Create Stiffener Mesh

Use Stiffener Mesh: Create tool to create 1D elements as shell stiffeners from orphan lines representing trailing edges.

The Stiffener Mesh: Create tool allows you to create the following:
  • Bar2
  • Rods

It creates beams as plate stiffeners from a selection of free lines (orphan lines). It seeds nodes on shell edges within a tolerance from lines and auto orients/offsets beams.

  1. From the Marine ribbon, click the Stiffener Mesh > Create tool.


    Figure 1.
  2. On the guide bar, use the first selector to choose either Lines or Parts.
    The tool will retain only free lines (not edges) and will search ordered nodes from shell elements within a specified tolerance.
  3. Set options as necessary by clicking on the guide bar.
  4. Select lines or parts.
  5. Use the icon drop-down menu in the microdialog to select an orientation:
    • Orient by metadata - Extract the orientation vector from metadata info on lines. The default name is Inclination and it is attached to the line as an array of six values, which are the orientation vector components in the global system at the end of each line.
    • Orient normal to shells - Orient the stiffeners' Y axis along adjacent shell normal.
    • Use direction tool to orient - Invoke the Vector tool and define the unique orientation vector Afterwards, press Esc to return to the Stiffener Mesh context.
  6. Expand the chevrons in the microdialog.
  7. Select an element configuration.
    This can either be bar2 or rod.
  8. Select an element type (formulation).
    This can be CBEAM, CBAR, or CMBEAM for bar2.
  9. Optional: Using the second selector on the guide bar, assign a property or beam section to the selected lines.
    If the From metadata on CAD checkbox is checked, the selector will become disabled and the property will be created from the beam section that is attached as "Beam Section" metadata to the parent of the line. Otherwise, you can select properties or a beam section to be assigned to all selected lines.

    If an element configuration type is selected, the list of properties will be filtered based on the select type. For example, a Config Bar2 with Type CBAR will keep only PBAR and PBARL properties, while a TYPE CBEAM will keep only PBEAM and PBEAML.

    If a beam section is selected, the property will be automatically created based on the element configuration type and will be assigned to the elements that are created.

  10. On the guide bar, click one of the following:
    • - Save changes and stay in the tool
    • - Save changes and close the tool