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1. Getting Started
1.1. Overview
1.1.1. Introduction
1.1.2. Supported Platforms and Functional Add-ons
1.1.3. Known Limitations
1.1.4. First Steps
1.2. The Ansys Product Improvement Program
1.3. Graphical User Interface
1.3.1. Menus
1.3.1.1. File
1.3.1.1.1. Workbench
1.3.1.1.2. Stand Alone
1.3.1.2. View
1.3.1.2.1. Perspectives
1.3.1.2.2. View Manager
1.3.1.3. Tools
1.3.1.3.1. Extract Materials From Composite CAE H5...
1.3.1.3.2. Winding Wizard
1.3.1.3.3. Preferences
1.3.1.3.3.1. Add Ons
1.3.1.3.3.2. Ansys Product Improvement Program
1.3.1.3.3.3. General ACP Preferences
1.3.1.3.3.4. Logger Settings
1.3.1.3.3.5. Material Database
1.3.1.3.3.6. Notifications and Pop-ups
1.3.1.3.3.7. Scene Preferences
1.3.1.3.3.8. Section Generation
1.3.1.3.3.9. Units
1.3.2. Tree View
1.3.3. Scene
1.3.3.1. Scene Manipulation
1.3.4. Toolbar
1.3.4.1. Updates
1.3.4.2. Edit Entities with Excel
1.3.4.3. Mesh Appearance
1.3.4.4. Orientation Visualization
1.3.4.5. Fiber Directions
1.3.4.6. Draping
1.3.4.7. Other Features
1.3.4.8. Configure Plots
1.3.5. View Panes
1.3.5.1. Shell View
1.3.5.2. Keyboard Shortcuts
1.3.5.3. Logger
1.3.5.4. History View
1.3.6. Keyboard Shortcuts
1.3.6.1. General Shortcuts
1.3.6.2. Scene View Shortcuts
1.3.6.3. Tree View Shortcuts
1.3.6.4. Shell View
1.3.6.5. Properties Windows
1.4. Implementation in Workbench
1.4.1. Basic Workflow
1.4.2. ACP Component Properties
1.4.3. Supported Analysis Types
1.4.3.1. ACP–LS-DYNA
1.4.4. Multiple Load Cases and Analyses
1.4.5. Shared Composite Definition for Different Models
1.4.6. Solid Modeling
1.4.7. Assembly
1.4.7.1. Renumbering and Transfer Type
1.4.7.2. Creating a Mixed Assembly
1.4.8. Limitations
1.5. Migrating ACP Projects from Previous Versions
1.6. ACP (Post) to Mechanical Migration
1.7. The ACP Python Scripting User Interface
1.8. Stand Alone Operation
1.8.1. Starting ACP in Windows
1.8.2. Starting ACP in Linux
1.8.3. Command Line Options and Batch Mode
1.8.4. Workflow in Stand Alone Operation
1.9. Tutorials and Examples
2. Usage Reference
2.1. Features
2.1.1. Model
2.1.1.1. Model Properties - General
2.1.1.1.1. ACP Model
2.1.1.1.2. Reference Surface
2.1.1.1.3. Lay-Up Computation
2.1.1.1.4. Model Summary
2.1.1.2. Solve
2.1.1.3. Import/Export of ACP Composite Definitions File
2.1.1.4. Import From/Export to HDF5 Composite CAE File
2.1.1.5. Import Section Data from Legacy Model
2.1.1.6. Element- vs. Node-based Thicknesses
2.1.1.7. Winding Wizard
2.1.2. Scripts
2.1.2.1. Executing Scripts
2.1.2.2. Script Properties
2.1.2.3. Limitations
2.1.2.4. Tips and Best Practices
2.1.2.5. Sorting Scripts
2.1.3. Material Data
2.1.3.1. Materials
2.1.3.1.1. Materials Context Menu
