Connections
Connections are used to define the association of different regions of interest between parts in an assembly.
The following connection types are available inSimSolid:
- Regular Connections
- Welds
- Adhesives
- Virtual Connectors
FEA versus SimSolid Connections
In traditional FEA, part connections can be problematic. Parts that visually appear to be connected (Figure 1) have geometric imperfections that cause numeric issues for the FEA solver (Figure 2). The result is often that the assembly must be edited or even merged into one monolithic geometry to create a single mesh. This can lead to additional problems with stress concentrations at the part boundaries and is not recommended. In SimSolid, parts are never merged.
Figure 1. 
Figure 2.