Assemblies
Assemblies represent a collection of subsystems, along with a test rig, which when assembled form a system that you can analyze using Adams Solver.
In Adams Car for example, a steering subsystem and a front-suspension subsystem, plus a suspension test rig, form the basis of a suspension assembly that you can analyze for kinematic behavior.
In the Standard Interface, you can create, open, save, and analyze assemblies. You can also publish assemblies to databases so other users can share them. Learn about publishing assemblies.
Learn more about assemblies:
Opening Assemblies
To open an existing assembly:
1. In Standard Interface, from the File menu, point to Open and then select Assembly.
3. Select OK.
Note: | Once the assembly is open, the Edit, Adjust, and Simulate menus become active. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with each menu item. |
Getting Assembly Information
You can get detailed information about assemblies in the current session.
To get information about an assembly:
1. In the Standard Interface, from the File menu, point to Info, and then select Assembly.
3. Select OK.
Creating Suspension Assemblies
You can create a suspension assembly from specified subsystems.
To create a suspension assembly:
1. In the Standard Interface, from the File menu, point to New, and then select Suspension Assembly.
3. Select OK.
Creating Full-Vehicle Assemblies
You can create a full-vehicle assembly from specified subsystems.
To create a full-vehicle assembly:
1. In the Standard Interface, from the File menu, point to New, and then select Full-Vehicle Assembly.
3. Select OK.
Creating Generic Assemblies
You can create a generic assembly from specified subsystems.
To create a generic assembly:
1. In the Standard Interface, from the File menu, point to New, and then select Generic Assembly.
2. Press F1 and then follow the instructions in the dialog box help for New Generic Assembly.
3. Select OK.
Updating Assemblies
You can re-read an assembly file, in case you modified the file by an alternative process. For example, if you edit in a text editor an assembly file stored in the shared database, you can reflect this change in your template-based product by using the update assembly functionality.
To update an assembly:
1. In the Standard Interface, from the File menu, point to Manage Assemblies, and then select Update.
3. Select OK.
Saving Assemblies
You save assemblies in ASCII, binary, or XML format:
■ASCII Assemblies - ASCII assemblies are written in the TeimOrbit format, which is easily edited by hand. An ASCII assembly file references subsystems, but does not contain subsystem data. If you want your assembly to be updated with the current template/subsystem files, you should save your assemblies in ASCII format. When you open an ASCII-format assembly, your template-based product opens each individual subsystem, which in turn accesses the current version of each corresponding template. You have the option to save newly created assembly objects, such as measures and design objectives, to the ASCII assembly file. These assembly-level objects cannot be combined with assembly variants.
Binary Assemblies - A binary assembly is a static snapshot of what's currently in your session. That is, when you reopen a binary assembly, you will return to the exact state at which you left. Adams Car ignores any subsequent modifications made to templates and/or subsystems, which were originally used to create the assembly, when you open the binary assembly. Therefore, if you want your assembly to be updated with the current template/subsystem files, you should save your assemblies in ASCII format. Binary assemblies can be very useful, if you are working on a project where the templates will not change, and a static snapshot of the assembly is sufficient.
Note that saving an assembly as a binary will not save the plots, nor the setting for simulation (hold_solver_license). It will, however, save the analyses associated with the assembly, and you could re-create plots using a plot configuration file. Learn about plot configuration files.
■XML Assemblies - XML is an industry standard format. XML assemblies function exactly like ASCII assemblies.
To save an assembly:
1. From the File menu, select Save or Save As.
2. If you selected:
■Save - Your template-based product saves the ASCII version of the assembly to the default writable database. Your template-based product prompts you if it detects subsystem changes. It also prompts you if the assembly already exists in the database. For save options, select Save As.
■Save As - Press F1 and then follow the instructions in the dialog box help for Save Assembly. Select OK.
Closing Assemblies
To close an assembly:
1. In the Standard Interface, from the File menu, point to Close, and then select Assembly.
3. Select OK.
Publishing Assemblies
When you publish an assembly, you copy each subsystem file included in the assembly definition, including the associated property files for each subsystem, to the target database, which is the database where your template-based product saves all files. You can also select to publish each subsystem's template file. As you publish the assembly, you can select to write over existing files or create backups of the files.
You can also select to update the in-session assembly data to point to the target database or to have the assembly retain the existing references.
The assembly you are publishing must be currently opened in the standard interface, and the target database must be writable. Learn about setting the writable database.
You can choose to publish only a subsystem, not an entire assembly. Learn about publishing a subsystem.
To publish an assembly:
1. From the Tools menu, point to Database Management, and then select Publish Assembly.
3. Select OK.
Repositioning Assemblies
If you are setting up your assembly for real time analysis and your road file origin doesn't match your vehicle origin, you may wish to reposition the assembly instead of specifying a road offset. The use of a road offset requires additional computation at each time step in order to calculate the location of each tire with respect to the road surface. Repositioning the assembly to match the road origin eliminates the need for these additional computations, resulting in faster run times. This process is generally irreversible, so it should be performed immediately before submitting an analysis.
Note: saving the repositioned assembly in ASCII or XML formats will not store the location/orientation changes. If you wish to save the repositioned assembly in its new position, save as binary format.
To reposition an assembly:
1. From the Tools menu, select Model Reduction, and then select Assembly Repositioning.
3. Select OK.
Creating New Assembly Variants
If your existing assembly is a full-vehicle model, and you want to create an assembly variant representing the front suspension, along with the appropriate testrig, you have an option to create a new assembly variant based on an existing assembly in session. To create a new assembly variant from an assembly in session:
1. From the File menu, select Manage, Assemblies, then select New Assembly Variant.
3. Select OK.
Property Files
Property files are ASCII-based files that contain data for modeling components, such as valve spring, cams, and bushings. Because property files are flat text files, you can use any text editor to create or modify them.
You use property files to:
■Apply the same characteristics or parameters to many components within a template or subsystem. In Adams Car for example, a suspension might contain many bushings with the same properties. In this case, all the bushings could reference the same property file.
■Share a component between different templates and subsystems.
You can reference property files in different subsystems and templates, as shown in the Example Model Architecture.
All property file types are specified in the configuration file (acar.cfg). When you edit property files, you can save them either with the existing file name or with a new file name. Learn about managing property files through configuration files.
Property files are grouped in classes and stored in databases. Every class (such as bushings and dampers) is filed in the corresponding Database table (in this case, bushings.tbl and dampers.tbl).
A subset of property files define force-displacement or force-velocity characteristics for springs, dampers, bumpstops, reboundstops, and bushings. For those components, you use the Curve Manager or Property File Editor to create, edit, and view property files. You can access the Curve Manager from the Tools menu. From within dialog boxes, you can edit property files using the Curve Manager/Property File Editor tool 
and view property files using the View File tool 
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and view property files using the View File tool . Learn about Modifying Component Property File.
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