2.1.3.1.2. Temperature Dependent and General Variable Material Properties
2.1.3.1.3. Material Properties Dialog
2.1.3.1.4. Thermal Expansion Coefficients
2.1.3.1.5. Fabric Fiber Angle
2.1.3.1.6. Strain Limits
2.1.3.1.7. Stress Limits
2.1.3.1.8. Puck Constants
2.1.3.1.9. Puck for Woven
2.1.3.1.10. Tsai-Wu Constants
2.1.3.1.11. LaRC Constants
2.1.3.2. Fabric
2.1.3.2.1. General
2.1.3.2.2. Polar Properties
2.1.3.2.3. Fabric Solid Model Options
2.1.3.2.4. Draping
2.1.3.3. Stackup
2.1.3.3.1. Top-Down or Bottom-Up Sequence
2.1.3.3.2. Symmetries
2.1.3.3.3. Analysis
2.1.3.3.4. Stackup Solid Model Options
2.1.3.3.5. Draping Options
2.1.3.4. Sublaminates
2.1.4. Element and Edge Sets
2.1.4.1. Element Sets
2.1.4.1.1. Context Menu
2.1.4.2. Edge Sets
2.1.5. Geometry
2.1.5.1. CAD Geometries
2.1.5.1.1. Direct Import
2.1.5.1.2. Workbench Geometry Link
2.1.5.2. Virtual Geometries
2.1.6. Rosettes
2.1.6.1. Rosette Definition
2.1.7. Look-Up Tables
2.1.7.1. 3D Look-Up Table With The Excel Link
2.1.7.2. 1D Look-Up Table with .csv Files
2.1.7.3. Look-Up Table with a Python Script
2.1.7.4. 1-D Look-Up Table
2.1.7.5. 3D Look-Up Table
2.1.7.6. Look-Up Table Column Properties
2.1.8. Selection Rules
2.1.8.1. Basic Selection Rules
2.1.8.2. Tube Selection Rule
2.1.8.3. Cut-Off Selection Rules
2.1.8.3.1. Geometry Cut-Off Selection Rule
2.1.8.3.2. Taper Cut-Off Selection Rule
2.1.8.3.3. Example Cut-Off
2.1.8.4. Geometrical Selection Rule
2.1.8.5. Variable Offset Selection Rule
2.1.8.6. Boolean Selection Rules
2.1.9. Oriented Selection Sets (OSS)
2.1.9.1. Reference Direction
2.1.9.1.1. Use Cases for Rotation Angle
2.1.9.2. Selection Rules
2.1.9.3. Draping
2.1.10. Modeling Groups
2.1.10.1. Modeling Group Structure
2.1.10.2. Modeling Group Tree Object Context Menu
2.1.10.3. Individual Modeling Group Context Menu
2.1.10.4. Modeling Ply Properties
2.1.10.4.1. Draping
2.1.10.4.2. Selection Rules
2.1.10.4.3. Thickness
2.1.10.4.4. Modeling Ply Context Menu
2.1.10.5. Interface Layer Properties
2.1.10.6. Butt Joint Sequence
2.1.10.6.1. Butt Joint Sequence Notes and Limitations
2.1.10.7. Reordering Modeling Plies, Interface Layers, and Butt Joint Sequences
2.1.10.8. Production Ply
2.1.10.9. Analysis Ply
2.1.10.10. Import from / Export to CSV File
2.1.10.10.1. Export
2.1.10.10.2. Import
2.1.10.11. Export Ply Geometry
2.1.11. Imported Modeling Group
2.1.11.1. Tree Object Context Menu
2.1.11.2. Imported Modeling Ply
2.1.11.2.1. Imported Modeling Ply Properties
2.1.11.3. Imported Production Ply
2.1.11.4. Imported Analysis Ply
2.1.12. Field Definitions
2.1.13. Sampling Points
2.1.14. Section Cuts
2.1.14.1. Types of Extrusion
2.1.14.2. Section Cut Notes
2.1.14.3. Section Cut Export
2.1.14.4. Computation of Equivalent Sectional Properties
2.1.14.4.1. Theory
2.1.14.4.2. Results
