2.2. Postprocessing

Layered composites are typically made of various materials (reinforced plastics, foams, and honeycomb, for example) which often have an orthotropic characteristic. The post-processing system in ACP takes this into account. ACP implements many different failure criteria which are applied to specific materials. For instance, Puck evaluates the safety margin for uni-directional materials (UD) only where Max Stress is applied to UD and weave materials. The table Failure Criteria vs. Ply Type explains the relationship between specific failure criteria and material types. Also, the different failure criteria account for the numerous possible failure modes (fiber failure, delamination, and wrinkling for example) in layered composites. (See the section below Failure Criteria.)

In ACP, you can easily combine failure criteria. (See Failure Criteria Defintion.) This allows you to post-process and optimize complex layered composites efficiently because the most critical failure value and failure mode are readily accessible. For additional background information on ACP post-processing, see Failure Analysis and Interlaminar Stresses. Also, you can visualize and configure post-processing using the Solutions Object and Solution Plots.

Note:  ACP’s post-processing system computes the most critical failure and does not estimate any residual strengths, subsequent failures, or stress redistribution. This method is also called first ply failure (FPF). In other words, it assumes the laminate fails when the first ply fails. Therefore, ACP’s post-processing is not suitable for any solution (such as impact or damage analysis) which goes beyond FPF. The section on Supported Analysis Types describes which analysis types ACP Post supports. The opposite of an FPF analysis is a final failure analysis which is part of a progressive damage or explicit analysis, both of which are supported by Ansys products.