Material Properties
Before running a study, you must define all material properties required
by the associated analysis type and the specified material model. A material
model describes the behavior of the material and determines the required
material properties. Linear isotropic and orthotropic material models
are available for all structural and thermal studies. Other material models
are available for nonlinear stress studies. The von Mises plasticity model
is available for drop test studies. Material properties can be specified
as function of temperature.
In the Material
dialog box, the properties are highlighted to indicate the mandatory and
optional properties. A red description indicates the property is mandatory
based on the active study type and the material model. A blue description
indicates an optional property.
For solid assemblies, each component can have
a different material.
For shell models, each shell can have a different
material and thickness.
For shell models, the material of the part is
used for all shells.
For beam models, each beam can have a different
material.
For mixed mesh models, you must define the required
material properties for solid and shell separately.
There are three ways to define material properties:
Use materials assigned to parts in the CAD system.
Pick a material from one of the default material
libraries or any user-defined material library.
Specify the values of required properties manually.
By
default, the software uses the material assigned to parts in the CAD system.
Assigning a material to a part in the analysis software does not update
the material used in the CAD system.
Refer to the Material section for more details.