Assigning beam/truss tangent directions

When you create a part with wire regions, Abaqus assigns the default tangent directions to the regions. Beam section orientations depend on the tangent directions. You can reverse the direction of a beam or truss tangent to obtain the desired beam section orientation. You can use the Query toolset to verify that the beam section orientations are correct for a selected region. For more information, see Using the Query toolset to obtain assignment information.

See Also
Creating and editing sections
Selecting objects within the viewport

Context:

You can also reverse the tangent directions for stringer reinforcements; however, if there are multiple stringers defined on the edge of a geometric part, you cannot reverse the tangent of one of those stringers without reversing the tangents of every stringer defined for that edge. If the edge with multiple stringers is a feature of a mesh part, you can reverse the tangent of an individual stringer without reversing the tangents for the other stringers defined for that edge.

  1. If the part to which you want to assign a tangent is not visible in the current viewport, click the name of the desired part in the Part list located in the context bar.

    The selected part appears in the current viewport.

  2. From the main menu bar, select AssignElement Tangent.

    Tip: You can also click the tool in the Property module toolbox or select MeshOrientationTangent in the Mesh module.

    Abaqus/CAE displays an arrow in the direction of the tangent at the center of each region.

  3. Use one of the following methods to select the regions whose tangents you want to reverse:

    • Select the regions from the viewport, and click mouse button 2. (For more information, see Selecting objects within the viewport.)

      Tip: You can limit the types of objects that you can select in the viewport by using the tools in the Selection toolbar. See Using the selection options for more information.

      If you select Stringers as the object type, you can assign the beam/truss tangent direction to the entire stringer or to one or more of its edges. From the prompt area, select (pick entire stringer) or (pick partial stringer), then make your selection in the viewport. If the selected part has multiple stringers, Abaqus/CAE will display the ambiguous picking options in the prompt area while you make your selection.

    • To select from a list of existing sets, do the following:

      1. Click Sets on the right side of the prompt area.

        Abaqus/CAE displays the Region Selection dialog box containing a list of available part sets.

      2. Select the part set of interest, and click Continue.

    Abaqus/CAE reverses the direction of the tangents for the selected regions.

    Note: The default selection method is based on the selection method you most recently employed. To revert to the other method, click Select in Viewport or Sets on the right side of the prompt area.

  4. Repeat the previous step as often as necessary to reverse additional tangent directions. When you have finished assigning tangent directions, use one of the following methods to exit the assignment mode:

    • If you are selecting regions of the part from the viewport, click mouse button 2 or click Done in the prompt area.

    • If you are selecting preexisting sets from the Region Selection dialog box, click Cancel to close the dialog box, then click mouse button 2 or click Done in the prompt area.