2.1.14.4.3. Best Practices
2.1.14.4.4. Limitations
2.1.14.4.5. References
2.1.15. Sensors
2.1.16. Solid Models
2.1.16.1. Solid Model
2.1.16.1.1. Properties
2.1.16.1.1.1. General
2.1.16.1.1.2. Drop-Offs
2.1.16.1.1.3. Export
2.1.16.1.2. Export Solid Model
2.1.16.1.3. Extrusion Guides
2.1.16.1.3.1. Mesh Morphing
2.1.16.1.3.2. Extrusion Guide Examples
2.1.16.1.4. Snap-To Geometry
2.1.16.1.5. Cut-Off Geometry
2.1.16.1.5.1. Defining Cut-Off Geometry
2.1.16.1.5.2. Decomposition of Degenerated Elements
2.1.16.1.5.3. Limitations
2.1.16.1.6. Mesh Components
2.1.16.1.7. Material Handling for Different Extrusion Methods
2.1.16.1.8. Save & Reload Solid Models
2.1.16.1.9. Node-based Thicknesses
2.1.16.2. Imported Solid Model
2.1.16.2.1. Imported Solid Model Properties
2.1.16.2.1.1. General Tab
2.1.16.2.1.2. Export Tab
2.1.16.2.1.3. Mapping Statistics
2.1.16.2.2. Mesh Components
2.1.16.2.3. Lay-up Mapping Objects
2.1.16.2.3.1. General Tab
2.1.16.2.3.2. Layered Element Tab
2.1.16.2.3.2.1. Limitations
2.1.16.2.3.3. Reinforcing Tab
2.1.16.2.3.3.1. Design Tips and Best Practices
2.1.16.2.3.3.2. Limitations
2.1.16.2.4. Quality Check
2.1.16.2.5. Miscellaneous
2.1.17. Lay-Up Plots
2.1.17.1. Interface Options
2.1.17.2. Thickness Plots
2.1.17.3. Angle Plot
2.1.17.4. Draping Mesh Plot
2.1.17.5. Look-Up Table Plot
2.1.17.6. Field Definition Plot
2.1.17.7. Lay-Up Mapping Plot
2.1.17.8. Material Plots
2.1.17.9. User-Defined Plot
2.1.18. Definitions
2.1.19. Solutions
2.1.19.1. Solution Object
2.1.19.1.1. Solution Context Menu
2.1.19.1.2. Solution Properties
2.1.19.2. Envelope Solution
2.1.19.3. Solution Plots
2.1.19.3.1. Common Plot Settings
2.1.19.3.2. Visualization Mismatch
2.1.19.3.3. Deformation Plot
2.1.19.3.4. Strain Plot
2.1.19.3.5. Stress Plot
2.1.19.3.6. Failure Mode Plot
2.1.19.3.7. Temperature Plot
2.1.19.3.8. Progressive Damage Plot
2.1.19.3.9. Material Plot
2.1.19.3.10. User-Defined Plot
2.1.20. Scenes
2.1.21. Views
2.1.22. Ply Books
2.1.22.1. Creating Chapters
2.1.22.2. Chapter Properties
2.1.22.3. Editing the Ply Book Template
2.1.22.3.1. Python Expressions
2.1.22.4. Modifying the Ply Book Snapshots
2.1.22.5. Exporting the Plybook
2.1.22.6. Sample Ply Book Page
2.1.22.7. Ply Book Limitations
2.1.23. Parameters
2.1.23.1. Settings for an Expression Output
2.1.24. Material Database
2.2. Postprocessing
2.2.1. Failure Criteria
2.2.2. Failure Mode Measures
2.2.3. Principal Stresses and Strains
2.2.4. Linearization of Inverse Reserve Factors
2.2.5. Postprocessing of a Composite Solid Model
2.2.6. Postprocessing of Drop-Off and Cut-Off Elements
2.2.7. Evaluating Custom Failure Criteria
2.2.8. Limitations & Recommendations
2.3. Exchanging Composite Definitions with Other Programs
2.3.1. HDF5 Composite CAE Format
