Defining Composites - HM-4000

For this tutorial it is recommended that you complete the introductory tutorial, Getting Started with
HyperMesh - HM-1000.

The composites panel aligns the element material angle of a mesh of shell elements with a selected
direction or coordinate system. This material angle is used in different analysis codes to define
composites, or other non-isotropic materials, or stress output request directions. You can also review the
material angle directions to verify that they have been set correctly. You can choose to have the material
angles displayed either as vectors or as continuous lines that follow the 0-degree direction within each
element.

All files referenced in the HyperMesh tutorials are located in the <
install_directory>/tutorials/hm/ directory. For detailed instructions on how to locate the
installation directory <install_directory> at your site, see Finding the Installation Directory
<install_directory>, or contact your system administrator.

To load the file for this tutorial:

1. Retrieve the HyperMesh database file, <install_directory>/tutorials/hm/composites.hm

.
2. Load the nastran/general template using the files/template panel.

A valid analysis template must be selected for the composites panel to function properly.

Currently, valid analysis templates include:

• Nastran
• Ansys

To update all the elements to the correct element types for Nastran:

1. Go to the elem types panel on the 2D page.

2. Click on the elems button and select all.
When you select all, all element types (1D, 2D, and 3D) are updated.

3. Click update to update the element types.

Note: For visualization purposes, HyperMesh projects the local x-axis of the selected system onto the
face of the shell elements. How each analysis code interprets this information varies.

To assign the material direction using the system ID:

1. Check elem orientation from the composites panel on the 2-D page.
2. Indicate the elements that you want to assign material angles to.

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 3. Select elems, by collector, white and select.
4. Click the Element orientation method: switch and select by system ID.
5. Select system and enter ID = 1.
6. Click color and select the display color of the review vectors or lines.
7. Click size = and enter a value that specifies, in model units, how large the review vectors are when
displayed.
8. Activate join lines if you want to display connected lines instead of review vectors to represent
0-degree ply directions.
9. Click assign.

To Undo:
1. Click reject immediately after clicking assign.

Note: The selected elements are re-assigned to the global coordinate system (id = 0) and the panel is
reset. This function assigns the ID of the coordinate system to the selected elements. How each analysis
code interprets this information varies. For visualization purposes, HyperMesh projects the local x-axis of
the selected system onto the face of the shell elements. If you later modify the system, the element
material directions change implicitly.

To assign an orientation vector to the elements by using a system axis:

1. Select the composites panel from the 2D page.
2. Select the elems, by collector, red component and select.
3. Select the switch under Element Orientation Method and select by vector:
4. Set the switch under by vector to y-axis.
5. Set size = 2.000.
6. Set the color to blue.
7. Click project.
8. Click the card button from the permanent menu.
9. Set the entity selector to elems.
10. Select any element in the red component.
11. Click edit.
12. Review the card.

Note: The THETA field for the NASTRAN element card is now set to an angle for each element in the
collector. (This is the angle from the global coordinate system x-axis in the model.)

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 Figure 1

Note: This function assigns a material angle to the selected elements, which is defined as the angle
between the node1-node2 direction and the projection of the selected local axis onto the surface of the
shell element. How each analysis code interprets this information varies. For visualization purposes,
HyperMesh projects the selected axis onto the face of the shell elements. Any changes you subsequently
make to the specified system have no effect on the elements.

To assign an orientation vector to the elements by using a vector:

1. Select the composites panel from the 2D page.

2. Select the elems, by collector.
3. Select collector color and click select.
4. Set the Element orientation method: to by vector.
5. Set the switch to vector.
6. Select the radial r vector from the spherical coordinate system on the bottom of the ball; the r axis will
flash once when you click on it,
7. Select the origin of the local spherical system as the base.
8. Set size = 2.000.
9. Set the color to blue.
10. Click review.
11. Click the card button from the permanent menu.
12. Set the entity selector to elems by double clicking on an element in the model.
13. Select any element in the green component.
14. Click edit.
15. Review the card.

Note: This function assigns a material angle, which is defined as the angle between the node1-node2
direction and the projection of the selected vector, onto the surface of the shell element, to the selected
elements. How each analysis code interprets this information varies. For visualization purposes,

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 HyperMesh projects the selected vector onto the face of the shell elements.

To assign an orientation vector to the elements by using an angle:

1. Select the composites panel from the 2D page.

2. Select the elems, by collector, in the yellow component.
3. Select the yellow_sample collector and click select.
4. Set the Element orientation method: to by angle.
5. Enter angle = 45.00.
6. Click set.
7. Click the card button from the permanent blue menu.
8. Set the entity selector to elems by double clicking on an element in the model.
9. Select any element in the yellow component.
10. Click edit.
11. Review the card.

Note: THETA is set to 45.000. This function assigns the specified material angle, which is defined as an
angle from the node1-node2 along the surface of the shell element, to the selected elements. How each
analysis code interprets this information varies. For visualization purposes, HyperMesh rotates the
node1-node2 edge of the element around the element normal through the defined angle.

Note: This option should be used only in situations where great care has been taken to assure that the
node1-node2 direction of the shell elements are initially aligned properly.

To reviewing ply directions:

1. Select the ply directions subpanel from the composites panel.

2. Select the elems, by collector, in the yellow component.
3. Select the yellow_sample collector and click select.
4. Click color and select the display color of the review vectors or lines.
5. Click ply = field and enter the ply layer number that you wish to review.
6. Click review.

Note: Any elements that do not have a ply angle assigned, display the 0-degree direction as the ply
angle. Ply directions are set through card images in solver templates.

See HyperMesh Tutorials for a complete list of tutorials.

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