Break - 3D Magnetic Solutions

Introduction

The Break allows you to:

cut the geometry into 2 or more. This is useful when you want to define a symmetry or a periodicity.
create internal faces. This is useful when you have a coil and when defining the Imposed Current Coil, you have to select an internal face of the coil for current orientation.

Tip: You can run the Break command on CAD bodies or on surface meshed bodies. But it is recommended to run it on CAD bodies (the 2 sections Steps for breaking bodies in the case of symmetry or periodicity and Steps for creating internal face in the case of coil below, deal with this case only). For more explanations on this subject, see the section Advices below.

Note: For more details on Break, please refer to Break.

Dialog Box

Break bodies via a Plane is selected by default.

The two first options are selected by default:

Create internal face to create internal faces in a body.
Note: This option only applies to surface meshed bodies.
Break bodies to cut the body into 2 bodies.
Note: For symmetry or periodicity, once the bodies have been cut, you will have to remove the bodies that are useless by right-clicking on these bodies in the graphic window and selecting the Delete contextual menu.

Steps for breaking bodies in the case of symmetry or periodicity

For example, in our contactor project, there is a symmetry along XZ, so we can cut the device along the XZ plane.

Thus, we model only half of the device.

Click on the Break button in the Geometry ribbon:
The Break body window opens.
Keep the two first options Create internal face and Break bodies selected.
And keep Plane selected.
Click on the Define/Modify Plane button.
1. The Define Plane window opens.
  1. Check the XZ plane box.
  2. Click on the OK button.
2. Select all the bodies.
  For example, you can select them in the graphic window using the mouse by drawing a rectangle surrounding the device.
  You can see that all the bodies are selected as their outline are displayed in red.
3. Click on the OK button.
  Each body is cut into 2 bodies.
In order to select easily the bodies to delete, you can visualize the device in the XY plane.
Select the bodies that are under the XZ symmetry plane.
For example, you can select them in the graphic window using the mouse by drawing a rectangle just below the XZ symmetry plane.
You can see that the bottom bodies are selected as their outline are displayed in red.
Right-click in the graphic window and select the contextual menu: Delete.
Before deleting the bodies, a confirmation window opens.
Click on the Yes button.
Here is the modelled device in the initial view.
The useless bodies are deleted.
Only half of the device remains.

Steps for creating internal face in the case of coil

For example, in our linear actuator project simulated as a complete device (no symmetry/periodicity), for the current orientation in the coil, it is necessary to have the internal faces of the coil.

Click on the Break button in the Geometry ribbon:
The Break body window opens.
Keep the two first options Create internal face and Break bodies selected.
Keep Plane selected.
Click on the Define/Modify Plane button.
1. The Define Plane window opens.
  1. Check the XY plane box.
  2. Click on the OK button.
2. Select the body corresponding to the coil.
  You can see that the coil body is selected as its outline is displayed in red.
3. Click on the OK button.
  The coil body is cut into 2 bodies.
Click on the Surface Mesh button in the Mesh ribbon:
1. The Surface Mesh window opens.
  Fill in the information:
2. Select all the bodies:
3. Click on the OK button.
4. The Warning window opens:
  Click on the Yes button.
  The surface mesh is generated.
5. Select the 2 coil bodies.
  Right-click and select the contextual menu: Merge.
  The 2 coil bodies are merged into 1 body.
  The internal faces of the coil are created.

Advices

It is recommended to run the Break command on CAD bodies.

Note: It is also possible to run the Break command on surface meshed bodies. But, in this case, the bodies must be remeshed because the faces of the break plane are not meshed correctly after the Break command.

Warning: Running the Break command on meshed bodies already assigned to the Solution and/or to Loads and Constraints is possible but not recommended because the names of the bodies can change, which leads to the loss of the assignment to the different entities, thus the reassignment should be done by hand.