and link
detection.
The second column contains everything related to realization type, post
script and property assignment.
The third column contains everything related to the final connection to the
link entities.
Connector Creation and Link Detection Options
Option
Action
location
Specify the location of the connector to be created.
lines/line list
Select lines and specify spacing or density.
If you select several lines, HyperLife Weld Certification
determines whether lines share the same start points and
end points or not. This means, HyperLife Weld Certification is able to determine if certain groups of lines can
principally be combined into one line.
How this
information is used during connector creation
depends on the line combine, group CE, and do not
group CE options.
node list
Select a node list and specify spacing or density.
The selected nodes are used to internally create a
smoothed line, which is used exactly as a real line. The
connector will not remember the position of the selected
nodes, unless you select the preserve
nodes checkbox.
You can only create
one seam connector at a time using a node
list.
When you are selecting a node list, and
the first and last node belong to the same element,
HyperLife Weld Certification will create the
connector as a closed loop.
spacing/density
spacing
Distance between each weld location on the line.
density
Number of weld location on the line.
retain nodes
Retain the position of the nodes when you create and realize a
connector.
Note: Only available if location is set to nodelist.
connectors
Select the connector(s) to be realized.
line combine
Create one seam connector for each sequence of lines and each
single line. With this option enabled, a sequence of lines will be internally
treated as on line.
This option is preferred for continuous seams together with
realization types where the body element is positioned between the weld points of
all quad and hexa seam realizations.
With this option, neither the vertices nor the start point
and end point of the initial lines are considered, and there likely will not be any
weld points at the exact positions.
Note: Default setting when location is set to
linelist.
Figure 1. Figure 2.
group CE
Create one seam connector from each selected line, and group those
seams which form a sequence of seam connectors together. Each group of connectors is
then treated as a single connector entity. Each connector in the group has the same
display mode, same realization state, and so on. Furthermore the start points and
end points of two sequenced connectors in that group are treated as being one point.
This fact allows this option also to be used together with realization types where
the body element is positioned between the weld points, such as for all quad and
hexa seam realizations. For hexa seams and for use of quad transition, the vertex
angle has to be quite small to prevent bad hexa elements or imprint
conflicts.
Note: The selected lines need to be longer than half the spacing
length, otherwise the lines are ignored.
Figure 3.
do not group CE
Create one seam connector from each selected line. Even those
seams which form a sequence of seam connectors are not grouped together. The start-
and end- points of two sequenced connectors in that group are treated as being
different points. This fact makes the use of quad transition impossible for
sequenced seam connectors, because the imprint patterns will always conflict each
other.
Note: The selected lines need to be longer than half the spacing length,
otherwise the lines are ignored.
Figure 4.
connect what
Select the entities to
become link candidates. Link candidates are certain entities of a chosen link
type, which are supposed to be connected during the realization. Entities
outside the tolerance are not taken into account.
comps
Select components to be added as link entities.
Choose to connect to either the geometry or elements of the selected
components.
assems
Select assemblies to be added as link entities.
Choose to connect to either the geometry or elements of the selected
assemblies.
surfs
Select surfaces to be added as link entities.
Choose to connect to either the geometric surfaces or elements
associated to the selected surfaces.
Note: Connectors can be created with different
types of entities; for example, a connector can be defined by selecting a
component on one side and an assembly on the other side. This can be done by
creating a connector to specify one of the entity types and selecting that
entity. Add the second entity by updating the connector via the add links
functionality in the Connector browser or the Add Links panel.
num layers
Define how many thicknesses (layers) have to be connected at
the connector position.
This number is predefined as 2. There is not a field in the
this panel where you can set the number of layers; however, you can find the number
of layers in the Connector browser.
When link detection is performed the valid connector links
are established with respect to the given tolerance and the selected link
candidates. By default the links are reduced to the minimum needed. The number of
links is typically higher than the number of layers, because a valid pair of
projections need to be found per test point.
tolerance
Define a distance from the connector location (per each test
point).
Only entities within this tolerance can be taken into account
for the link detection and the final realization. Thus, the tolerance is used twice:
first for the link determination and again for the realization. In the second step
the tolerance is used to verify whether adequate link candidates are available to be
connected.
During pure connector creation on the Create subpanel, the
tolerance is used for the link determination, but not necessarily stored on the
connector unless the checkbox in front of the tolerance field is marked. In this way
different tolerances can be used.
