To create a connector section:

From the main menu bar, select ConnectorSectionCreate.

Tip:  You can also create a connector section using the tool in the Interaction module toolbox.

A Create Connector Section dialog box appears.

Enter a section name. For more information about naming objects, see “Using basic dialog box components,” Section 3.2.1.

Choose one of the following connection types:

Choose Assembled types to use predefined combinations of basic connection types.

Click the arrow next to the Assembled type text field, and select the desired connection type from the list that appears.

Choose Basic types to use translational and rotational connection types.

If desired, click the arrow next to the Translational type text field, and select the connection type from the list that appears.

If desired, click the arrow next to the Rotational type text field, and select the connection type from the list that appears.

You can select one translational type, one rotational type, or one translational and one rotational type to define the connector section.

ABAQUS/CAE displays the available and constrained components of relative motion (CORM) for the connection type that you have selected. In addition, you can click Show to see a schematic drawing of the connection type along with the ABAQUS idealization of the connection.

For a description of assembled and basic connection types, see “Connection-type library,” Section 25.1.5 of the ABAQUS Analysis User's Manual.

Click Continue.

The connector section editor appears.

In the editor, you can edit the connection type and add, delete, and change behaviors as follows:

Editing the connection type

Click Edit to the right of the connection type to display the connector section type editor. Select the connection type as described above. You must delete all behaviors from the editor before you can edit the connection type.

Adding behaviors

Click Add on the right side of the editor to display a list of available behaviors. Select the behaviors needed to define your connector section. You can define multiple behaviors of the same type for some behaviors. When you select a behavior, its name appears in the Behavior Options list, and data fields associated with the behavior appear in the data area in the bottom half of the editor. Use the data fields to enter information for the currently selected behavior. For more information, see “Using the connector section editors,” Section 15.15.

Deleting behaviors

In the Behavior Options list, select the behavior that you want to delete, and click Delete on the right side of the editor. This procedure removes the behavior from both the behavior options list and the connector section definition.

Changing behavior data

In the Behavior Options list, select the behavior whose data you want to change. When the data fields associated with the behavior appear in the bottom half of the window, change the information that you have entered for the behavior as desired.

Note:  You can display help on a particular editor feature by selecting HelpOn Context from the main menu bar and then clicking the editor feature of interest or see “Using the connector section editors,” Section 15.15.

Click OK to save the data and to exit the editor.