Create Welds
- Last UpdatedSep 27, 2023
- 9 minute read
Welds are used to create joints between structural items, for example, between two sections or between a section and a panel. Linear, circular, elliptical and saddle welds can be defined for use with the Structures application.
The weld management functionality relies on some pre-configured Design Template properties, to find data from owning and attached GENSEC elements when the template is created. These properties must be created in a local or common dataset before the functionality becomes available.
AVEVA recommends the creation of a Design Dataset Area (DDAR) element containing two Design Dataset (DDSE) elements in a location visible to the templates in the project.
Under the Owning_Gensec_Properties_Welded element, create a Design Data (DDAT) element with the following attributes:
Under the Attached_Gensec_Properties_Welded, element create a Design Data (DDAT) element with the following attributes:
The two properties allow the weld connection references to point to the owning or attached beam of the joint.
When the DDAT properties have been created, reference the DDSE elements in the Ddrfarray attribute of the template.
When the DDSE elements have been referenced, the DDAT properties can be managed using the Define Template Properties window. Refer to Property Definitions for further information.
Structural Weld (STWELD) elements are stored in Structural Weld Set (STWSET) elements, which are owned by the TMPL element.
To create welds, make sure the correct Design Template is highlighted in the Template Browser.
On the Design Templates tab, in the Create group, click Welds.
If an STWSET element is not available, a message displays.
Click Yes to create an STWSET element in the current template hierarchy, the Weld Management window displays.
The name of the currently selected template is displayed at the top of the Weld Management window.
|
|
Refresh |
Updates the Weld Management window to include external modifications, or modifications to the current template reference. |
|
|
Create Weld |
Creates a linear weld. The weld can be defined using the Attribute Rules, Position Rules and Vertices tabs. The example displays a linear weld in the most basic form with two specified vertices.
|
|
|
Create Circular Weld |
Creates a circular weld using defined radius and sweep angle parameters. |
|
|
Create Weld from Profile Gtype |
Creates a weld using parameters defined from the shape of a profile stored in the catalogue. |
|
|
Create Weld from Geometry |
Creates a weld around a primitive, panel or section using a graphical pick in the 3D view. You are prompted to Pick Geometry to Copy Click to identify the element to create a weld around. Note: The example displays a linear weld created around a panel element.
|
|
|
Copy Weld |
Copies the currently selected weld, including parameters and rules. |
|
|
Delete Weld |
Deletes the currently selected weld. |
Use the Attribute Rules tab to define the attribute rules for the currently selected weld.
Note:
Modifications made to welds are not written to the database until Apply is clicked.
The Expression Builder can be used to define various attribute rules for the currently selected element. Click to display the Attribute Rule window. The functionality of the Attribute Rule window is explained, refer to Parameters for further information.
|
Description |
Input a weld description into the Description field. |
|
Weld Type |
Sets the Structural Weld Detail Reference (STWDTR) attribute rule of the weld. Set to a template property with purpose SPRE using the following syntax: LFDP [Property Dkey] OF TMPLATE Alternatively, set an explicit weld type by inputting a reference to a WDET element. Note: |
|
Weld Owner/Weld Attached |
Select from the drop-down lists to set the connection references, and thickness properties for the weld when the template is created. |
|
Element |
Select an element to own or attach to the weld. On creation, this sets the STWRFA attribute on the weld. Select Owning Section to use the owning section of the template joint as a weld connection reference. Select Attached Section to use the attached section (CREF) of the template joint as a weld connection reference. Other items are available in the drop-down list if they have a Local Name set in the template. |
|
Thickness |
Select a property to use as the Welded Plate Thickness. Use this to indicate which property the system uses when evaluating weld properties. For example, the thickness of the welded plate may influence the weld size or weld type. The drop-down list is populated with properties which are applicable to the selected element. |
Handrails
To allow a weld to use a connection reference from a handrail component, a property must be defined. Refer to Handrail Connections for further information.