2.3.1.1. Export
2.3.1.2. Import
2.3.1.2.1. Import Projection Types
2.3.1.2.2. Import Settings
2.3.2. Mechanical APDL File Format
2.3.3. Import of Legacy Mechanical APDL Composite Models
2.3.3.1. Special Cases
2.3.3.2. Known Limitations
2.3.4. Tabular Data Format for Excel
2.3.5. CSV Format
2.3.6. ESAComp
2.3.6.1. Export
2.3.6.2. Import
2.3.7. LS-Dyna
2.3.8. BECAS
3. Composite Modeling Techniques
3.1. T-Joint
3.2. Local Reinforcements
3.3. Ply Tapering and Staggering
3.3.1. Ply Tapering
3.3.1.1. Edge Tapering
3.3.1.2. Tapered Core
3.3.1.3. Tapered Edges
3.3.1.4. Tapering of Multiple Plies
3.3.2. Ply Staggering
3.4. Variable Core Thickness
3.4.1. Solid CAD Geometry
3.4.2. Look-Up Table
3.4.3. Geometry Cut-Off Selection Rule
3.4.4. General Application
3.5. Draping
3.5.1. Internal Draping Algorithm of ACP
3.5.2. User-Defined Draping
3.5.3. Visualization
3.6. Guide to Solid Modeling
3.6.1. When to Use a Solid Model
3.6.2. How to Use the Solid Model Feature
3.6.3. Principles of Solid Model Generation
3.6.4. Drop-Off and Cut-Off Elements
3.6.5. Workflow
3.6.6. Practical Tips
3.6.7. Known Limitations
3.7. Guide to Composite Visualizations
3.7.1. Model Verification
3.7.2. Postprocessing Visualizations
3.8. Guide to Composite Failure Criteria
3.9. Element Choice in ACP
3.9.1. Introduction
3.9.2. Shell Elements
3.9.3. Solid Elements
3.9.4. Solid-shell Elements
3.10. Variable Material Data in Composite Analyses
3.10.1. Element- or Layer-wise Field Definition
3.10.2. Draping Shear
3.10.3. Degradation Factors
3.10.3.1. Definition of the Degradation Factor Field
3.10.4. Definition of General User-Defined Fields in ACP-Pre
3.10.5. Variable Data Interpolation Settings
4. Example Analyses
4.1. Analysis of a Composite Shell Model
4.1.1. Preprocessing
4.1.1.1. Workbench Integration
4.1.1.2. Adding ACP Components to the Project
4.1.1.3. Engineering Data
4.1.1.4. Properties
4.1.1.5. Geometry and Units
4.1.1.6. Named Selections and Elements/Edge Sets
4.1.1.7. Starting and Running ACP
4.1.2. Workbench: Adding an Analysis System to the Project
4.1.3. Postprocessing: Adding an ACP (Post) Component to the Project
4.2. Analysis of a Composite Solid Model
4.2.1. Preprocessing
4.2.2. Workbench Analysis System
4.2.3. Postprocessing
4.3. Analysis Using Variable Material Data
4.3.1. Workbench Engineering Data: Set-Up Variable Data
4.3.2. ACP-Pre: Define Fields for Shear Angle, Degradation Factor, and User-Defined Field Variables
4.3.3. Mechanical, Thermal Loading, and External Data
4.3.4. ACP-Post: Analysis Effect of Variable Data
4.4. Analysis of a Mapped Composite Solid Model
4.4.1. Transfer External Solid Mesh to ACP (Pre)
4.4.1.1. Geometry
4.4.1.2. Meshing
4.4.1.3. Linking the Workbench Systems
4.4.2. Lay-Up Mapping in ACP (Pre)
