Partitions as features

The geometry of each part is constructed from a set of features; a partition is simply an additional geometric feature that you add to the part. Because partitions are features, they can be edited, deleted, suppressed, and resumed with the Feature Manipulation toolset.

Related Topics
Modifying and manipulating features
Understanding partitions
Partitioning techniques

If you create a partition and then modify the geometry of the underlying part or assembly, Abaqus/CAE regenerates the partition along with all the other features. Furthermore, the geometry of the regenerated partition is dependent on the method you used to create the partition. The following example illustrates that changes in underlying geometry can cause partitions to move or to change shape when the assembly is regenerated.

  1. The user partitions a face using a line between two selected points (the centers of the two circles), as shown in Figure 1.

    Figure 1. A partition between two selected points.

  2. The user modifies the assembly, and the position of the selected points that defined the partition changes. When Abaqus/CAE regenerates the assembly, the partition is still defined as the line between the center of the two circles, as shown in Figure 2.

    Figure 2. The partition after regeneration.

You can use the Feature Manipulation toolset to make limited modifications to some partitions:

  • You can enter a parameter to partition an edge directly and to position a Bézier curve that partitions a face. The parameter must be between zero and one and represents a fraction of the length of an edge; the Feature Manipulation toolset allows you to edit the value you provided.

  • You can sketch a partition on a face; the Feature Manipulation toolset allows you to edit the sketch.

If you need to change a partition that you cannot modify with the Feature Manipulation toolset, you must delete the partition and recreate it.