The tolerance used during the realization process is always
written to the connector.
connect when
Select when to perform link detection.
now
Add link entity information now, directly together with the connector
creation.
at fe-realize
Create a connector without any specific information regarding its
links.
Links are determined when performing the final realization with respect
to the connector position.
Using this option defines the re-connect rule at-fe-realize for all
created links.
reconnect rule
While realizing the connector, HyperLife Weld Certification
looks for link entities based on the re-connect rule.
Tip: This option is
useful in situations where the parts to be connected have been
changed/replaced.
none
No re-connect rule is defined. If the link entity is not currently in
the model, the connector with this re-connect rule will fail to
realize.
If no re-connect rule is defined for a link, this link disappears from
the connector when the linked entity is deleted.
use id
Use the selected link entity’s IDs to re-connect. If the link entity is
not currently in the model, the connector with this re-connect rule will
search for entities with the same ID.
use name
Use the selected link entity’s names to re-connect. If the link entity
is not currently in the model, connectors using this re-connect rule
search for entities with the same name.
reverse direction
During the first realization of a seam its direction is
determined. Even though this direction is only important for
realization types which use angle information like seam-quad
(angled), every seam gets this direction. Therefore the reverse
direction checkbox only appears for angled seams.
The direction
can only be reversed during the next realization if the checkbox
is enabled.
Note: Normally this option is only needed for
T-welds, because in that case there isn’t any indication for
the probable direction.
For this reason, if an angled
T-weld should be realized together with quad transition, it
might be useful to skip the imprint in the first step and review
the assumed direction. Rerealize all wrong directed seams with
the checkbox enabled. If all directions are correct, uncheck the
option and rerealize with active imprint. This procedure
prevents the mesh from being interfered more often than
necessary.
Post Script and Property Assignment Options
Option
Action
type
Select the realization type which should be used. The
realization type is a description of the FE representation.
Note: The available
realization types are dependant on the configuration file loaded under fe file
on the general connector Options panel.
post script treatment
Choose whether or not a post script has to be used for
the specific realization type. These scripts are used to automatically create
materials, properties, and/or contacts necessary for realizing the connectors.
default post script
Default for any realization type having a post script defined in its FE
configuration.
user post script
Select your own .tcl file which should be used.
Such a file can perform a special treatment on the FE
representation.
no/skip post script
Default for all realization types without any post script defined. No
post script is used.
elems to current comp / connector comp
Select which component the FE representations
are stored in once they have been realized.
current comp
Store newly-realized connectors in the current component.
connector comp
Store newly created FE representations in the same component that the
connector was originally created in.
Note: Only available in the realize subpanel when post script treatment is set
to no/skip post script.
property treatment
Select a property treatment.
property
Click property= and select a property to assign
to all newly created elements.
no property
No property gets assigned.
Note: Only available when post script treatment is set to no/skip post
script.
direct property assignment
Directly assign the property, otherwise assign the
property to the destination components.
Note: Only available when property treatment
is set to property =, and the solver interface is Nastran, OptiStruct, Radioss or Abaqus.
Quad Realization Options
Exclusive options available for seam realization types with a quad row representing the
connection. Not all of these settings have to be defined for all quad realization
types. Figure 5.
Option
Action
weld angle
Define the distance between the normal projection and the
quad direction.
Principally it is allowed to define weld
angles between 0.0 and 90.0. If the value is set to 0.0 an
internal thickness-based calculation is used. If the value
is set to 0.0 and no thickness is defined the connector will
fail.
If the angle is created in the wrong direction,
the seam can be reverted by enabling the reverse direction
checkbox and performing a rerealization.
cap angle
Depending on the seam-quad type, the cap angle is measured
differently.
Measured between the normals of the cap element and the
second-to-last element of the seam.
Measured between the edge normals of the cap element and
the second-to-last element of the seam in the plane of
the opposite link.
Cap angles are created by default. Clear this checkbox
to remove cap angles and runoff angles.
Cap angles
between 0.0 and 45.0 are permitted, but be aware that larger
values can lead to bad elements. The recommended value is
10.0 or smaller. Cap angles between 45.0 and 90.0 are
permitted, but be aware that smaller values lead to bad
elements. The recommended value is 75.0 and
higher.
