ANSYS APDL - How to create Joint at the connection of three beam elements?

[Vitkacy1989]

Hi Folks,

Please see Figure below.

There are three nodes at the connection, each node for each beam.
I would like to create joint type such as green beam will have ROTZ and ROTY free, and red column will have ROTX and ROT Z free. Blue beam will be continous. Part of the structure shown.

It does not work with CP command (or ENDRELEASE) since it does not allow to use same DOFs for different coupling sets.

Any idea? Answer and contribution as always, will be appreicated!

 

[Rahul Leslie]

Hi..
With BEAM44, one could define element types with end-releases, and use them in cases such as this one. Not sure whether BEAM44 is in active library now, or legacy, or totally discontinued. Maybe you can replace one element at the connection end of the meshed beams with BEAM44.

Key-options 7 and 8 are the ones used in BEAM44 for activating this feature:

KEYOPT(7)
Stiffness release at node I:

1 -- Release element rotational Z-stiffness
10 -- Release element rotational Y-stiffness
100 -- Release element rotational X-stiffness
1000 -- Release element translational Z-stiffness
10000 -- Release element translational Y stiffness
100000 -- Release element translational X-stiffness

To combine releases, input the sum of the number keys (such as 11 for rotational Z and Y).

KEYOPT(8)
Same as KEYOPT(7) but used for node J