5.1 Adding models and links

To couple and decouple components, you have to recreate the assembly in the Design Area, by adding components, linking the interfaces, and adding stiffness information and loads. You can also perform variation studies, to evaluate different variants of components, loads and links. The idea behind the Design Area is to allow you to visualize the assembly in the simplest possible way. For this reason, we have decided to leave out all the complexity of the 3D to let you work with a simpler but effective 2D environment. A 3D viewer will be implemented in a later stage, to allow you to better visualize components orientation, etc.

Adding components and loads

You need to add all component substructures of your assembly in the design area. Components can be generated either from tests or simulations. If desired, you cal also add lodas, such as Blocked Forces.

To add components and loads to the design area, complete the next steps:

1. Open the fly-in library.
2. Drag and drop the component or load to the design area.

Rigidly coupling interfaces

To rigidly connect components, you need to add links between their respective interfaces.

To create a rigid link between two interfaces, complete the next steps:

1. Click the link tool .
2. Click and hold on the first interface.
3. Release on the second interface.

Adding stiffness

Any rigid link can be made compliant by adding a stiffness model to it. You can either add an existing stiffness model (e.g., mount stiffness model measured in DIRAC) or create a new synthetic stiffness model with the COUPLE stiffness model builder.

Creating a synthetic stiffness model

If you do not already have a stiffness model, you can create a synthetic one in the stiffness model builder and add it to a library. The stiffness model builder allows you to add stiffness and damping between any pair of interface DoFs (including cross stiffness).

To create a synthetic stiffness model, complete the next steps:

1. Click .
2. Select the correct interfaces DoFs.
3. Type values for Stiffness and Damping.
4. Click Import to Library. A new window will open.
5. Edit the name and the desired information in the Information.
6. In the Organize tab, drag and drop the model into the correct library.
7. Click Save

Adding an existing stiffness model

To add an existing stiffness model to a link, complete the next steps:

1. Create a link between two interfaces.
2. Drag and drop a stiffness model on the link.