Mechanism Design and Mechanism Dynamics > Mechanism Dynamics > Analyses > About Locked Entities for Analyses
About Locked Entities for Analyses
Select one of the options on the Preferences tab of the Analysis Definition dialog box to perform the following operations:
To lock rigid bodies, click and choose the lead body. Then select all rigid bodies that you want locked to the lead body. To lock all rigid bodies to ground, middle-click when asked to pick the lead body. The two locked rigid bodies are added to the Locked Entities list.
The rigid body lock constraint is used when you want rigid bodies to remain fixed relative to one another. When created, the check box to the left of the label is selected by default. Clear this item if you do not want to include it in the current analysis.
To lock a connection, click and choose a connection to lock. This constraint is used when you want a connection to remain in its current configuration for the duration of an analysis.
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Cam and slot connections can also be locked. You cannot select a gear-pair connection to be locked: you must select one of the joint connections in the gear pair. The locked connection is added to the Locked Entities list.
When created, the check box to the left of the label is selected by default. If you clear the check box, the locked connection will not be included in the current analysis.
To disable a connection, click and choose a connection to disable.
Use a loadcell lock constraint when you run a force balance analysis. To define a loadcell lock, click and choose a point or vertex, a rigid body on which to apply the loadcell, and a direction vector. Specify components of the direction vector in terms of the previously selected rigid body coordinate system.
To delete one or more entities, highlight a row or rows and click to remove the entity or entities from the list.
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