Specifying the plies of a conventional shell composite
layup
A composite layup is composed of a series of plies. You select the
region to which a ply is assigned, and you specify the name, material,
thickness, orientation, and the number of integration points of each ply.
You must specify ply names that are unique throughout the entire
model to ensure the correct display of ply-based results. Use the icons above
the ply table or click mouse button 3 on the ply table to see a menu that
allows you to edit the contents of the table cell and to manipulate the data in
the table; for example, you can add and delete plies, pattern plies, and invert
plies. You can also read data into the table from a file or write data from the
table into a file. For more information, see
Using the ply table when defining a composite layup.
From the Composite Layup editor, click the
Plies tab.
If the plies in the composite layup are symmetric about a central
core, toggle on Make calculated sections symmetric. Enter
the plies in the ply table, starting with the bottom ply in the first row and
ending with the central ply. During the analysis
Abaqus
appends plies to the layup definition by repeating the entered plies (including
the central ply) in the reverse order to the top of the layup. Each generated
ply is labeled in ply stack plots and the output database by adding
Sym_ to the beginning of the repeated ply's original name.
This option cannot be used if the thickness or rotation angle for any
of the plies in the layup is defined using a discrete field.
For each ply, enter the following data in the ply table:
Ply Name
The name of the ply.
Abaqus/CAE
displays this name when you are viewing the composite layup in
the Visualization module
and in a ply stack plot.
Region
Select the region to which the ply is assigned. You can choose faces
from the viewport, or you can select a set that refers to a face. If you are
displaying a meshed dependent part, you can choose shell elements from the
viewport or select an element set. To choose elements from the viewport, you
must display the native mesh, and you must use the
Selection toolbar
to enable the selection of 2D Elements. You can also
select shell elements from a mesh part. For more information, see
Displaying a native mesh,
and
Filtering your selection based on the type of object.
Material
The name of the material for this ply. Click mouse button 3, select
Edit Material from the menu that appears, and do either of
the following:
Select the desired material from the list of available materials.
Click
to create a new material.
Thickness
The ply thickness. Enter a uniform thickness directly in the table, or
click mouse button 3 and select Edit Thickness to do
the following:
Choose Specify Value to enter a uniform
thickness for the ply.
Choose Distribution and select a scalar discrete field or analytical
field to specify a thickness that varies spatially
across the ply.
Coordinate system
To define the coordinate system that will be used as the basis for the
reference orientation of the ply, do the following:
Click mouse button 3, and select Edit CSYS
from the menu that appears.
Note:
If you choose Edit Orientation from the
menu, you can define both the coordinate system and the rotation angle.
Select the base orientation. You can select the base layup
orientation, or you can select a coordinate system. If you select a coordinate
system, you must select the axis that defines the normal direction.
Rotation
Angle
An additional rotation (counterclockwise about the normal direction)
for the ply's reference orientation. Enter a uniform rotation directly in the
table, or click mouse button 3 and select Edit Rotation
Angle to do the following:
Select a predefined angle (0, 45, 90, or −45 degrees) to define a
uniform rotation.
Select Uniform, and enter an
Angle to define a uniform rotation.
Select a scalar discrete field to define a rotation that varies
spatially across the ply. You can also create a new discrete field by clicking
.
Integration Points
The number of integration points, if you are specifying properties for
a composite layup integrated during the analysis.