Model Building Sequence
Follow this sequence when building a model to define all necessary components.
- Materials
After building the first model, you may find that materials are typically retrieved from an earlier model rather than redefined each time. It is recommended that you keep a material library that contains records for commonly used materials. A material library is saved as an Altair SEAM file (*.sea) but only contains material records.
- Damping
A damping library, similar to the material library, can be useful for subsequent models.
- ElementsDefined after materials and damping because they require material and damping as part of their parameters. Used to define a substructure or acoustic region, elements store and dissipate vibratory energy and provide paths for vibration and acoustic power flow. A single element contains one or more SEA subsystems.
- Acoustic
An element type supporting acoustic modes, such as axial (one-dimensional), tangential (two-dimensional), or oblique (three dimensional) modes.
- Structural
An element supporting structural modes, such as bending, shear, or torsion.
- Element TypesThe following basic element types are available from the drop-down menu in the element type field on the Element. The seven basic element types are:
- Beam
- A one-dimensional structural element with a constant cross-section supporting bending, torsional, longitudinal, and higher-order cross-sectional deformation modes. See Beam subsystems and Beam options.
- Pipe
- A closed cross-section structural element with bending, longitudinal, and shear modes. Pipe bending includes beam-like low frequency behavior, lobar cross-sectional deformation modes, and plate-like high frequency behavior.
- Plate
- A two-dimensional flat panel structural element supporting bending and in-plane deformation modes.
- Shell
- A two-dimensional curved structural element supporting radial, tangential, and longitudinal deformation modes.
- Ac_duct
- A one-dimensional acoustic element supporting acoustic modes.
- Ac_layer
- A two-dimensional acoustic element supporting acoustic modes.
- Ac_space
- A three-dimensional acoustic element supporting acoustic modes.
- Ac_Semi infinite
- A three-dimensional acoustic element supporting infinite propagation.
- Acoustic
- Subsystem
An SEA subsystem is a group of modes with similar characteristics such as resonant frequency, mode shape, damping, and coupling.
- Connections
Connections between elements.
- SEA Excitations
Applied to elements or connections, and defined last.