Create E-Lines

Use the Create E-Lines tool to create evaluation lines at component interfaces.

Before you begin:
  • Define interfaces to be evaluated which has Lines as mandatory input, unless you create an E-Line with the Elem2Elem option.
  • Turn off the component(s) that are not applicable for the E-Linecreation and/or deselect them while choosing the appropriate component(s) for creation. Make the display selection ready before entering the workflow.

The Create E-lines tool is used to create E-Lines at the interfaces that shall be evaluated for Squeak and Rattle. Create all E-Lines automatically or switch to Manual mode to create E-Lines one by one with more detailed control.

The E-Line creation workflow is designed to facilitate rapid E-Line creation both for advanced users as well as part time analysts. There are two ways to create E-Lines:
  • Fast Create (Part time Analyst): Use to create many E-Lines at a time to get quick and approximate overview of squeak and rattle risk zones.
  • Manual Create (Advanced): Use to manually create one E-Line at a time and control the setup to ensure the accuracy in analysis results.
Note:
  • Evaluation Points will not be created at the locations where a projection is not found due to a small search tolerance.
  • Search Tolerance and Spacing are the two options which decide how and where the E-Lines will be created.

Fast Create E-Lines

Create E-Lines between multiple components at once without much manual intervention.

Use to create many E-Lines at a time and to get a quick and approximate overview of squeak and rattle risk zones.

  1. From the Setup group, select the Create E-Line tool.
    Figure 1.
    The guide bar opens.
  2. Optional: From the guide bar, click to open edit E-line definition parameters under the Options menu.
  3. Select E-Line evaluation type.
  4. Select components to be included for evaluation.
  5. Select Lines that are used as references in the creation.
  6. Click .
    Here you have an option to create the E-Line first and then Realize them in next step or realize them directly. At Realization the physical FE-entities representing the E-Lines are created.
    Unrealized or realized E-Lines are created between the selected components along the selected lines with the specified spacing.

Manually Create E-lines

Add more control to the creation of E-Lines by selecting Main and Secondary entity (Component or Element) and gap direction.

With these additional options, you can make sure that the Z-direction of the E-Line coordinate system is aligned with the Gap Direction at realization. Use for detailed analysis to ensure accuracy in results.
  1. From the Setup group, select the Create E-Line tool.
    Figure 2.
    The guide bar opens.
  2. Deactivate to open Manual mode.
  3. Optional: Click to open edit E-line definition parameters under the Options menu.
  4. Select E-line evaluation type.
  5. Select Gap Direction Method:
    • Normal to Main
    • In Plane to Main
  6. Select the Main and Secondary Components to define the interface.
    Gap direction is based on this selection. For more details, refer to Create E-Lines Options.
  7. Select Lines that are used as references in the creation.
  8. Click
    Tip:
    • All E-Lines can be edited at a later stage (see Manage and Review E-lines). For a potential process speed-up, you can create all lines in fast mode and edit them later.
    • To create a Single Point E-Line, select an element as Main and another as Secondary. This is used to create flexible attachments such as clips/snaps and diagonal E-Lines to track opening distortion.
    Unrealized or realized E-Lines are created between the selected components along the selected lines with the specified spacing.

Create E-Lines Options

There are several options that can be defined via the options menu, these include E-Line and definition of Contact type based on material property.

E-Line Properties

Spacing
Defines the spacing between the E-point placements along the created E-Lines.
Search Distance
Defines the tolerance or search distance between interface components.
Gap Direction
Realization Projection direction.
Normal to Main
Z direction will be perpendicular or Normal to Main component.
Figure 3.
In Plane to Main
Z direction will be In Plane to Main component.
Figure 4.
Gap Assignment Method
Defines which method to use to assign Gap and Tolerance values to E-lines. The assigned gap and tolerance values can be reviewed in E-line Review Table.
Default
Predefined template values are assigned.
From DTS File
Values from imported DTS file are assigned (default, if DTS file was imported).
From FE-model
Gap value is determined based on the distance between two components in the projected direction.
Calculated Gap
Distance between two components in the projection direction, averaged along the E-line
Calculated Gap = (Thickness Component 1 – Thickness Component 2)/2
Figure 5.

Material Property

Contact Types
Defined Contact type based on Young's Modulus value.

Advanced

E-line ID Range
Define an ID Range for created E-Lines and all entities belonging to them.
Controlled Spacing
Define a limit on the spacing to avoid error in solver and numerical issues.
Controlled Edge
Select this option when active E-Lines must not create close to E-Line edge.