Hi everyone,

I’m working on modeling a bistable mechanism in Abaqus and am having trouble getting the hinge interconnection to work correctly.

Problem Summary:
When I run the simulation, only one of the shell parts moves while the other stays fixed, even though I have defined the hinge connection between them.

Setup Details:

• Element Type: S4R shell elements
• Geometry: 3D deformable planar shells
• Steps: Static General
• Assembly Workflow:
  • Created datum points and converted them into reference points
  • Translated and rotated the shell parts into position
  • In the Interconnect module, created a line element connecting the reference points and assigned a hinge interconnection
  • Specified a local coordinate system with the X-axis as the free rotation axis

Boundary Conditions:

• Initial step: Fixed side parts with U1 = U2 = U3 = 0
• Static General step: Applied displacement boundary condition to the middle part to induce deformation

Issue:
When the simulation runs, the moving part responds to the load, but the second part remains stationary, as if the hinge connection is not actually linking them.

Image:
Below is a screenshot of the assembly setup: