Creating Connectors On A Given Metal-Sheet with Hypermesh

TASK: 

Create connector and Attach the various parts of the given model 

1. Right_Rail_2 & Front_truss_1:- Seam-Quad(angled+capped+L)

2. Left_Rail_2 & Front_truss_1:- Quad elements

3. Front_truss_2, Front_truss_1 & Right_Rail_1:- Spot weld with 3 Layers and 5 mm Diameter

4. Front_truss_2, Front_truss_1 & Left_Rail_1:- Hexa (Adhesive)

5. Rear_truss_2 & Right_Rail_2:- Bolt Connector

6. Rear_truss_2 & Left_Rail_2:- Bolt Connector

7. Right_Rail_1 & Right_Rail_2:- Spot-weld with Rigid Elements

8. Left_Rail_1 & Left_Rail_2:- Spot-weld with Spring Elements

9. Rest all the component left Join them with suitable connectors

OBJECTIVE: Create connectors at the given points on the metal sheets as provided in the challenge task

PROCEDURE: 

1. Import Cad Model
2. Perform Cleanup
3. Mesh The Component
4. Create connectors

Import Cad Model

The model ( frame welding assembly) is provided in the challenge and downloaded online.  This model is opened with hypermesh and made ready for working. Below is an image of the task model.

 Perform Cleanup

For the cleanup, i used autocleanup option beacuase the geometry is faily simple. The geometry has the midsurface already extracted so meshing is done directly.

 Mesh The Component

The component is meshed with target element size of 5 and element type mixed ( trials and quads ). As the concerntration of this task is on creating connectors, emphases is not place on the element quality but mesh flow and trial placement is optimized.

 Create connectors

Connectors are simple 1d and 3d elements which are used to join two or more parts together. Some examples are

1d elements : rbe2 and rbe3

Geometric entities : welds, bolts , adhesives etc

Types of connectors are spot ,bolts , mass , seam , area etc

Per the task requirement, i created the connectors respectivley.

1. Right_Rail_2 & Front_truss_1:- Seam-Quad(angled+capped+L)

• Hide all components and left only the required
• 2D connectors are used selecting seams
• Seam quad angled capped L is selected from type
• Using tolerance of 10 and spacing of 5
• selected nodes and seam is created.
• Mesh flow is fixed after creating seam

seam created with distorted mesh.

distorted mesh remeshed and edited

 Left_Rail_2 & Front_truss_1:- Quad elements

• Hide all components and left only the required
• 2D connectors are used selecting seams
• quads is selected from type
• Using tolerance of 10 and spacing of 5
• selected nodes and seam is created.
• Mesh flow is fixed after creating seam

Front_truss_2, Front_truss_1 & Right_Rail_1:- Spot weld with 3 Layers and 5 mm Diameter

• Hide all components and left only the required
• 2D connectors are used selecting spot
• Seam quad angled capped L is selected from type
• Using tolerance of 10 , no of layers 3, diameter of 5
• selected nodes and seam is created.

 Front_truss_2, Front_truss_1 & Left_Rail_1:- Hexa (Adhesive)

• Hide all components and left only the required
• 2D connectors are used selecting seam
• hexa adhesive is selected from type
• Using tolerance of 10 , spacing 5
• selected nodes and seam is created.

Rear_truss_2 & Right_Rail_2:- Rear_truss_2 & Left_Rail_2:-  Bolt Connectors

• Hide all components and left only the required
• 2D connectors are used selecting bolts
• clip hinge  is selected from type
• Using tolerance of 10 
• selected nodes and seam is created.

Right_Rail_1 & Right_Rail_2:- Spot-weld with Rigid Elements

• Hide all components and left only the required
• 2D connectors are used selecting spot
• rigid  is selected from type
• Using tolerance of 10 , layers 2 and diameter of 5
• selected nodes and seam is created.
• Mesh flow is fixed after creating seam

 Left_Rail_1 & Left_Rail_2:- Spot-weld with Spring Elements

• Hide all components and left only the required
• 2D connectors are used selecting spot
• spring  is selected from type
• Using tolerance of 10 , layers 2 and diameter of 5
• selected nodes and seam is created.

 Seams are placed at all other connections which was not given

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Final image of the model is shown below with all valid realizesd connectors