Note: Only available for seam-quad (angled +
capped + L) and seam-quad (angled + capped +
T).
runoff angle
Depending on the seam-quad type, the runoff angle is measured
differently.
Measured between the normals of the last and the
second-to-last last element of the seam.
Measured between the edge normals of the last and the
second-to-last element of the seam in the plane of the
opposite link.
Clearing the cap angles checkbox removes runoff angles,
which are created by default.
height
Define the distance between the projection point and the
start-point of the angled quads.
Note: Only available for
T-seams.
The height needs to be chosen in an extent to
bridge the gap between the links. Also, the height strongly
influences the quad length, especially in cases of very large
weld angles.
Hexa Realization Options
Exclusive options available for seam realization types with hexa row(s) representing the
connection. Figure 6.
Option
Action
width
Define the width of the continuous hexa weld in the direction
perpendicular to the seam direction.
Note: Only available for
hexa (adhesive) and hexa (RBE2-RBE3).
strips
Define the number of hexa elements required along the
width.
coats
Defines the number of hexa elements required along the
thickness.
thickness
Select a method for defining the thickness of a hexa
weld.
shell gap
Project the hexa to touch the shell elements.
The position is independent from any thickness.
(T1+T2)/2
Hexa size (thickness) depends on the shell thickness of the connected
parts.
mid thickness
Calculate the hexa size (thickness) as the air gap between the two
connected parts.
If there is no gap, or even a penetration, the hexa size is always
modeled with 1.0.
const. thickness
Specify the hexa size (thickness).
maintain gaps
Calculate the hexa size (thickness) as the gap distance reduced by two
times the specified value for maintain gaps.
The position is independent from any thickness.
Note:
The exact hexa position is also influenced by the
consider shell thickness and offset for solid
positioning option.
Only available for hexa (adhesive) and hexa
(RBE2-RBE3).
Figure 7.
thickness dependent / angle, D and H / H1, H2 and D
Hexa (tapered T) enables you to create tapered seam hexas for
T-connections.
Select a method to define how hexas are
positioned and located, and assign appropriate values to any
corresponding inputs.
thickness dependent
tmin
min(t1;t2)
d
factor_a * tmin
h1
factor_b + 2.5 * t2
h2
factor_b + 2.5 * 211
Figure 8.
angle, D and H
angle α
angle to the base sheet
d
thickness of hexa
h
height from the basesheet
Figure 9.
H1, H2 and D
h1
distance on T sheet
h2
distance on basesheet
d
thickness of hexa
Figure 10.
discontinuity
By default, the length and pattern of a hexa weld is defined
by test points along the seam connector. To ignore the
predefined test points, and define a specific element length,
weld length, and break length to realize the connector with,
select the discontinuity checkbox. With this option, a hexa
adhesive seam with alternating weld pieces and gaps is created.
When discontinuity is enabled, you must define the
following inputs:
elem length
Specify the length of a hexa along the seam
connector.
weld length/scale (elem)
Specify the length of the hexa weld.
break length/scale (elem)
Specify the amount of space to place in between
the hexa welds.
If the defined lengths do not fit exactly to the seam
connector length, mathematical correct rounding is used. To
guarantee, that the rounded lengths are not too far away
from the expected values, minimum and maximum deviations are
defined in the seam options.
Note: Only available for
hexa (adhesive) realizations.
hexa position to edge
Select a location to create the hexa from the edge.
midpoint
Position the hexa to the exact location of the
connector after snapping.
offset from edge
Specify a distance from the edge to offset the
hexa.
positive edge
Position the hexa to the outside of the edge.
The positive side is normally the side with the
larger angle.
negative edge
Position the hexa to the inside of the edge.
The negative side is normally the side with the
smaller angle.
The angle that is close to 90° (88° to 90°) the element
normal of the first found shell element at the free edge decides
which side is the positive and the negative side.
Note: Only
available for hexa (adhesive) and hexa
(RBE2-RBE3).
edge details
In many cases, the connector position is not very
precise. To create the requested result, an automatic edge snapping can be enabled.
In the first step the connector snaps to, for example, the closest free edge, and
then from there the projection and FE creation starts. Select how many element rows
away from the free edge to snap the connector to for L and T connections.
maximum 1 element row
maximum 2 element rows
no
Do not snap the connector.
Penta Realization Options
Figure 11.
Option
Action
width
Specify the length of a penta.
