Connecting components in an assembly FEM with 1D connections

Estimated time to complete: 10–20 minutes

In this tutorial, you will learn how to connect component FEM files using a 1D connection.

1: Set the customer default to load parts

Assembly FEMs may contain many component FEMs, and can take up large amounts of space on your system. By default, in Pre/Post, the parts and idealized parts associated with the component FEMs are not loaded automatically. You must explicitly choose to load these parts.

In this activity, you must load all the parts associated with the component FEMs. This allows the solver to access midsurface thickness data, which is stored in the idealized part.

First, you will change a customer default setting to allow parts associated with component FEMs to be automatically loaded.

Start Simcenter 3D or NX.

File

Utilities→Customer Defaults

  • Simulation

    Pre/Post

    General

     

    Environment

  •  Automatically Load Associated Parts for Component FEM

  • OK

     Customer Defaults dialog box

  • OK

     message

 

File

  •   Exit

You must restart the software to make changes to the customer defaults take effect.

2: Setup

  1. On your desktop or the appropriate network drive, create a folder named satellite.

  2. Click the link below:

    Download the part

  3. Extract the file to your satellite folder.

  4. Open Hessi Satellite AFM.afm.

  5. Open Solar Panels_assyfem1.afm.

3: Reset dialog box memory

The options you select in dialog boxes are preserved for the next time you open the same dialog box within a given session. Restore the default settings to ensure that the dialog boxes are in the expected initial state for each step of the activity.

File

Preferences→User Interface

  • Options

  •   Reset Dialog Memory

  • OK

     
4: Reset the customer default

Reset the customer default that you set at the beginning of the activity.

File

Utilities→Customer Defaults

  • Simulation

  • Pre/Post

  • General

  •  

    Environment

  •  Automatically Load Associated Parts for Component FEM

  • OK

     

  • OK

     message
5: Update the inner panel component FEM

 Simulation Navigator

  •  Solar Panel Inner_fem1.fem

  •  Make Work Part

 

  •  Solar Panel Inner_fem1.fem

  •  Edit

  •   Edit Bodies to Use

  • Bodies to Use

    All Visible

  • OK

     

  • Only the sheet body is visible for the idealized part. When you edit the FEM to use only visible bodies, you remove the solid polygon body from the FEM.

The component FEM now contains only the polygon sheet body representing the midsurface.

6: Update the outer panel component FEM

  1. Make Solar Panel Outer_fem1.fem the work part.

  2. Edit Solar_Panel Outer_fem1.fem.

  3. Configure the FEM to edit all visible bodies.

Refer back to the previous step for details.

The component FEM now contains only the polygon sheet body representing the midsurface.

7: Make the assembly part the work part

Simulation Navigator

  •  Solar Panels_assyfem1.afm

  •   Make Work Part

     

 

Both component FEMs are visible and selectable.

8: Connect the component FEM files

  1D Connection (Home tab→Connections group)

  • Type

    Node to Node

  •  

     

  • Type

    RBE2

  •  

  •  

  • OK

     

     

9: Resolve label conflicts

  Simulation Navigator

  •  Solar Panels_assyfem1.afm

     Assembly Checks→Assembly Label Manager

  •  Automatically Resolve

  • OK

Save

10: Load the satellite part

  Simulation Navigator

  •  

  •  Hessi Satellite AFM

  •  Make Displayed Part

  Simulation Navigator

  •  HESSI_Satellite.prt

     Load

  •   HESSI_Satellite.prt

The status of the four instances of Solar Panels.prt is Ignored.

11: Map the solar panels assembly FEM to the satellite assembly FEM

  Simulation Navigator

  •   HESSI_Satellite.prt

  •   Solar Panels.prt (any of the four Solar Panels nodes)

  •   Find All Matching Components

  •   the selection and choose Map Existing

  • FE Model

    Solar Panels_assyfem1

  • OK

     Map CAD Component To Existing FEM dialog box

 

12: Connect the solar panels to the deck

  1D Connection (Connections group)

  • Type

    Node to Node

  •  

     

  • Type

    RBE2

  •     (nodes on the edge of the solar panel)

  •  

  •     (nodes on the edge of the deck)

  • Apply

     

     

  •  

    Connect the remaining three panels to the deck.

  • Cancel

     when finished
13: Resolve label conflicts

  Simulation Navigator

  •  Hessi Satellite AFM.afm

     Assembly Checks→Assembly Label Manager

  •  Automatically Resolve

  • OK

  Save

File

  • Close→All Parts

  •   Exit

    Exiting the application ensures that the changes that you made previously to the customer defaults take effect.