Beam Connection
The Beam Connection node is obsolete, and has been superseded by the Shell-Beam Connection multiphysics coupling. It cannot be added in version 5.3 and later, but may be present in models created by earlier versions of the software.
You are advised to update your model to use the new multiphysics coupling instead, since the Beam Connection node will be removed in future versions.
A shell can be connected to a beam by adding a Beam Connection node in the Shell interface and a Shell Connection node in the Beam interface.
The connection can be between:
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Two edges, one in each interface
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A point in the Beam interface and a boundary in the Shell interface
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A point in the Beam interface and an edge in the Shell interface
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For more information about coupling different element types, see Coupling Techniques.
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For details about the formulation of this coupling, see Connection Between Shells and Beams
Beam Connection (Edges)
Select a Connected entity — Beam point or Beam edge.
When Beam point is selected, select the name of the corresponding Shell Connection node defined at the point level in the Beam interface to specify the connected parts.
For Beam point select an option from the Connected region list — Selected edges (the default), Distance (automatic), Distance (manual), or Connection criterion.
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Using Selected edges makes all selected edges rigidly connected to the point on the beam.
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For Distance (automatic), all parts on the shell edge, which are within the default distance from the beam point, are connected. This distance is determined by the cross section properties of the beam. It is contained in the variable beam.re in The Beam Interface.
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For Distance (Manual) enter a Connection radius rc. All parts on the shell edge, which are within the given distance from the beam point, are connected.
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For Connection criterion enter a Boolean expression in the text field. The beam is connected to the selected shell edge wherever the expression has a nonzero value. The default value is 1, which is equivalent to using the Selected edges option.
For Beam edge select the name of the corresponding Shell Connection node defined at the edge level in the Beam interface to specify the connected parts. Select an Edge type — Shared (the default) or Parallel.
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For Shared select an Offset definition—Along shell normal (the default) or Offset vector. For Along shell normal enter an Offset ζ. For Offset vector enter values for d0 in the table. The offset is the vector from the reference surface of the shell to the actual position of the beam. The Offset vector is interpreted in the coordinate system selected in the Coordinate System Selection section.
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For Parallel enter a value for the Parallelism tolerance Δθ. The default is 1 degree. The two edges are connected only where they are parallel within the specified tolerance.
Beam Connection (Boundaries)
Select the name of the corresponding Shell Connection node defined at the point level in the Beam interface to specify the connected parts.
Select an option from the Connected region list — Selected boundaries (the default), Distance (automatic), Distance (manual), or Connection criterion.
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Using Selected boundaries makes all selected boundaries rigidly connected to the point on the beam.
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For Distance (automatic), all parts on the shell boundary, which are within a default distance from the beam point, are connected. This distance is determined by the cross section properties of the beam. It is contained in the variable beam.re in the Beam interface.
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For Distance (manual) enter a Connection radius rc. All parts on the shell edge, which are within the given distance from the beam point, are connected.
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For Connection criterion enter a Boolean expression in the text field. The beam is connected to the selected shell boundary wherever the expression has a nonzero values. The default value is 1, which is equivalent to using the Selected edges option.
Location in User Interface
Context Menus
 Shell>Connections>Beam Connection
Ribbon
Physics tab with Shell selected:
Boundaries>Connections>Beam Connection
Edges>Connections>Beam Connection