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  3. In The Structures Tree

Non-FEA Joints

HyperX Joints are the HyperX interpretation of a joining mechanism between two Zones – which can be Analyzed or Sized in the same manner as Zones.

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Structural joints are defined on the FEM with HyperX. Different FEA loads processing techniques are provided to analyze and design fastened, riveted, and bonded joints – concurrently with panels. Read more on the Feature Page on our main website, found here.

Non-FEA Joints are Joint entities that do not originate from finite elements or Zone boundaries. They are manually created in HyperX and have no association with a FEM. When Non-FEA-based load scenarios are applied, they can be Sized and Analyzed in the same manner as traditional Joints.

About

  • Non-FEA joints are organized by type in the Structures Tree under the 'Non-FEA Zones' node.

    Note

    They can be further organized into Structures or Sets, but neither is required.

  • There is only one category of Non-FEA Joint (as opposed to the Edge and Point Joint paradigm in FEM-based joints). The type of Joint defined on this Non-FEA entity depends on the design and load assigned to the joint.

  • A Design Property is assigned directly to a Joint, thereby applying corresponding design space definitions to the selected Joint(s) for Sizing/Analysis.

  • A Non-FEA Load is assigned directly to a joint, thereby applying the corresponding loads to the selected joint(s).

  • An Analysis Property is assigned directly to a Joint, thereby applying the corresponding Failure Modes, and their respective analysis defaults to the selected Joint(s).

Create

Non-FEA Joints are manually created and defined.

  1. Navigate to the Structures tab of the Ribbon.

    createNonFEAJoints_Ribbon.png

  2. Click the "Non-FEA Joint" button to open the Create Non-FEA Joint Form.

    createNonFEAJoint_Form.png

  3. You can press "Create" to create the Joint or specify the following optional parameters:

    • Name - Change the name of the Joint by editing the text box at the top of the form.

    • Geometry - Expanding this section and selecting "Manual Placement" allows you to specify the centroid of the Joint as well as the longitudinal and transverse directions.

      createNonFEAJoint_Geometry.png

      You can use the text boxes to manually define these values or use the buttons to the right to select points in the Viewport or define vectors for those values. Hover over each of those for more information.

    • Property Selections - Expanding this section reveals options to select, create, and/or view assigned Properties.

      createNonFEAJoint_Properties.png

      1. Assign Design and Analysis Properties and Non-FEA Loads using the dropdowns.

      2. Create Properties and/or Non-FEA Loads using the "+" buttons.

        Note

        You can create FEA Load Properties from this form, but you will not be able to assign them to a Non-FEA Joint.

      3. View the selected property or Non-FEA Load using the corresponding button.

  4. Once you have created a Non-FEA Joint, it will appear under the 'Non-FEA Zones' section of the Structures Tree.

    createNonFEAJoint_StructuresTree.png

Size and/or Analyze

All Non-FEA joints - are Sized/Analyzed by following the basic steps outlined below.

  1. Create Non-FEA joint(s)

  2. Define the design space for each Joint

    All design space inputs are applied via Design Property. First, Design Properties should be created (see 'Create Design Properties'). Then they should be assigned to their respective joints (see 'Assign Design Properties').

    When selecting and defining a Design Property, there are two consequential decisions to make:

    1. Concept - What type of joining mechanism are you idealizing? The four broad categories are Fastened, Bonded, Riveted, and Edge Allowable. See Joint Design Properties (in Type > Joint section) for the full list of concepts within each Property.

      Note

      Point Joints can only be assigned fastened or riveted Joint Design Properties. Edge Joints can inherit all concept options.

    2. Sizing Mode - Are you sizing? Or running an analysis/margin assessment?

      IF you are sizing, there are additional options for tailoring the design variable priorities - enabled by selecting the 'Advanced' option indicated below. By default, Joint Sizing will prioritize minimizing weight. But, joint sizing isn't always as weight-driven as main acreage sizing, so HyperX allows the user to choose which design variables to prioritize, and the sequential order that follows after.

      Joint-advanced.png

      In the example shown in the image above, the user is telling HyperX to (1) reduce the spacing between fasteners, (2) try larger fastener diameters, (3) allow two rows in order to attain a positive margin.

  3. Define the loads for each joint. For Non-FEA Joints, you must define a Non-FEA Load and assign it.

  4. What methods am I sizing/analyzing to?

    HyperX offers 100s of native failure criteria for Sizing and Analyzing your structure. Individual methods and their corresponding settings are defined in Failure Modes. Failure Modes are then collected and assigned to selected Zones/Joints via Analysis Property.

    Company-or-program-specific methods that are not implemented natively in HyperX can be added to the framework via Analysis Plugin. They can then be used alongside native methods within the Failure Mode/Analysis Property paradigm.

  5. Select the Joints you'd like to Size/Analyze and click 'Run'.

zone_sizing.png

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