4.4.3. Analysis of A Mapped Composite Model
4.5. Shear Dependent Materials in Composite Analysis
4.6. 3D Ply Workflow – Imported Plies
4.6.1. Inputs
4.6.2. Example of Use - HDF5 Composite CAE
4.7. ACP for Workbench LS-DYNA: Bird Strike
4.7.1. Workbench Workflow
4.7.2. Engineering Data – Material Model Definition
4.7.3. SpaceClaim – Geometry
4.7.4. Mechanical Model Setup
4.7.5. ACP - Material Assignment and Lay-Up
4.7.6. Setting Up the LS-DYNA Analysis System
4.7.7. Post-Processing in Workbench LS-DYNA:
5. Theory Documentation
5.1. Draping Simulation
5.1.1. Introduction
5.1.2. Draping Procedure
5.1.2.1. Propagation Strategy
5.1.2.2. Woven Material Model
5.1.2.3. Unidirectional Material Model
5.1.2.4. Output of the Draping Simulation
5.1.3. Thickness Correction
5.1.4. Limitations of Draping Simulations
5.2. Interlaminar Stresses
5.2.1. Introduction
5.2.2. Interlaminar Normal Stresses
5.2.2.1. Reference Coordinates
5.2.2.2. Numeric Solution
5.2.3. Transverse Shear Stresses
5.3. Failure Analysis
5.3.1. Reserve Factor
5.3.2. Weighting Factors
5.3.3. Failure Criterion Function
5.3.4. Failure Criteria for Reinforced Materials
5.3.4.1. Maximum Strain Criterion
5.3.4.2. Maximum Stress Criterion
5.3.4.3. Quadratic Failure Criteria
5.3.4.3.1. Tsai-Wu Failure Criterion
5.3.4.3.2. Tsai-Hill Failure Criterion
5.3.4.3.3. Hoffman Failure Criterion
5.3.4.4. Hashin Failure Criterion
5.3.4.5. Puck Failure Criteria
5.3.4.5.1. Simple and Modified Puck Criterion
5.3.4.5.2. Puck's Action Plane Strength Criterion
5.3.4.5.2.1. Fiber Failure (FF)
5.3.4.5.2.2. Interfiber Failure (IFF)
5.3.4.6. LaRC Failure Criterion
5.3.4.6.1. LaRC03/LaRC04 Constants
5.3.4.6.2. General Expressions
5.3.4.6.3. Fiber Misalignment Frame
5.3.4.6.4. LaRC03 (2D)
5.3.4.6.5. LaRC04 (3D)
5.3.4.7. Cuntze's Failure Criteria
5.3.4.7.1. 3D Failures
5.3.4.7.2. 2D Failures
5.3.5. Sandwich Failure
5.3.5.1. Core Failure
5.3.5.2. Face Sheet Wrinkling
5.3.5.3. Shear Crimping Failure
5.3.6. Isotropic Material Failure
5.3.7. Adhesive Failure (Beta Version)
5.3.7.1. Peel Stress Criterion
5.3.7.2. Shear Stress Criterion
5.3.8. Failure Criteria vs. Ply Type Table
5.4. Classical Laminate Theory
5.4.1. Overview
5.4.2. Analysis
5.4.2.1. Laminate Stiffness and Compliance Matrices
5.4.2.2. Normalized Laminate Stiffness and Compliance Matrices
5.4.2.3. Laminate Engineering Constants
5.4.2.4. Out-of-Plane Shear Moduli and Correction Factors
5.4.2.5. Polar Properties
5.4.2.6. Analysis Options
5.5. General Interpolation Library
5.5.1. Algorithms
5.5.1.1. Nearest-Neighbor Interpolation
5.5.1.2. Linear Multivariate Interpolation
5.5.1.3. Radial-Basis Algorithm
5.5.2. Options
5.5.3. Extrapolations
5.6. Nomenclature
6. Guide for ACP Terminology
Bibliography