Point Link

Create Point Elastic Link

Command	SOF_SE_LINK
Tooltip	Creates links as elements between two structural points.
Sidebar	Structural Elements

Modify Point Elastic Link

Command	SOF_SE_LINK_M
Tooltip	Modifies elastic links between two points.
Sidebar	Structural Elements

Spring elements describe an elastic connection between two structural elements.

Only a spring symbol is visible in the drawing. End points (nodes) are created with the mesh generation.

The direction of a spring element is defined in its local direction and refers to the coordinate system at the spring’s start point node. In case no structural point is defined at the end of the spring one with default properties will be created during export the system into the database.

For a spring element with local direction we recomend to define and align a structural point at the springs’s start point.

Springs can be given an explicit value, by defining a material with bedding properties or by defining a spring work law.

A spring can consist of many single components. Each of these components is defined in a separate row and may, for example, be defined with a different group number. With the definition of springs on multiple rows it is possible to define, for example, different stiffnesses in transverse directions to the main spring direction. This would not be possible with a spring and transverse spring stiffness because the stiffness would be defined in the entire plane transverse to the axial spring direction. Any defined row can be removed by marking the row and selecting the delete button in the header line of the dialog box.

An automatic determination of the element number of the finite element spring from the number and group number is not possible here. You can define the element number directly in the number edit field.

Each spring can have a result set identifier (RSET ID). Additionaly, a designation can be defined. Both options can be used to identify the result set in the analysis workflow.

A detailed description of these properties can be found in the chapter ‘SPTS – Spring element at point’ of the manual SOFiMSHC.