Hello Abaqus CommunityAbaqusAbaqus CAE 

I am working through a tutorial model from the Abaqus manual: "Analysis of a rotating fan using substructures and cyclic symmetry", which involves creating a fan model. In the full model ie, without substructuring), the approach used in the tutorial involves creating a quarter of the fan part, rotating it to create three more instances, and then using *MPC ,TIE constraints on the nodes at the boundaries of these instances.
*MPC
TIE,PART4X,PART1X
TIE,PART2Y,PART1Y
TIE,PART2X,PART3X
TIE,PART4Y,PART3Y

My question is: Why did the tutorial use *TIE constraints to connect the boundaries instead of simply merging the nodes at these boundaries?

From my understanding, merging nodes would ensure geometric continuity and possibly simplify the model. What are the specific advantages or reasons for using *TIE constraints in this context?
I would appreciate any insights or explanations on this topic.

Thank you!