Analyzing Composite Materials

You can analyze a composite material by creating a shell part and assigning a layup of two-dimensional orthotropic composite materials to the shell part. You can import an output database file containing the results of the analysis, and you can display selected lamina and section points.

This task shows you how to analyze a layup of composite materials and view the results.

  1. Use the Generative Shape Design workbench to create a shell part in CATIA V5.

  2. Select Start>Analysis & Simulation>Nonlinear Structural Analysis from the menu bar to enter the Nonlinear Structural Analysis workbench. If necessary, set an empty analysis case or an analysis case that contains nonlinear structural analysis procedures to be the current case.

  3. Mesh the shell part.

    See Creating Mesh Parts for more information.

  4. Create a 2D property that refers to an isotropic material, and assign the 2D property to the shell part.

    See the Generative Structural Analysis User's Guide for more information.

  5. Create a two-dimensional orthotropic material.

    See Creating a Two-Dimensional Orthotropic User Material for more information.

  6. Create a layup that refers to the two-dimensional orthotropic material.

    See Creating a Layup for more information.

  7. Create a 2D property enhancement. Select a composite shell type, and choose the layup that you created in the previous step.

    See Creating a 2D Property Enhancement for more information.

  8. Complete the model, and run an Abaqus analysis.

  9. You cannot view an image from the analysis if the model contains a two-dimensional orthotropic material. As a result, you must do the following:

    1. Create a new empty .CATAnalysis document with an empty analysis case.

    2. Import the output database file created by the analysis you ran in Step 8.

      See Importing an ODB for more information.

  10. To change the integration point and/or the lamina being displayed, do the following:

    1. Right-click on the image object in the specification tree, and select Image object>Definition from the menu that appears.

      The Image Edition dialog box appears.

    2. Click More to access additional image options.

    3. Filter the output by selecting the Layer to display (Upper, Mid, Lower, or Upper and lower). A layer is a point through the thickness of the lamina, and the three available layers correspond to the three integration points that you requested in the 2D property enhancement.

    4. Select the lamina to display.