Blend faces

Context:

Abaqus/CAE closes the space between two sets of connected edges with new faces. You can choose whether to make the new faces tangent to the selected edges, connect the edges using the shortest path between them, or specify a path that the new faces must follow between the selected edges. Figure 1 shows two faces with the selected edges highlighted. In this example, the tangent method creates a face with a smooth radius tangent to both original faces, the shortest path method creates a planar face, and the selected path method creates a face with the profile of the selected wire edge.

Figure 1. Creating blended faces using the tangent, shortest path, and specify path methods.

You can also create a blended face to join edges and faces. Abaqus/CAE creates blended faces between the selected edges and faces using the shortest path method. When you create a blended face feature between edges and an existing face, the new faces are always perpendicular to the existing face. The free edges are extended or shortened as needed to intersect with the edges of the face. Figure 2 shows the selected edges and the feature created by blending between them and a planar face. The ends of the center edge are a perpendicular projection from the planar face, and the outer ends of the left and right edges are extended to meet the edges of the planar face.

Figure 2. Creating a blended face between edges and a face.

The blend operation is stored as a feature of the part; therefore, you can use the Model Tree to delete faces that you created.

From the main menu bar, select ToolsGeometry Edit.

Abaqus/CAE displays the Geometry Edit dialog box.

Tip: You can also blend faces using the tool, located with the edit tools in the Part module toolbox. For a diagram of the edit tools in the toolbox, see Editing techniques.
From the dialog box, select the Face category and the Blend method.
Select edges for the first side of the blended face.

You can select edges individually or by edge angle. For more information on selecting objects in the viewport, see Selecting objects within the current viewport. You can also select an existing set of edges.

Note:
The default selection method is based on the selection method you most recently employed. To revert to the other method, click Select in Viewport or Sets on the right side of the prompt area.

From the prompt area, click Done.
Select edges or faces for the second side of the blended face.
If you select faces for the second side, the edges selected in Step 3 must have a perpendicular projection onto the faces or Abaqus/CAE will not be able to create a blended face for the selections.

From the prompt area, click Done to complete your selection and to open the Blend Faces dialog box.
Choose one of the available blend methods:

Tangent

Abaqus/CAE will create blended faces tangent to the faces containing the first and second side edges. To use this method, the edges selected in Step 3 and Step 4 must be free edges—edges that belong to only one feature face—so that Abaqus/CAE can calculate tangency.

Shortest path

Abaqus/CAE will create blended faces that connect the first and second side edges using the shortest path between them. If you selected a face or faces for the second side of the blend, this is the only blend method available.

Specify path

Specify a path between the edges. Click Select to choose an existing edge or wire feature that joins the end of one of the first side edges to the end of one of the second side edges. Abaqus/CAE will create blended faces using the profile of the selected path.
Click Preview to preview the blended face that would result from the current selections.
Click OK.
Abaqus/CAE creates the blended face feature. The blend procedure restarts at Step 3 using the most recently used selection method.
To exit the blend procedure, either
- click the cancel button in the prompt area, or
- click mouse button 2 anywhere in the Abaqus/CAE window, or
- select another operation from the Geometry Edit toolset or from the tools in the Part module.