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  • Set up your own cloud-native simulation in minutes.

    • Documentation

    SimScale DocumentationSimulation SetupConnectors

    Connectors

    Connectors help to reduce the complexity of a multipart structural analysis. This is achieved by defining the connection between multiple parts, without the need for a physical component.

    Connectors are supported in the following structural simulation types:

    The following connectors are available within SimScale

    • Pin connectors

    A new connector can be created by clicking the ‘+’ icon in the simulation tree as shown in Figure 1.

    Connectors Pin New Pin Connector
    Figure 1: Connectors can be found in the simulation tree below Contacts.

    Large Displacements

    Please be aware that SimScale only allows for small displacements within the connectors. For larger displacements or rotations it is necessary to use physical contacts, between all parts of a connection, including the connecting part.

    Pin Connectors

    Pin connectors allow the user to replace a physical pin within an assembly with a virtual connection using a combination of kinematic relations and 1D finite elements. The virtual connection mimics the physical behavior of the pin and avoids the need for finely meshed physical parts and complex contact setups.

    Connectors Pin Connector Example
    Figure 2: Example of an assembly where a pin connector can be used to replace a bolt

    Important

  • A separate pin connector item must be defined for each virtual pin.
  • Pin connectors can only be defined for cylindrical faces.

    • Usage

    A pin connector can connect multiple bodies around a shared pin axis and the kinematic behavior of the connection can be defined with the settings as shown in Figure 3. This is known as a body to body connection and in this case, the virtual pin will move with the deformation of the bodies.

    Alternatively, a pin connector can be used to connect bodies to a pin that is fixed to the ground and this is known as a body to ground connection. Here the virtual pin remains stationary and the connection acts as a global constraint.

    The default settings panel for the pin connectors can be seen in Figure 3.

    Connectors Pin Pin Connector Settings
    Figure 3: Default settings for Pin connectors

    The settings are explained as follows:

    • Interaction
      • Body to body: Two or more bodies may be connected to each other via a single virtual pin. The pin will move with the bodies.
      • Body to ground: Two or more bodies may be connected to the ground via a single virtual pin. The pin remains stationary.
    • Kinematic Behavior
      • Rotation
        • Free rotation: Bodies may freely rotate about the pin axis
        • Rigid: Rotation of the bodies about the pin axis direction is locked
        • With torsion spring: Rotation is controlled by a torsion spring stiffness
    • Axial translation
      • Rigid: Translation of the bodies in the pin axis direction is locked
      • Free sliding: Bodies may freely translate along the pin axis
      • With axial spring: Define an axial spring stiffness for axial movement
    • Advanced Settings
      • Deformable: Allows for small deformation of the assigned faces
      • Undeformable: Allows for no deformation of the assigned faces

    Assigning Pin Connector Faces

    When assigning the faces of a pin connector please ensure that the faces are concentric. This means that the faces need to share the same rotational axis. If this condition isn’t fulfilled the simulation will result in an error warning.

    Last updated: February 9th, 2024

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