Uniform Loads on Contours

Use this dialog to define the uniform load acting on a user-defined area of a plate or shell.

Access

• Click on the Surface tab of the Load Definition dialog.

This type of load acts on planar elements. It can also be distributed on bars, if it is applied to a cladding. If so, the load is distributed according to the trapezoidal and triangular method only.

The dialog has the following 3 parts:

• Load Parameters
• Direction of contour projection
• Contour definition.

The dialog has options that let you define variable loads p, applied to a user-defined contour. To define this load, specify the following:

1. The load component values acting along the axes X, Y, or Z of the coordinate system. A load can be defined in the global coordinate or local coordinate system of an object.
2. The direction of the contour projection. This is the direction along which the defined contour (to which the load is applied) is projected onto the surface of the plate or shell. Several methods of projection are available: perpendicular to the surface of the defined contour, along the X, Y, or Z axis of the global coordinate system, and along a defined vector.

   The defined contour does not need to lie in the plane of the plate or shell. The projection direction must be selected in such a way that the projected contour displays on the surface of the plate or shell.

3. If the Automatic panel selection in the contour plane option is selected, the following occurs:
   • The Direction of contour projection button is no longer available.
   • The program automatically detects the panels that lie in the plane of the defined contour and the load is applied to them.
4. The contour to which a load is applied. This can be done using the dialog or graphically in the drawing area.

   This part of the dialog also lets you open the Contour dialog by clicking .

5. If the load is projected, it refers only to definitions in the global coordinate system.
6. Optionally, you can specify geometrical limits for the load you are defining.

Values

Specifies how the uniform load acts in the X, Y, and Z directions.

Coord. system

Specify whether the coordinate system should be global or local.

Projected load

Applies the load to the surface projected on a plane that is normal to the load direction, for each load component.

This applies to the global coordinate system only.

Geometrical limits

Takes into account geometrical limits for the load.

Click Geometrical limits to set the geometrical limits for the load.

Note: Planar loads are normally applied to the surface of an entire panel. This option facilitates the load definition for curved panels such as, for example, cylinders created using the Extrude option.

Note: Initially the screen displays a load on the contour. A planar load on the contour is applied to finite elements while a structure model is being generated. To ensure that the planar load assigned to elements displays correctly, you should generate a model or perform calculations, and additionally, select Loads > Forces generated automatically in the Display dialog.