Entities

Entities that comprise composite parts.

Laminate

The laminate entity contains a list of plies which make up the composite part.

If the geometry has no T’s, a single laminate entity should be used per physical part. If the geometry is complex (contains T’s, and an I-beam, for example) sublaminates should be used to define each portion of the total part and a single interface laminate should be used to bring sublaminates together.

For more information on laminate entities, see Laminate Entities.

Ply

Ply entities.

Ply entities in HyperMesh should be treated as analogous to a layer of composite material on a physical part. They define material, thickness, orientation and shape.

For more information on ply entities, see Ply Entities.

Material

Material entities.

The material entity defines the homogenized material properties for the following:
  • Unidirectional ply
  • Woven ply
  • Laminate made up of more than one ply

The properties could be isotropic, orthotropic or anisotropic. Specific solver card images will depend on the user profile, physical material properties and the scale of homogenization for the modeled material.

In typical composite models defined in HyperMesh, the material is referenced by ply entities (ply based shell models), layers in property entities (zone based shell models/layered solid models) or in property entities (solid models).

For more information on material entities, see Material Entities.

Set

Set entities.

Set entities are used as a method to define ply shape for ply-based models. Sets contain the list of elements that make up the shape of the ply.

For more information on set entities, see Set Entities.

Table

Table entities.

Table entities are used to define spatial data in composite models. Specific uses depend on solver, but typical examples include:
  • Changes from default ply orientation and thickness due to draping
  • changes from default ply thickness for core materials
  • changes from default ply orientation for orientation by curve (Abaqus *DISTRIBUTION)

For more information on table entities, see Table Entities.

Property

Property entities.

Property entities are used in several ways, depending on the type of composite model. For more information, see Property Entities.
Property Type Description
Ply-Based Shell (OptiStruct, Radioss) OptiStruct and Radioss directly support ply-based models. The ply-based property is used to define typical property attributes (for example, offset and non-structural mass).
Ply-Based Shell (Abaqus, ANSYS, LS-DYNA, Nastran) These solvers do not support ply-based models. The property in this case is used as a template when the laminate is realized into zones.
Continuum Shell and Layered Solid (All Solvers) One property per zone of constant thickness is defined.
Ply-by-Ply Solid (All Solvers) Typically one property per material, depending on solver per orientation, is defined.

Sequence

Sequence entities.

Sequence entities are used to define the layers and shape of a zone of constant thickness within a laminate. They are generated automatically as a ply based model is created and edited. For more information, see <INSERT_LINK TO NEW SEQUENCE ENTITY DOCUMENTATION (CURRENTLY AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS DOCUMENT)>