Beam Sections are automatically created to store the geometric properties of imported Line Body cross sections, and also allow you to define the mass and hydrodynamic properties of those Line Bodies.
Each Line Body should be assigned a cross section and an orientation in DesignModeler/SpaceClaim Direct Modeler. In the Aqwa editor, when importing the geometry, each valid cross section is automatically paired with a Beam Section object. Beam Sections are created under the Line Body Data object in the Outline tree.
The Solver Line Type indicates what kind of element will be used by Aqwa to represent any Line Bodies which inherit their properties from this Beam Section. Cylindrical sections are represented by tubular (TUBE) elements; non-cylindrical sections are represented by slender tube (STUB) elements.
The Beam Section Geometric Properties contain all of the information that is transferred from DesignModeler/SpaceClaim Direct Modeler for a cross section. This includes the Cross Section Name and Cross Section Type, the dimensions of the cross section, the Cross Section Area, and the Second Moment of Area (about both local Y and Z axes, for non-cylindrical sections).
Note: It is not possible to change the geometric properties of a Beam Section in the Aqwa editor. To do this, you must edit the cross section in DesignModeler/SpaceClaim Direct Modeler and re-import the geometry.
Under Mass Properties you can define the Material Density of the Beam Section. The Inertia/Unit Length of the Beam Section (about the local Y and Z axes, for non-cylindrical sections) is automatically calculated as the product of the Material Density and the Second Moment of Area.
The Hydrodynamic Properties display the properties of the section that are relevant to the Line Body viscous drag and added mass calculations, and allow you to define corresponding Transverse Drag Coefficients, Axial Drag Coefficient, and Added Mass Coefficients. The Displaced Area is used in the added mass calculation; for non-cylindrical sections the Dimension for Local Y Drag and Dimension for Local Z Drag are used in the viscous drag calculation.
Duplicating Beam Sections
Where multiple Line Bodies have the same cross section but different mass or hydrodynamic properties, a Beam Section can be Duplicated. The duplicate Beam Section will retain the same cross section geometry, but can have different mass or hydrodynamic properties defined. In the Line Body details, the Beam Section field can then be used to select which Beam Section the Line Body inherits its properties from.