Rigid Connector

The is a boundary condition for modeling rigid regions and kinematic constraints such as prescribed rigid rotations. The selected shell edges will move as a single rigid object, irrespective of whether they are geometrically adjacent or not.

To add a rigid connector to the top or bottom interface of the shell, use Rigid Connector, Interface.

If the study step is geometrically nonlinear, the rigid connector takes finite rotations into account. The feature is similar to the rigid connectors in the Solid Mechanics and Beam interfaces. Rigid connectors from the Shell, Beam, and Solid Mechanics interfaces can be attached to each other.

You can add functionality to the rigid connector through the following subnodes.

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Applied Force (Rigid Connector) to apply a force in given point.

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Applied Moment (Rigid Connector) to apply a moment.

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Mass and Moment of Inertia (Rigid Connector) to add extra mass and moment of inertia in a given point.

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Spring Foundation (Rigid Connector) to add a translational or rotational spring or damper in a given point.

Shell Properties

As the whole edge moves as a single rigid object, it is not possible to select individual layers. The selection in this section only acts as a filter for the boundary selection.

Table 6-54: Layer Selections; Rigid Connector
Selection	Use All Layers	Selection of Individual Layers
Edge	Same as interface selection when the node is added.	No


	All other settings for the Rigid Connector node are described in the documentation for Rigid Connector in the Solid Mechanics interface.

Location in User Interface

Context Menus

Ribbon

Physics tab with selected: