Surface modeling - zero thickness rip?

[mebill]

Hi All

I have been asked to create a model which is to be used in a 3rd party FEA package. The FEA person simply wanted the 'mid planes' of this geometry. This is a process I have done a number of times for this person. To make the geometry work with FEA it is important to ensure all surfaces are joined together.

OK, imagine two parallel circular plates with a number of small rectangular plates joining the upper surface to the lower surface. If I try to do a Merge/Join ProE 5 might let me do one side (though it appears to split the circular disk), but then will not enable the Merge tool when I select the other circular disk and either the first merge, or the rectangular joiner piece.

What I would really like to do is along the lines of a Extrude, Surface (straight line sketch), remove material, straight through the upper and lower surface to create what would be called in Sheet Metal a 'rip'.

I would be really happy to here ideas (if you can make sense of my description) as I do not really want to conceed defeat (yet).

Thanks

Bill

 

[kenppy]

It looks like you're describing a cylinder with faceted sides, there must be more to it then that. Can you post a sketch?

 

[mebill]

Hi kenppy

Here goes the ASCII art..


----------------- top surface
| |&nbsp ; One (of a number) rectangular interconnect panels
----------------- bottom surface


If you can stretch your mind, spin this sketch 360 degrees about a left side vertical axis, and pattern the interconnect 4 times around that same axis to give 4 stiffeners between these two plates.

Does that make sense. Is there a way I can post a JPEG?

Bill

 

[kenppy]

You can use this button to post a jpg as long as it's under 50kB
View attachment 5032I can see what you're after now.

 

[kenppy]

You cannot produce surfaces with more than one loop, don't know why this limitation because if the centre square was filled in and it would still produce a sensibly thickened part. Maybe this in expectation that the only thing you were aiming for is a single skin watertight surface to convert to solid.

View attachment 5033

 

[mebill]

[No message]

 

[mebill]

Hi
picture attached to clarify

Ta

Bill

View attachment 5036

 

[kdem]

Try merging one of the disks and one rectangular plates, merge this quilt with the other disk, and then merge the remainingrectangular plates.