Fiber Orientation

The direction of fibers within a ply.

The fiber orientation of a ply defines the direction fibers lay within that ply. The ply orientation is typically an integer value between -90 and 90. The fiber orientation of a ply is a rotation using the right-hand rule about the element’s normal/thru thickness direction for positive angles.

Orientation is defined relative to the following:
  • Element material direction
  • Ply system – if assigned on ply, the material direction is trumped

The orientation applies to all elements in the ply shape. Orientation can additionally be modified spatially, element by element, using a drape table assigned to the ply.

The following image shows a ply orientation.


Figure 1.