AVEVA™ E3D Design

Joint Welds

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Joint Welds

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Last UpdatedJan 13, 2023
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Used for structural joints and fittings and panel fittings, a Joint Weld Set (JWSET) element is a grouping of structural Joint Weld (JWELD) elements. Each JWELD contains information to define the position, path and various attributes, for example, type and connection references. When the joint or fitting is created in Model, the properties of any JWELD elements are copied to create an STWELD element under the fixing or panel fitting.

JWELDs contain expressions which determine the position, connection references and some properties for the weld. The JWELD does not contain information about the size, type or beveling for the weld, but this information can be provided by associating a Weld Detail (WDET) element. The WDET acts like a catalogue component for the weld and provides properties which can be queried once created.

Using the rules engine, the weld detail can be determined using design context as a joint is created. For example, the same JWELD could become a fillet weld for a small connection or a full penetration weld for a larger connection.

The definition of JWSET elements is as in other modules, is a task of building up the model data using the references and modelling techniques, refer to Model View for further information.

Click Weld Set in the Model References part of the Model View window to display the Weld Set settings at the bottom of the window.

Display Weld Lines

Select the Display Weld Lines check box at the bottom of the Model View window to display any welds in the JWSET. The welds are displayed in the preview as simple lines, and the current weld is highlighted in a colour determined by the current graphics settings. It may be difficult to see the welds behind solid primitive elements; in this case AVEVA recommends activating wireframe mode for the preview view by pressing F11.

Note:
The check box is only visible when Weld Set is selected in the Model References part of the Model View window.

Create Welds

If Weld Set is clicked in the Model References part of the Model View window and a JWSET is not available, a window displays prompting to create a JWSET for the joint.

Click Yes to create a new JWSET and associate it with the current component. The Weld Set settings display at the at the bottom of the Model View window and are empty.

	Create Linear Weld	Creates a linear weld using defined individual vertex positions.
	Create Circular Weld	Creates a circular weld using a defined radius and sweep angle.
	Copy Weld	Copies the currently selected weld in the weld set references grid.
	Delete Weld	Deletes the currently selected weld in the weld set references grid.

Copy Geometry

Creates a weld using the shape of an existing element associated with the joint. The drop-down list is populated with existing geometry elements in the category, and searches for default owning/attached sections.

In the example, the owning section of the joint has been copied to create a weld with pre-defined position parameters to match the owning I-section. The created weld changes size in the final fixing depending on the size of the owning section.

Primitives (including negative primitives) within the joint can also be chosen for copy geometry. In this case, the weld is created with expressions copied from the chosen primitive.

Note:
The option to copy owning/attached sections is only available if the OSEC and ASEC properties are defined in the component dataset.

Attributes

Use the Attributes tab to set the weld attributes, populate the fields to ensure the functionality works as intended.

Description	Specifies the weld description. The weld description is used in the Model View window, instead of the database name, to allow for easier identification of welds.
Inspection Category	Specifies information about the inspection category of the weld, a maximum 10 characters can be used.
Weld Direction	Specifies the direction of the far/other side of the weld. The default direction is Z. The direction of the currently selected weld is indicated by an arrow in the preview.
Weld/Rule	Sets an explicit weld detail or sets the weld detail using a rule. The setting determines the Structural Weld Detail Reference (STWDTR) of the weld when it is created in Model. The setting is optional - welds can be created without a weld detail reference. Weld - Sets the reference to a valid WDET element. The Search and CE options on the right can be used to locate and set the desired reference. Rule - Sets the reference to a valid DRULE element. The DRULE must have a purpose of SPRE. If a valid reference is not entered, a window displays prompting to create a DRULE for the weld. Click Yes to create a new DRULE for the weld in the component's Rule Set (RLSET). If no RLSET is available, one is created. Following creation, the Rule Manager window displays to construct the rule. Refer to Rule Sets for further information. The determined rule is executed when the fixing is created and sets the STWDTR of the weld accordingly. Note: The weld rule executes with respect to the FIXING element, any properties queried by the rule must be visible to the fixing.
Apply	Applies the JWELD modifications to the database. Note: Modifications to the JWELD are not saved until Apply is clicked.

