Internal constraints with beam elements

[alegio20]

Hi everyone,
I am a structural engineer which is using ABAQUS mainly with truss or beam 1-D elements.
I am having issues modeling a beam connecting two columns. The connection between the beam and the columns has to be a pinned one but columns need to be continuous. For being clear I am attaching an image to the thread. I am using connectors, but in that way I am always getting an internal hinge that divide the column, which is wrong and lead to stability problems.
I also cannot use truss elements for modeling the hinged beam.
Can somebody help me undertanding how to model this constraint in ABAQUS?
(I am dealing with a 3D model with beams)

 

[FEA way]

I can think of 3 different ways to model hinges in frame structures:
- join connector
- equation constraint
- MPC type PIN

But in this case you may have to use more than one connector and some couplings/rigid body constraints as well.

 

[alegio20]

Thanks @FEA way.
Since I am not an expert Abaqus user (but that kind of internal constraints is like the basis for my models), could you please tell me how to do that? Or just upload an example file? (I have abaqus 2021)

 

[FEA way]

Ideally, you would test different approaches on the simplest of your models and see if you get the desired effect. To make it easier, move the beam and column away from each other, define the connection between them using selected combination of connectors and constraints (they all let you operate on translational and rotational degrees of freedom separately) and then join the parts back together and see how it works.