Create Merged Joint
- Last UpdatedMay 05, 2023
- 4 minute read
Creates a Merged Fixing (MFIX) element from one or more existing joints. A merged joint can be used to indicate such things as a gusset plate or a star plate.
Merged joints are soft fixings that display in the Model Explorer as PLDATU, MFIX and TMPL elements, owned by the first JLDATU within a GENSEC element. Refer to Section Connectivity for further information.
You are prompted to Select owning section
Click to identify the section to associate with the merged joint using a cursor pick in the 3D view.
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The prompt does not display if the section element is already selected.
You are then prompted to Select joints
The joints are highlighted in the 3D view, each joint displays as a joint pin.
The selection status of each joint is indicated by the joint pin colour.
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Cyan = Deselected joint
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Red = Selected joint.
Click to identify the joints to be merged and press Enter to display the Merged Joint window.
The Merged Joint window allows you to associate a catalogue specification with the currently selected joints and modify the dimensions of the merged joint component parts.
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Selection |
Click to remove all joints from the current selection. The number of currently selected joints displays adjacent to the icon. Note: |
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Specification |
Select from the drop-down list to display all the available groups of merged joint components covered by a specification. Once a specification has been selected from the drop-down list, the Joint Group and Joint galleries are automatically populated with joint group and joint components available for selection. Note: Note: |
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Joint Group |
Select from the gallery to display all the available joint components. Once a group has been selected, the Joint gallery is automatically populated with the joint components available for selection. Note: |
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Joint |
Select a joint component from the gallery. Once a joint has been selected, the Design Parameters fields are automatically populated with default values. |
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Reference |
Click to associate a reference element with the merged joint. The reference element can be either a section or a panel. Note: You are prompted to Select reference element Click to identify the section or panel to associate with the merged joint using a cursor pick in the 3D view. You are prompted to Set specification Press Enter to associate the reference element with the merged joint. |
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Update |
Click to update the merged joint with modified design parameters. Note: |
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Design Parameters |
Input values in the fields to modify the dimensions of the merged joint component parts. |
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Detail |
Click to display a detailed image of the merged joint. The image window displays a detailed description of the merged joint geometry and the different parameters and variables that can be applied to the merged joint.
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Click Apply to accept the merged joint settings.
If the Gtype of the owning section is CTUB (Circular Hollow Section), you are prompted to Set P-line
Click to identify the P-line position of the owning section and press Enter.
A merged joint is created and displays in the 3D view.
The new PLDATU, MFIX and TMPL elements display in the Model Explorer. The original FIXING JLDATU, PLDATU and FIXING elements are retained.