Note: Only available for penta
(mig), penta (mig + L), penta (mig + T), and penta (mig +
B).
fitted/equilateral/equilateral-fitted
Select the size and shape
of a penta.
fitted
The length of one penta edge is the exact projection distance, and the
length of the other penta edge is defined by the width value; the penta
has an right-angle. Figure 12. Example: Fitted
equilateral
Create an equilateral penta; leg lengths are defined by the width
value. Figure 13. Example: Equilateral
equilateral/fitted
Combination of fitted and equilateral; you do not need to define a width
when you select this option. Figure 14. Example: Equilateral/Fitted
Note: Only available for penta (mig) and penta (mig + L).
right-angled
Create a right-angled penta that is oriented around the
bisector. Clear this checkbox to create an angle adapted penta. Figure 15. Right-Angled T-weld Penta Created on Both Sides of the Normal Figure 16. Angle Adapted T-weld Penta Created on Both Sides of the Normal
Note: Only available for penta (mig) and penta (mig + T).
both sides/positive sides/negative sides
Select which side of the normal to create
the penta on.
(mig + L)
The negative side is the side where the links are fairly parallel to
each other. The angle that is close to 90° (88° to 90°) the element
normal of the first found shell element at the free edge decides which
side is the positive and the negative side.
Figure 17. Example: (mig + L)
(mig + T)
The positive side is normally the side with the obtuse angle. The angle
that is close to 90° (88° to 92°) the element normal of the first found
shell element at the free edge decides which side is the positive and
negative side.
Figure 18. Example: (mig + T)
(mig + B)
The positive side is the side where the element normal of the first link
points to.
Figure 19. Example: (mig + B)
Note: Only available for penta (mig), penta (mig + L), penta
(mig + T), and penta (mig + B).
edge details
In many cases, the connector position is not very
precise. To create the requested result, an automatic edge snapping can be enabled.
In the first step the connector snaps to, for example, the closest free edge, and
then from there the projection and FE creation starts. Select how many element rows
away from the free edge to snap the connector to for L and T connections.
maximum 1 element row
maximum 2 element rows
no
Do not snap the connector.
Other Seam Realization Options
Figure 20.
Option
Action
row
Specify how many rows of spring elements have to be created.
The rows are parallel to the seam connector. The rows are
distributes equidistant through the width.
width
Specify the distance between the outermost element
rows.
Final Connection to Link Entities Options
Input
Action
mesh dependent/ mesh
independent
Determine whether the realizations require
a node connection.
mesh independent
For a realization which does not need any node connection and the
connection is primarily defined via a solver-specific card or the nodes
which need to be connected are defined by just a cylinder.
mesh dependent
All other cases.
adjust realization / adjust mesh
adjust realization
Adjust the realization itself, such as allowing non-normal realizations
for the sake of locating nodes to create the realization.
adjust mesh
Adjust the mesh should locally (such as creating transition elements or
remeshing) to ensure proper realization.
Note: Only available when mesh independent is selected.
quad transition / remesh
Select a mesh
adjustment method.
quad transition
Create quads to serve as a transition.
remesh
Remesh linked entities to achieve better links.
Note: Only available when mesh dependent and adjust mesh
are selected.
imprint / skip imprint
imprint
Merge two meshes from two different link entities to create a transition
mesh that matches up well with both.
skip imprint
Close-set connectors' transition quads may overlap and interfere with
each other, causing one or more realizations to fail.
Note: Only available when mesh independent, adjust mesh, and quad transition are
selected.
use pitch size to imprint / use avg. mesh size to imprint /
size to imprint
Select a method to
determine the size of the imprint.
use pitch size to imprint
Use pitch size.
use avg. mesh size to imprint
Use the average size of the underlying mesh.
size to imprint
Specify a specific imprint size.
Note: Only available when mesh dependent, adjust mesh, and
quad transition are selected.
Determine how the
realization will adjust to locate nodes in the linked entities
in order to establish links. This decision can be quite
involved.
Note: Only available when adjust realization is
selected.
Edit Subpanel Options
Table 1. Trim Options
Option
Action
connector
Select the seam connector that you would like to
trim.
node
Select the point that you would like to trim the connector
at.
snap to connector point
Trim the connector at specific points within a specified
tolerance.
remove connector point
Remove the point the connector was trimmed at, along
with any of its adjacent connector lines.
keep connector point
Trim the connector in a way that both connectors
receive a connector point at the trimming position.
