HM-3410: Creating Area Connectors Page 1 of 5

HyperMesh and BatchMesher

HM-3410: Creating Area Connectors

In this tutorial, you will learn how to:

• Apply an adhesive connection to the left rails.

Exercise
This exercise uses the model file, frame_assembly_1.hm. Area connectors must be meshed in order to
work properly. When the connector’s location is existing FE mesh elems, the connector automatically gets
meshed to match the elements chosen. However, after creating an area connector on surfs, lines, or along
nodes, you must then use the automesh options (which display when you select one of these locations
types) to create a mesh on the connector area.

area Create and realize bolt connectors in a single process.

create Create, but do not realize, area connectors.

realize Create FE representations of previously-created area connectors.

Step 1: Retrieve and view the model file.

1. Open the model file, frame_assembly_1.hm.
2. Take a few moments to observe the model using various visual options available in HyperMesh
(rotation, zooming, etc.).
3. Go to the Preferences menu, click User Profiles....
4. Select RADIOSS, then Bulk Data.
5. Click OK to load the user profile.

Step 2: Load the Connector browser.

1. Go to the menu bar select View > Browsers > HyperMesh > Connector.
2. Review the layout of the Connector Browser.
The Connector Browser allows users to view and manage the connectors in their model. The top
portion of the browser is called the Link Entity Browser and it contains a listing of the components
being connected with the connectors. The lower portion is called the connector entity browser and it
contains a list of the connectors in the model. The connectors will be grouped based on the type of
connection.

Step 3: Create an adhesive connection between component Left_Rail_1 and

Left_Rail_2 on the top flange.
1. From the Model Browser, display only the elements for components, Left_Rail_1 and Left_Rail_2.
2. Zoom into an area displaying the two flanges and inspect the elements to be joined.
3. Create a new component by right-clicking in the Model Browser and select Create > Component.
4. Name the new component Left_Rail_Adhesive.
Ensure the new component is the current component.
5. Right-click in the Connector Browser in the connector window and select Create > Area

file:///C:/Program%20Files/Altair/12.0/help/hm/hm_3410.htm?toc=0&printWindow 22/06/2013
HM-3410: Creating Area Connectors Page 2 of 5

6. Verify that location: is set to elems.

7. Pick one element on the top flange of Left_Rail_1.
The element should be highlighted.
8. Click elems and select the by face option – the whole flange should be highlighted.

9. For connect what:, select comps and pick Left_Rail_1 and Left_Rail_2.
10. Click select.
11. Set tolerance= 10. The connector will connect any selected entities within this distance of itself.
12. Click type= and select adhesives.
13. Verify that the adhesive type is set to shell gap – this option projects directly to the shell component
and takes no account of the thickness of the shell components.
14. Click create.
15. Inspect the new adhesive, note that an area connector has been created, and then click return.
16. Access the Unrealize panel from the menu bar by selecting Connectors > Unrealize.
17 Select the previously created connector.
18 Click unrealize.
19 Click return.
20. Access the Area panel, realize subpanel.
21 Click connectors and select the unrealized, yellow connector.
22. Verify that the adhesive type is set to (T1+T2)/2 (instead of shell gap) and increase the coats= 3.
This type takes into account the thickness of each shell part and increases the number of hexas
through thickness from 1 to 3.

file:///C:/Program%20Files/Altair/12.0/help/hm/hm_3410.htm?toc=0&printWindow 22/06/2013
HM-3410: Creating Area Connectors Page 3 of 5

23. Click realize.

For the other set of flanges you will manually create an area connector and mesh it accordingly.

Step 4: Create an adhesive connection between component Left_Rail_1 and

Left_Rail_2 on the bottom flange.
1. Verify that you are still in the Area panel.
2. Access the area subpanel.
3. Select nodes for the location.
4. Click node list and select by path.
5. Select the row of nodes on the outer flange on part, Left_Rail_1 by first selecting the left most node
on the bottom flange of Left_Rail_1 and then selecting the right-most node on the bottom flange.

file:///C:/Program%20Files/Altair/12.0/help/hm/hm_3410.htm?toc=0&printWindow 22/06/2013
HM-3410: Creating Area Connectors Page 4 of 5

5. Define width = 10.

6. Define offset = 3.
7. Select comps Left_Rail_1 and Left_Rail_2.
8. Click select.
9. Click create.
The default mesh size for these mesh independent area connectors (when choosing by
nodes/lines/surfs) is 10. However, you can specify a different elem size if needed.
10. Go to the edit subpanel.

11. Select the newly created area connector.

12. Select the element size= 3.
13. Click mesh.
Note the connector unrealizes if there is a pre-exising mesh.
14. Access the realize subpanel.
15. Select the connector.
16. Change the type from (T1+T2)/2 to const_thickness and enter 0.3.
17. Click realize.
Inspect the new adhesive created. Note when creating area connectors from elements it will automatically
mesh the area connector using the current mesh. If the area connector is created from nodes, lines, or
surfaces then a manual mesh can be applied if the default is unsuitable from the area subpanel.

file:///C:/Program%20Files/Altair/12.0/help/hm/hm_3410.htm?toc=0&printWindow 22/06/2013
HM-3410: Creating Area Connectors Page 5 of 5

18. Return to the main menu.

Go to HyperMesh Tutorials

file:///C:/Program%20Files/Altair/12.0/help/hm/hm_3410.htm?toc=0&printWindow 22/06/2013