zone joint create command

Syntax

zone joint create keyword ... <range>

Primary keywords:

by-face    by-slot    create-contacts    skinned

Create zone joints, and contacts, between zone joints. Zone joints are composed of wall facets that wrap zone faces in the specified range. Zone joints also carry the corresponding zone face and gridpoint information associated with the joints. Contacts are created between separate zone joints, defining a two-sided, internal surface. Thus the zone faces must be separated prior to zone joint creation (see zone separate). Contacts are created between the zone joints to transmit forces across the joints to the zone faces on either side. All built-in contact models can be used with the resulting contacts. Zone joints are restricted to small strain. Note that all internal zone faces that result in joints must be separated prior to zone joint creation. In addition, zone joints should be created for each joint independently from one another. The continuous sections of the zone joints correspond to edge connected zone faces.

by-face

Create one or more zone joints from zone faces in range. This keyword should be used to make a zone joint corresponding to one specific joint.

by-slot s

Create zone joints from zone faces with group names in slot s. Each group name should be assigned to zone faces corresponding to an individual joint.

separate

Separate the zone faces and clear attaches. This is equivalent to the zone separate by-slot command with the clear-attach keyword. This is the preferred method for creating zone joints, ensuring that all attach conditions are cleared.

distinct-geometry (2D only)

Allows separating zone faces when they belong to the same group and have complex intersections or junctions. This keyword only works for models generated from Sketch (after v9.3). It is particularly useful for Joint sets, DFN, and Voronoi geometries in which groupped faces typically have same group. Sketch assigns extra unique identifiers to generated zone faces which are later used by the separation logic (otherwise, separation may fail).

create-contacts b ... <tolerance f >

Specify whether or not contacts are created.

tolerance f

Specify the relative contact detection tolerance. By default the relative contact detection tolerance is 1e-8.

tolerance-angle f

Specify the angular tolerance, in degrees, between zone face normals for contacts to be created. By default the angular tolerance is 2 degrees. This is a global value.

skinned

Create zone joints from skinned faces. The zone face skin command must be given first.