Entities

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.

If plies have a shape defined by an element set, all zones of contained thickness are in the laminate. If one or more plies do not have a shape defined, the full list of plies in the laminate is used.

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.

Overview

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.

Sequence entities are generated and managed automatically as part of a ply-based composite model. The zone-based data held in sequence entities is always synchronized with the plies and stacking sequence in a laminate. As plies in a laminate are added, removed or edited, the zones of constant thickness in the laminate will be recalculated as necessary and will be defined using sequence entities. Similarly, as layer data contained in sequences is updated, the changes will be applied to the ply itself and will propagate to all other zones in which the ply is contained.

Note that sequences for zones of constant thickness will only be generated for laminates that contain plies which all have their shape defined by one or more set entities.

Data Names

Unless otherwise specified, data names are accessible in level 3 only.

activesuppressed: Returns non-zero if the entity is set inactive, 0 otherwise. Type: integer.
attributesmax: The number of attributes owned by this entity. Type: unsigned integer.
color: The 1-64 color of the entity. Type: integer.
color_rgb: The RGB color of the entity. Type: string.
config: The config of the sequence. 1-undefined, 2-zone, 3-sequence.
datalines: The number of sequence layers. Type: integer.
defineidentity: True if the entity is defined, false otherwise. Type: boolean.
id: The ID of the entity. Type: unsigned integer.
include: The ID of the include file the entity is organized in. Type: entity.
included: The ID of the include file the entity is organized in. Type: unsigned integer.
integrationpoints: The number of integration points for each layer in the sequence. Type: integer array.
internalid: The ID of the entity Type: unsigned integer.
materials: Pointers to the materials IDs of the material assigned to each layer in the sequence. Type: entity array.
name: The name of the entity. Type: string
orientations: The orientation angle for each layer in the sequence. Type: double array.
plyids: The IDs of the ply assigned to each layer in the sequence. Type: entity array.
resultrequests: Switch to request ply results. 0-do not request solver results for layer. 1-request solver results for layer. Type: bool array.
shape: The IDs of the elements which make up sequence in zone configuration. Type: entity array.
table: Should always be set to 0. Reserved for future use.
thickness: The thickness for each layer in the sequence. Type: double array.