I’m gonna analyze a truss where there are both rigid joints and hinge joints (not supports). Especially some members in my project are connected with multiple different joints at different heights. How can I define these different joints in the truss?
Hi, defining different joint types could be a bit challenging depending on the distribution. In general, there is the HS, HE, and HB input for beams. They define if the respective beam has hinges at the start (HS) and end point (HE). If HB ist set to true, all structural elements that intersect with the curve at the inner part (not end points) will be coupled with hinges to this beam regardless how HE,HS,HB are defined for the second beam.
If you cannot solve your definition with this routine, you could also enable only hinges at every intersection/joint and additionally use the coupling point axis component to fix the rotations at the respective joints. You have to supply the point of the joint, both curves that correspond to this joint and two axes. The best way to define this it to use a tree with a branch for every joint. There is also a geometry check in the menu that can be enabled. You can imagine the axes like bolts in a scissor. If one axis is defined, it can still rotate around this axis, with two perpendicular ones all rotations are blocked = rigid joint.