The mechanism for creating Joints depends on the type of Joint being created. See the options below, one for Edge Joints and one for Point Joints types.
Creating Edge Joints
Creating an Edge Joint involves defining the edge, or boundary, between Zones that are to be mechanically joined.
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Navigate to the Structure tab of the Ribbon.
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Click the 'Edge Joints' icon to initiate Edge Joint creation.
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Use the resulting Joint Creation form to define the following attributes of the Edge Joint(s) being created.
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Joint Name
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1 vs. 2-member Joints.
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Load, Design, and Analysis Properties to define the Joints.
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Select the Zone boundaries that represent the edges defining each Joint. Boundaries must exist between Zones in a Structure in order to be selected. This operation cannot be done on the unused FEM.
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Click 'Create' to create an Edge Joint for each selected edge.
The mechanism for deleting Joints depends on the type of Joint being deleted. See the options below, one for Point Joints and one for Edge Joints.
Deleting Edge Joints
Edge Joints, since they are not comprised of actual FEM elements, can be deleted without altering the status of the adjacent Zones.
Option #1: Manually Delete
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Select an Edge Joint - either by clicking on the corresponding node in the Structure Tree or by left-clicking directly on the Joint in the Viewport.
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Right-click on the selection and choose 'Delete' from the menu options.
Once an Edge Joint has been deleted, that entity will no longer appear in the Viewport or in the Structure Tree. The Zones that formed the edge will be unaffected.
Option #2: Delete Structure
Any Joint within a Structure is deleted when the Structure itself is deleted.
Deleting Point Joints
HyperX does not edit FEM element definitions or their corresponding grid definitions. Therefore, when a Point Joint is 'deleted,' the associated spring/RBE elements are not removed from the Database. Rather they become unassociated with a HyperX entity (or, back in the unused FEM).
Option #1: Return to Unused FEM
This option is available in the right-click menu on a Point Joint (in the Viewport or Structure Tree) and is equivalent to deleting the Joint. The Joint will be removed from the Structure and reappear in the preview FEM.
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Select the point joint(s) of interest either in the Viewport or in the Structure Tree.
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Right-click on the selection and choose 'Return to Unused FEM' from the menu options.
Option #2: Delete Structure
Any Joint within a Structure is deleted when the Structure itself is deleted.
Joints are submitted for Sizing or Analysis by following the steps outlined below:
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Tell HyperX what you'd like to Size/Analyze.
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Edge Joints are not FEM entities and therefore must be created. See Create Joints.
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Point Joints come directly from the FEM and therefore must be organized into Structures. See Create Joints or Create Structures.
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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:
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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.
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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.
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.
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Define the loads for each Joint
This requires two parts:
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Define the load scenarios that will be assessed. This is done by creating:
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-- AND / OR --
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Define how the element-by-element forces (for each Design Load Case) are processed into a set of Design-to Loads. The FEA Loads Processing Technique is selected and assigned to desired Joints via Load Property
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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.
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Select the Joints you'd like to Size and click 'Run'.