Connections

Use the Connections tab to specify the weld owner and weld attached settings, populate the fields to ensure the functionality works as intended.

The weld owner and weld attached values must be set correctly for some parts of the weld management system to work as intended.

Weld Owner/Attached Element

Sets the connection references for the weld on creation. The option sets a weld owner, which is not the same as the database owner. The drop-down list is populated with valid elements to which the weld can connect, this includes owning/attached sections from the joint, connected panel for baseplates and internal joint geometry for welds between joint primitives.

Note:
If joint primitive geometry is selected, the STWELD creates the connection reference to the FIXING, as the primitive elements are not copied to the fixing.

When the STWELD is created in Model, the references indicated by these element settings set the structural weld reference array.

Note:
For panel fittings only, you can set either the weld owner or weld attached reference to owning panel. This sets the structural weld reference array attribute of the STWELD to the panel element when it is created in Model.

Weld Owner/Attached Thickness

Sets the welded plate thickness array for the weld. The value must be a property of the weld owner/attached element which is used as a thickness when evaluating the weld connection. The drop-down list is populated with a list of properties available for the corresponding element.

For example, for a weld connecting to the flange of the owning profile, the thickness should be set to Flange Thickness A.

The thickness properties are used when evaluating expressions and properties with respect to the weld.

Note:
The setting is optional, but the graphics settings to display welds depend on the thickness setting to determine the display size. If unset, the size of welds in Model are set to a default size.

Linear Weld Position

Use the Position tab to set the position of the weld by parameters or exact positions with respect to the fixing origin position.

A Axis	Specifies the local coordinate axis A for the weld. The default is X.
B Axis	Specifies the local coordinate axis B for the weld. The default is Y.
A Offset (Px); B Offset (Py); C Offset (Pz)	Specifies the origin position for the weld, in the coordinate system determined by the A and B axes. The default is 0 for all offsets.
Weld All Round	Select the check box to link the first vertex of the weld to the final vertex. This setting has no effect if the weld has two vertices or fewer.
Modify Points	Displays the Modify Points settings at the bottom of the Model View window which can be used to define weld vertices.

Modify Points

The Modify Points settings at the bottom of the Model View window allows the creation of vertices to define the path of the weld. Weld vertices are displayed as numbers in the preview.

	Create Weld Vertex	Creates a vertex below the currently selected vertex in the grid.
	Copy Vertex	Copies the currently selected vertex in the vertex grid.
	Delete Vertex	Deletes the currently selected vertex in the vertex grid.
	Move Up	Moves the currently selected vertex up the order in the vertex grid.
	Move Down	Moves the currently selected vertex down the order in the vertex grid.
	Return to Weld	Displays the Weld Set settings at the bottom of the Model View window.

Note:
Modifications to the vertices are applied directly to the database.

Circular Weld Position

Circular welds are defined using a diameter and angle instead of vertices. The axes and offset position settings are the same as for linear welds.

Diameter

Specifies the diameter of the weld.

Angle

Specifies the sweep angle of the weld.

Transform Weld into Saddle Shape

Select the check box to allow welded connections between tube-shaped elements. Such connections produce a complex saddle shaped weld which cannot be easily parameterized. The application takes the defined circular weld and maps it onto the tube, considering angles and offsets where appropriate.

Important:
The diameter must be the same as the attached profile, and the angle must be 360 degrees for this function to work correctly.

The weld in the preview of the Model View window remains as a circle, the weld is given a saddle shape when created as an STWELD in Model.

AVEVA™ E3D Design

Joint Welds

Table of Contents

Joint Welds

Display Weld Lines

Create Welds

Copy Geometry

Attributes

Connections

Linear Weld Position

Modify Points

Circular Weld Position

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