Using materials in studies


Assigning a material

Because material is a file property in a part or sheet metal document, there can be just one material assigned to the model at any time. In part and sheet metal models, the material assigned to the model is assigned automatically to a new study.

Assembly models store the default material in the registry. You can assign different materials to different parts in the assembly, but you cannot assign different materials to the same part.

When you are using a beam mesh on a frame, you can assign a different material to each beam member.

  • You can assign a material to the model using the Materials list in the Study group.

  • You also can open the Material Table , and then choose a new material or edit an existing material using the Material Table dialog box.

  • If you open the Material Table, you can select the Highlight Simulation Properties button to identify the material properties that are required for the active study. Verify that appropriate values are defined for each of the properties that are highlighted. For more information, see Verify simulation material properties.

  • You can assign a material reference temperature on the Simulation page (QY CAD Options dialog box).

If you change material or material properties in a study that has been solved, the study results go out of date. To learn how, see Change the study material or thickness.

Materials in studies

Choosing the right material is key to producing good results. You also can create studies that simulate the differences in materials.

  • Material type

    Material type is required for a study to be solved. A material can be predefined in a part or sheet metal model, or selected from the Materials list on the ribbon when the study is created. The material specified in part and sheet metal models is applied automatically in the assembly model.

  • Material thickness

    If the material thickness (or gage) is defined in a sheet metal model or assembly model, that thickness is applied automatically to the simulation study. Alternatively, you can change the study material or thickness.

  • Assembly connector material

    Materials cannot be selected or modified from the assembly model. However, when you simulate bolt and fastener connections in the FEA model using the Bolt command, you can specify a different material for the fastener than is used by the part bodies.

Using a material reference temperature

A material reference temperature is required to determine the amount of stress and displacement due to the expansion and contraction of the materials used in a part, sheet metal, or assembly model. In a model with mixed materials, the same reference temperature is applied to all materials.

Example:

You may want to simulate the effects of ambient temperature on a plastic lawn chair. In frigid weather, a weight placed on the chair may crack or snap the plastic. Subject to hot summer sun, the same weight placed on the chair may warp the plastic, but it is not likely to crack or break it. You can evaluate the effect of extreme temperatures on the plastic material by doing all of the following:

Step 1.

Create a Linear Static study.
Step 2.

Define the minimum and maximum temperature extremes using a temperature load value for one and the material reference temperature value for the other.
Step 3.

Create a force load or pressure load to model the weight of the person the chair must hold.

Step 4.

After meshing and solving the study, use a contour plot to observe the plot results.

You can set the reference temperature property using the Material Reference Temp option on the Simulation page (QY CAD Options dialog box).

Modifying a material

You can select a different material or change material thickness:

  • Using the Material Table command on the ribbon.

  • Using the Edit Material command on the shortcut menu in the Simulation pane.

  • Using the Override Properties command on the ribbon.

To learn how you can use these commands, see Mesh material properties.

Using studies to compare materials

You can use studies to compare the finite element analysis results of different materials applied to the model.

  • If you want a side-by-side comparison of simulation results using different materials, use the Save As command to save the model document under a different name, and then modify the study by changing the material.

  • You also can create multiple studies with different materials in the same document, but changing material in one study changes the material in all studies. This causes all previously defined studies to go out of date for the results process.

    If you want to go back and review the results of a previous study using different materials, you need to solve it again, after you reset the material.

    To learn how, see Change the study material or thickness.

Creating and using studies Verify simulation material properties

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