Examples of Improper beam-plate connectivity

Example 1 :

In the above figure Beam 71 is connected between nodes 531 and 532. Plate element 217
is connected between nodes 428-429-430-431

The beam and plate element have no nodes in common. Hence, even though node 532
lies along one edge of element 217, and node 428 lies within the span of beam 71, there is
no possibility of load transfer between the two.

Remedy :

Divide the beam into two segments. Replace the quadrilateral element with 3 triangular
elements as shown below

Member 71 has been split at node 428. This is easily done by going to the Geometry
menu and choosing Break Beams at Selected Nodes.
The quad element was deleted and replaced with 3 triangular elements. Triangular
elements can be added by going to Geometry – Add Plate – Triangle.

Example 2 :

In this example, one node of the beam lies within the boundary of the plate. It may seem
as though the beam is connected to the surface of the element. But, in the stiffness
method, 2 entities are considered to be connected only when they have a node in common
in their incidence list.

Remedy :

Split the beam at the point where it crosses the element edge. Replace the quadrilateral
element with 5 triangular elements.

There is a simple way to split the beam without going through complex handculations to
find the location of the split. First, add a dummy member along the edge of the element
that the beam crosses. Then, select those two beams and create an intersection point using
Geometry-Intersect Selected Members-Intersect. Next, select the 2 segments of dummy
member.
When deleting the quadrilateral element, make sure you do not delete any nodes which
may become orphan as a result of the deletion. This will leave behind the corner nodes so
that adding the triangular elements becomes an easy task. To add the triangular elements,
go to Geometry-Add Plate –Triangle.

Example 3 :

The axis of beam 123 passes through the element 86 without being connected to any of
the edges of the plate or within the plate area.

Remedy :

Split the beam at the points where it meets the 2 edges of the element. Replace the
element with 2 triangular and one quadrilateral element.
Example 4 :

The beam axis is concurrent with one of the edges of the element. Though the lines
overlap, there are no common nodes connecting the two.

Remedy :

Split the beam at the points where it meets the element. To do this, select nodes 52 and
53, go to the Geometry menu, and choose Break Beams at Selected Nodes.