Split Sections

Structural Design User Guide

Section Tools : Split Sections

It is often easier to model an overall structure and then split it into smaller components for fabrication or assembly purposes. The split utility allows Sections, Generic Sections and Panels to be split from the Beams and Columns or Panels and Plates applications.

The Selection of Elements to Split

From the Beams and Columns application main menu bar, select Modify > Sections > Split to open the Split Steel window.

On the SECTIONS tab, in the Tools group, click Split to display the Split Steel window.

The elements to be split are added to the Elements to split list with the options available in the Add to list drop-down menu.

The options available are:


CE	Adds the Current Element to the list.
CE Members	Adds all members of the Current Element.

Note:

The CE members option can only be applied to Frameworks and Sub-frames. It does not work if a Structure, Zone or Site is selected.


Current Collection	Adds the current active list (if one exists).
Graphical pick	Allows the user to select elements from the graphical display.
Graphical window selection	Allows the user to select a range of items by dragging a selection box over them in the 3D graphical display.

Note:

The graphical selection must be made before the Graphical window selection option is selected.

The selected elements are highlighted red in the 3D view.

Right click anywhere in the Elements to split list, even if the list is empty, and a drop-down menu is displayed with the same selection options as those described above. However, the CE Members option is not included.

If the Element to split list is empty, the bottom two menu option entries are greyed out. If the list is populated, the bottom menu options are active.

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Remove Selected from list - this option removes the selected members from the Elements to split list. Multiple element selections may be made with standard Windows selection methods.

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Clear list - this option removes all elements from the Elements to split list.

Once the beam(s) to be split has been added to the Elements to split list, where it is to be split must be specified.

The Define split-on area of the window has an options list with these options:


Pick Section(s) to split on	Allows the user to graphically select one or more sections to be split on from the graphical view. When this option is selected the prompt ‘Pick a selection to split on:’ is displayed. One or more sections may be selected, the selection process is terminated when Esc is pressed.

The SCTN(s) selected to split on does not have to touch the beam that is to be split. However, the Neutral Axis must intersect the elements to be split in at least one plane.

These options activate the Positioning control toolbar. The exact prompts for these options depend on the Pick Method set on the Positioning control toolbar.


Define Graphical Aid Line(s) to split on	Allows the user to select points in the graphical display to create one or more aid lines to split on by selecting points in the graphical display. When this option is selected the prompt ‘Line start (Snap) Snap:’ is displayed. One or more lines may be created. Press Esc to terminates the creation process.
Define Graphical Plane(s) to split on	Allows the user to create one or more planes to split the selected elements on.

The Plane Size and Plane Direction textboxes are activated in the Define split-on area of the window as are the check boxes adjacent to them.

The user is prompted to ‘Pick to position plane (Snap) Snap:’. One or more planes may be created, the Plane Size and Plane Direction are set before the next plane is created. Press Esc to terminate the creation process.

Once graphical aid lines and /or planes have been defined the Modify Graphical aid line/plane and Delete Graphical aid line(s)/plane(s) are enabled.

Click Modify Graphical aid line/plane the user is prompted to ‘Pick aid to be modified pick Aid:’ Picking a line or plane from the graphical view displays the appropriate aid modification window, that is Modify Line or Modify Plane.

Click Delete Graphical aid line(s)/plane(s) the user is prompted to ‘Pick aid(s) to be deleted. <esc to finish> pick Aid:’. One or more lines or planes may be selected for deletion. Press Esc to terminate the selection process.

Connections at Split

The Connections at split area of the window allows the user to define what happens to the sections at the split. Only SCTN elements only have this functionality.

If the Pick Section(s) to split on option is selected the Connections at split options of the Split Steel window becomes active.

The user has three options to define how the ends of the split section(s) relate to one another after the split:

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None - the section is split at the Justification line of the section it is split on. However, there is no connectivity created between the sections.

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Nodes - the section is split at the Justification line of the section it is split on. SNOD and SJOI elements are created which connect the split sections to the section(s) they were spilt on.

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Trimmed - the section is split at the Justification line of the section it is split on. SNOD and SJOI elements are created which connect the split sections to the section(s) they were spilt on. The split sections are trimmed to the Pline at the extremity of the section(s) they split on.

To Split the Elements

When all options have been selected or set, click Split to split the elements.

One part of the split element retains the original database Reference No. and the other part(s) are allocated new database Reference Nos. Close the Split Steel window.