Pin Connectors - Internal Representation

The pin is internally represented by:

• Connecting the faces with springs of specified axial and rotational stiffnesses
• Defining relative axial movement based on the axial force that develops in the joint and the axial stiffness
  You can select No Translation to prevent axial movement.
• Defining relative rotational movement based on the moment that develops in the joint and the rotational stiffness
  You can select No Rotation to prevent rotational movement.

When defining pin connectors:

• Faces of body 2 can have a different radius than those of body 1.
• If the contact faces are initially coincident, you must add a contact set between those faces to prevent bonding.
• Due to introduction of rigid regions, the stresses near the area of the pin may not be accurate. The effect decreases gradually until it practically disappears in regions about 1 diameter away from the cylindrical faces. For more accurate modeling of the pin, you need to create the pin and specify proper contact conditions.
• When viewing results, you should plot the deformed shape with a scale factor of 1.0 to ensure no interference between components. When interference occurs, the results are not valid. You must define contact conditions between the interfering faces before re-running the study.