Beam_Sections
	Creo Option:	Creo Variable for Path:	Environment Variable for Server Dir:
	sim_beamsection_path	$CREOLIB_BEAM_SECTIONS_DIR\	[CREOLIB_BEAM_SECTIONS_DIR_SERVER]
	About Beam Sections
	Use Beam Sections to define the shape and size of the cross sections when you create beams. You can also define a beam section and save it in a library file, called mbmsct.lib, for future use. There are three categories of beam section types that you can use: • Sketched—Create your own cross section using the sketch thin or sketch solid beam type. • Standard—Use the standard cross sections, such as square, rectangle, I-beam, and so on. • General—Use the general type to design a cross section. General beam sections are displayed as rectangles where the length, width and orientation angle of the rectangular beam section is calculated from the moments of inertia. Click Refine Model and then click the arrow next to Beam. Click Beam Sections to open the Beam Sections dialog box. You can also access this dialog box by clicking the More button in the Section area of the Beam Definition dialog box. Use the items on this dialog box to create, edit, copy, or delete beam sections. You can create several types of beam sections from these three categories. Standard beam sections reflect a particular predefined beam shape. You use the sketcher to define the shapes for sketched beam sections. General types reflect a rectangular beam shape. When you create a beam, Creo Simulate represents each of the standard beam section types with a unique icon that represents their shape and size. Icons for sketched sections reproduce the sketch, and General section icons are not associated with any shape.
	To Create a Beam Section
	1. Click Refine Model and then click the arrow next to Beam. Click Beam Sections. The Beam Sections dialog box opens. 2. Click the New button. The Beam Section Definition dialog box appears. 3. Type a section name or use the default name. 4. Optionally, type a description. 5. On the Section tab, select the type of beam you want to create. Specify values for the dimensions of the beam section and select units or use the default principal units for the beam section you select. 6. In FEM mode only, on the Warp & Mass tab, define beam section information. 7. Optionally, you can click the Review button to review the beam section properties. 8. Click OK to save the beam section and exit the dialog box.
	Beam Section Property Calculations
	Depending on the type of beam cross section, Creo Simulate uses the following formulations for beam section property calculations: • Solid Sections — The shear center is not calculated for solid sections. It is assumed to be at the centroid of the section, coincident with the neutral axis. You can modify the location of the shear center. Torsional stiffness, the second polar moment of area.J, is approximated as: J = 4 Iy Iz / (Iy + Iz) • Thin Wall Sections — The calculation for this section type assumes the thickness is small relative to the overall dimensions of the section. The thickness is assumed to be distributed equally about both sides of the section. It is recommended, therefore, that you use this section type only when this length-to-thickness ratio exceeds 20:1. The overall exterior dimension of the sketch is a suitable characteristic length for this purpose. The calculation of torsional stiffness depends on the type of section. The section types, and their torsional stiffness calculations, are as follows: An open section: J = 1/3 Ut3 where U is the total length of the sketched section, and t is the thickness. A section containing a single closed cell: J = 4 Am2 t / U where Am is the area enclosed by the loop that defines the section, t is the thickness, and U is the total length. For more complex sections, the software applies a numerical procedure. See R.J. Roark and W.C. Young, Formulas for Stress and Strain, 6th edition, for examples.