Creating a New Curve Library or Editing an Existing One

To create a new Curve Library or edit an existing one:

  1. In the Simulation study tree, right-click the study icon and select Define Function Curves.
  2. In the Function Curves dialog box :
    1. Browse to select an existing library or enter a name for the new library. The extension of Simulation Curve libraries is cwcur.
    2. In the Curve Library box, do one of the following:
      • Right-click Time Curve and select Create Curve to define a time curve.
      • Right-click Temperature Curve and select Create Curve to define a temperature curve.
      • Right-click S-N Curve and select Create Curve to define an S-N curve.
      • Right-click Load History Curve and select Create Curve to define a Load History Curve that can be used to define a variable amplitude fatigue event.
      • Right-click Frequency Curve and select Create Curve to define variation with frequency for harmonic and random vibration linear dynamic studies.
    3. In the Name box, select the name of an existing curve to edit or a enter a name for a new curve.
    4. In the Curve Data box, do the following:
      • Depending on the curve type, specify required units.
      • To import a curve from an external text file, click File and browse.
        The format of the file depends on the type of the curve.
      • To add a new row, double-click in the Points column.
      • Fill in the X and Y cells as desired. You can use cut and paste to populate the curve.
      • To delete a row, highlight it and click the Delete key or right-click it and select Delete.
    5. Click View to create a graph of the curve.
      This example shows what happens when the program reaches a point beyond the curve definition.
      When the program reaches a point for which the curve data is not provided, it extrapolates the information for that point using the slope determined from the last two points on the function curve.

      For example, if the above graph is a stress strain curve, with strain on the X axis and stress on the Y axis, the value of stress y3 is computed from the value of strain x3 as follows:

    6. Repeat steps b through e to define as many curves as desired and then click OK.
    7. Click Save to save the library. You can use the curves in the library in any study.