Spring Beam Connection

Beams can be connected to nodes with springs instead of rigid connections. This allows modeling of:

• Flexible connections
• Partial moment transfer
• Semi-rigid joints

Types of Springs

Translation springs

• Spring in x-direction (axial)
• Spring in z-direction (transverse)

Rotation spring

• Spring for moment transfer

Setting Spring Stiffness

For each beam end, you can specify:

• Translation spring stiffness in x-direction (kN/m)
• Translation spring stiffness in z-direction (kN/m)
• Rotation spring stiffness (kNm/rad)

Special Cases

• Stiffness = 0 - Free (no force transfer)
• Stiffness = very high - Rigid connection
• Stiffness = calculated value - Semi-rigid behavior

Use Cases

Spring beam connections are useful for:

• Modeling actual joint flexibility
• Including connection stiffness from the Joints module
• Sensitivity analysis of connection behavior