When the property is defined, the Component Connection (CONREF) option is available from the Weld Owner Element and Weld Attached Element drop-down lists.
The Component Connection (CONREF) option sets the weld reference array to use the CONREF of the component on creation of the weld.
Use the Position Rules tab to define the position and orientation attribute rules for the currently selected weld.
|
Orientation |
Sets the Orientation attribute rule of the weld. |
|
Position |
Sets the Position attribute rule of the weld. Alternatively, set the Easting, Northing and Upping weld attribute rules separately. Note: |
|
Direction |
Sets the Direction attribute rule of the weld. The direction of the currently selected weld is indicated by an arrow in the 3D view. |
|
Weld All Round |
Select the check box to connect the start of the weld to the end, forming a complete loop. The setting only has an effect if there are more than two weld vertices. |
Use the Vertices tab to define the vertices owned by the weld.
The existing weld vertices are displayed in a grid.
|
|
Create Weld Vertex |
Creates a new weld vertex after the currently selected vertex, at the template origin position. |
|
|
Copy Weld Vertex |
Creates a new weld vertex as a copy of the currently selected vertex. |
|
|
Delete Weld Vertex |
Deletes the currently selected weld vertex. |
|
|
Move Up |
Moves the currently selected vertex up one place in the vertex grid. |
|
|
Move Down |
Moves the currently selected vertex down one place in the vertex grid. |
|
Position |
Sets the Position attribute rule of the vertex. Alternatively, set the Easting, Northing and Upping vertex rules separately. Note: |
|
|
Fillet Radius |
Sets the fillet radius of the vertex. The functionality is only available for POINTR type vertices. |
|
|
Curve Radius |
Sets the curve radius of the vertex. The functionality is only available for CURVE type vertices. |
Create Circular Weld
Creates a circular weld. Use the Create Weld From Parameters window to define the radius and sweep angle parameters.
The Radius and Angle fields must be populated with properly formatted expressions. The expressions can include existing template properties.
If the Angle field is not populated, the weld is created as a full circle.
The weld is created with the arc sweeping clockwise around the U axis.
The example displays a circular weld.
Create Weld from Profile Gtype
Creates a weld using parameters defined from the shape of a profile stored in the catalogue. Use the Create Weld From Parameters window to define the weld parameters.
|
Profile Gtype |
Select from the drop-down list of available profiles from the catalogue. The list is populated by finding unique profile geometry sets. If the geometry set owner has a description attribute set, this is used to describe the Gtype in the list. |
|
Use Properties |
Select Owning Section to use properties from the owning section of the template joint. Select Attached Section to use properties from the attached section of the template joint (CREF). The example displays a linear weld created from Parallel Flange I using properties from the owning section of the template joint.
|
|
Allow for Non-Orthogonal Connection |
The functionality becomes available if Attached Section is selected from the Use Properties drop-down list. Select the check box to enable Circular Gtypes to add an angle expression into the weld to allow stretching of the weld into an ellipse if the sections are not orthogonal. The functionality is not available for other Gtype shapes. The example displays an elliptical weld.
|
|
Create Circular Welds with Saddle Shape |
The functionality becomes available if the Allow for Non-Orthogonal Connection check box is selected. Select the check box to enable Circular Gtypes to add expressions to the weld to allow for connections to another circular profile. The resulting weld is created in a Saddle shape. The functionality is not available for other Gtype shapes. The example displays a saddle weld.
|
If the correct pre-configured Design Template properties have not been created for the weld, a warning displays.
Apply/Execute Rules
Modifications made to welds and vertices in the Weld Management window are not written to the database until Apply is clicked. Modifications to all welds in the weld set are applied, not just the currently selected weld.
If the Execute Rules check box is selected, a RULE REXE command is applied to re-evaluate all welds in the current weld set. Other items in the template are not re-evaluated.
The STWELD and STWSET elements are added to the template hierarchy and display in the Model Explorer.
