Release fixity in FEA

[UlviEng]

Hi All,
I have recently created an access platform (picture is attached) and run a structural analysis through FEA machine.

I actually run the analysis twice. In first occasion, I run it without handrails (which were merged with parent structure with bolt connection) to analyse only primary structure. Then repeated it with involvement of hand rails (bonded type contacts were used) where it reduced the stress on primary structure, cause, the handrails added some strength on the it.
Turning to the question: Is there any possibilities to release fixity of handrails and to use it only transforming the applied load??? I guess it can be achieved thanks to playing with contacts??
Thanking you,
Ulvi

[admaiora]

Hi Ulvi,

if you are using Frame Analysis you can use the  Release tool on beams

[UlviEng]

Hi Admaiora,

Many thanks for reverting back on this but this is not what I am looking for. I have some bolted connections involved here in the structure and would like to see their attitude on the overall picture as well. So I have to go with FEA.
Isnt there any possibility if we can alter the contract conditions and achieve our goal?

Cheers

[raviburla]

Hi,

If I understand the requirement correctly, you want to do the following:

1. The handrails should only act as load-transferring entities. 

2. There is no interest in the deformation/stresses of the handrails.

3. However, the stress/deformation behavior of the primary structure is very important.

One possible (assuming that bolts are being modeled and meshed) way would be to supress the contacts between the handrails and the structure. But the contacts between the bolts and handrails ; bolts and structure are still in-place. This way, the force gets transferred from the handrails->bolts->structure. Please see the attached assembly for example.  Hope this helps.

Thanks,

Ravi Burla