Hello everyone,
I’m working on a model in SOFiSTiK that includes a bottom plate, side webs, top flanges, and multiple stiffeners defined in a loop to create a railway metallic Bridge . I really need guidance on how to ensure these stiffeners properly connect to the rest of my structure since im new in CADINP, so that everything meshes and acts as one continuous model. Specifically, I’d like tips on matching node coordinates, merging nodes, or any recommended workflow for rigidly attaching the stiffeners to the slab or web elements.
Here is a snippet of my input (with the stiffeners in a loop), and I’m wondering if there’s a straightforward way to confirm or force the stiffener nodes to coincide with my existing geometry. Any advice or best practices for verifying these connections would be greatly appreciated! I also put a sketch for those who wonder how the structure looks, the stiffeners are on the sides, connected to the diagonal webs
$ ========================================================================
$ -------------------- Stiffener Definition ----------------------
$ =======================================================================
LOOP#i 1 5/3
LET#Ypos #Y0+#i*#Dy
LET#n1 34*(#i+1)
LET#n2 35*(#i+1)
LET#n3 36*(#i+1)
LET#n4 37*(#i+1)
NODE NO #n1 X (#X0-#B/2) Y #Ypos Z #Z0
NODE NO #n2 X (-#R/2) Y #Ypos Z (-#h)
NODE NO 31*(#i+1) X (-(#R/2)-#b2) Y #Ypos Z (-#h) $ bottom-left stiffener
NODE NO 32*(#i+1) X (-(#Bext/2)) Y #Ypos Z #Z0 $ bottom-right stiffener
GRP 4 REF 10
QUAD PROP T #e_s[m] MNO 1 MRF 1
UMSH TYPE QUAD HMAX 0.05
UBND TYPE OUT SEL NODE N1 #n1 #n2 31*(#i+1) 32*(#i+1)
INTF CONT TYPE SPRI REFT qgrp NO +3
NODE NO #n3 X (#X0+#B/2) Y #Ypos Z #Z0
NODE NO #n4 X (#R/2) Y #Ypos Z (-#h)
NODE NO 38*(#i+1) X ((#R/2)+#b2) Y #Ypos Z (-#h) $ bottom-left stiffener
NODE NO 39*(#i+1) X ((#Bext/2)) Y #Ypos Z #Z0 $ bottom-right stiffener
GRP 4 REF 11
QUAD PROP T #e_s[m] MNO 1 MRF 1
UMSH TYPE QUAD HMAX 0.05
UBND TYPE OUT SEL NODE N1 #n3 #n4 38*(#i+1) 39*(#i+1)
INTF CONT TYPE SPRI REFT qgrp NO +3
ENDLOOP