All of the other connector points will remain at
their exact, former positions.
By default this option is selected, and the tolerance is
set to 1.0. If you clear this checkbox, connector points
will be equally distributed when the connector is
trimmed.
delete smaller connector piece
Delete the smallest connector piece when the connector is
trimmed.
trim
Trim the connector into a new, unrealized connector. The new
connector contain all of the information that was retained from
the original connector.
Table 2. Params Options
Option
Action
connectors
Select connectors.
spacing/density
spacing
Distance between each weld location on the line.
density
Number of weld location on the line.
end offset / half spacing
end offset =
Offset first and last weld locations from the ends of the line by the
end offset value.
half spacing
Offset by a value equal to half thee distance between weld
locations.
Table 3. Group Options
Option
Action
connectors
Select connectors.
connect rule
group
Create one seam connector from each selected line, and group those
seams which form a sequence of seam connectors together. Each group of connectors is
then treated as a single connector entity. Each connector in the group has the same
display mode, same realization state, and so on. Furthermore the start points and
end points of two sequenced connectors in that group are treated as being one point.
This fact allows this option also to be used together with realization types where
the body element is positioned between the weld points, such as for all quad and
hexa seam realizations. For hexa seams and for use of quad transition, the vertex
angle has to be quite small to prevent bad hexa elements or imprint
conflicts.
Note: The selected lines need to be longer than half the spacing
length, otherwise the lines are ignored.
ungroup
Create one seam connector from each selected line. Even those
seams which form a sequence of seam connectors are not grouped together. The start-
and end- points of two sequenced connectors in that group are treated as being
different points. This fact makes the use of quad transition impossible for
sequenced seam connectors, because the imprint patterns will always conflict each
other.
Note: The selected lines need to be longer than half the spacing length,
otherwise the lines are ignored.
Seam Partitioning Options
Inputs
Actions
connector
Select the
connector(s) that you wish to be partitioned.
Clicking
partition updates the selected
connectors with respect to the newly chosen settings. The
connectors will become unrealized.
non-normal
projection
Clear this checkbox to
consider only points with two valid "normal" projections as
passed points during the partition.
Tip: This is the
recommended setting, especially if the seam connector should
be realized as a hexa row afterwards.
tolerance
Use the given
tolerance for the projection test and the newly created
connectors.
Clear this checkbox to use the tolerance
stored on each connector for both the projection test and
the newly created connectors.
organize connectors
with passed projections
Select where to
organize the newly created "passed" connectors.
default
Create a new component named CE_partition_passed,
and organize all passed connectors in it.
current component
Organize the passed connectors into the current
component.
original component
Organize the passed connectors into the same
component that the original connectors came
from.
component
Select an existing component to organize the passed
connectors in.
number passed
connector IDs
Select how the newly
created "passed" connectors are numbered.
start with
Specify a certain starting ID that the newly created
"passed" connectors should be numbered from.
Preexisting IDs are blocked and skipped.
continue
Number the newly created "passed" connectors from
the highest existing connector ID.
organize connectors
with failed projections
Select where to
organize the newly created "failed" connectors.
default
Create a component named CE_partition_failed, and
organize all "failed" connectors in it.
current component
Organize the failed connectors into the current
component.
original component
Organize the failed connectors into the same
component where the original connector came
from.
component
Select an existing component to organize the failed
connectors in.
number failed
connectors IDs
Select how the newly
created "failed" connectors are numbered.
start with
Specify a certain starting ID that the newly created
failed connectors should be numbered from.
Preexisting IDs are blocked and are skipped.
continue
Number all of the newly created failed connectors
from the highest existing connector ID.
backup original
connectors
Select whether the
original connectors should be backed up or not.
default
Create a component named CE_partition_backup, and
organize copies of the original connectors into it,
when the backup is activated.
Note: Any
other name can be typed in and used as the
default. A component with the specified name is
created. It does not need to already exist (but
see the next option).
component
Select an existing component to organize the backup
connectors in.
Command Buttons
Button
Action
group/ungroup
Apply grouping or
ungrouping to a set of connectors.
options
Open the connector options panel
where various settings can be defined.
edit
Apply spacing,
density, or offset changes to a connector.
create
Create the
connector(s) with provided input (if sufficient).
partition
Apply the partitioning
onto the selected connectors, using the provided input.
