Hinge Interconnection Not Working – Only One Shell Part Moves

[adi@1234]

Hi everyone,


I’m working on modeling a bistable mechanism in Abaqus and am having trouble getting the hinge interconnection to work correctly.


Problem Summary:
When I run the simulation, only one of the shell parts moves while the other stays fixed, even though I have defined the hinge connection between them.


Setup Details:

• Element Type: S4R shell elements
• Geometry: 3D deformable planar shells
• Steps: Static General
• Assembly Workflow:
  
  • Created datum points and converted them into reference points
  • Translated and rotated the shell parts into position
  • In the Interconnect module, created a line element connecting the reference points and assigned a hinge interconnection
  • Specified a local coordinate system with the X-axis as the free rotation axis

Boundary Conditions:

• Initial step: Fixed side parts with U1 = U2 = U3 = 0
• Static General step: Applied displacement boundary condition to the middle part to induce deformation

Issue:
When the simulation runs, the moving part responds to the load, but the second part remains stationary, as if the hinge connection is not actually linking them.


Image:
Below is a screenshot of the assembly setup:








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Request:
Could anyone please advise:

• How to correctly define the hinge interconnection so that both shell parts move together?
• Are there specific checks or constraints needed to ensure the connectivity is enforced during simulation?

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[FEA way]

Did you attach those reference points to the plates ? You can do that via rigid body or coupling constraint.