JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #131 - Novembre/December 2019 - 24

MANUFACTURlNG lifecyle management

Fig. 2 : Defining the layup of a layered material (inset) and a preview plot showing principal orientations of each layer

composite material with the right tools.
The composite module answers not only
questions related to mechanical aspects
of composite materials but also to other
physics.
What markets are you targeting?

E.F.: In traditional composite markets
such as aeronautics, wind or automotive,

What are your short-term goals with this
new composite module?

E.F.: We want to optimize the behaviour
of the material. It is assumed that our customers will be interested in coupling this
module with the existing tools. Basically,
the development of this module was a
request from our customers. It was a generic request, in the sense that we had been
asked for functionalities dedicated to layered materials modelling exhibiting high
aspect ratios, but the tools we offered back
then showed some limitations... Today we
have developed the techniques that make
it possible to make the simulations of a

to a tool dedicated to that. As you know,
dedicated tools are needed for pre-processing and/or post-processing due to the
complexity of composite materials. This
ergonomic tool has been put in place so
that the user can model in the most flexible
and easy way possible. When we talk about
composite materials, there are two types of
technologies that can be combined: one
that is based on classical FSDT laminate
theory and another one referred to as
layerwise theory, allowing for a more detailed description of the through-thickness
behaviour of the laminate. The former is
implemented in a material model in the
existing Shell interface, whereas the latter
forms the basis for the new Layered Shell
interface. The user interface includes tools
for specifying isotropic and anisotropic
material properties for each ply together
with dedicated visualization tools used
to check the stacking sequence and
fibres orientation prior to running the
computation, and efficiently post-process
the results of the analysis. This module is
useful for structural analysis of composite
laminates and can be coupled to the Heat
Transfer Module and the AC/DC Module
for multiphysics analysis of composite
materials. By combining the Composite
Materials Module with the Heat Transfer
Module, you get more sophisticated
heat transfer and thermal expansion
functionality. Similarly, you can combine
the Composite Materials Module with
the AC/DC Module for layered materials
functionality within the Electrostatics and
Electric Currents interfaces.

jec composites magazine / N°131 November - December 2019

there are already major actors in numerical
simulations. But we are also interested in
providing a tool for less developed markets
such as intelligent composites, functionalized materials or materials in construction
such as reinforced concrete, plywood...
More information:
www.comsol.com

http://www.comsol.com http://www.diamscope.com

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #131 - Novembre/December 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #131 - Novembre/December 2019