Matrix Thickness

[elenisheff]

Hi,

I am struggling to accurately model a composite material.

Is it possible to set the matrix thickness between layers in a layered textile? I want to set the matrix to be 3mm thick between each textile layer.

Am I able to specify the dimensions of the composite? Currently the matrix boundary is the same as the weave boundary (42mm wide in this case) however I know the width of the composite required (50mm). I have specified the yarn spacings (14mm) and the weave produced is correct (3 yarns x 2 yarns), however I would like the weave to extend to the full 50mm width without changing yarn spacings.

Any help with either of these issues would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Eleni

[louisepb]

Hi Eleni,

Are you generating your layered textile using the Wizard? If so the distance between the layers will be created so that they are just touching. In this case you could select the yarns in a layer and then change the z position by the appropriate amount. Depending on the number of yarns in each layer, the easiest way to select multiple yarns might be to select in the Outliner window. Having selected the yarns you can then change the z coordinate using the edit boxes int the Modeller tab in the Controls window.

Have you looked at the documentation to understand how the yarn repeats and domain etc work? You need to specify your yarn with the appropriate nodes, then specify the repeats (giving a potentially infinite textile) and then edit the domain to give you the section of textile that you wish to model.

Hope that helps,
Louise

[elenisheff]

Hi Louise,

Thanks for that, it's very helpful.

Ive managed to establish the correct domain but I'm confused by the repeats. Am I right in thinking the repeat function will repeat the textile I have created?

Should the full, repeated textile show on my screen? Currently I am trying to repeat the textile 21 times in the X direction, and not at all in the Y direction. However, the full, long textile is not being displayed.


Many thanks,
Eleni

[louisepb]

Hi Eleni,

If you look at the presentations for one of the workshops here https://github.com/louisepb?tab=repositories it should explain how the repeats and domain work together. Also the chapter on modelling theory in Martin Sherburn's thesis here http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/10303/1 ... -final.pdf

Basically the repeats give how the section of yarn specified repeats and then the domain specifies how many of those repeats are displayed when the Trim to Domain rendering is selected or how much is exported by the export functions.

Hope that helps,
Louise

[elenisheff]

Thanks so much for your help Louise, I've finally managed to create my model . Thank you.

Kind regards,
Eleni

[elenisheff]

Sorry to bother you again Louise but I've hit another wall...

When importing my TexGen model into ABAQUS the weft fibres don't seem to be being imported. The repeats of the warp fibres are also not all connected (small gaps between the yarn elements are present at some repeat points).

Is there a way of solving this?

Many thanks,

Eleni

[louisepb]

Hi Eleni,

Small gaps between repeats could be because you haven't selected periodic interpolation or because the repeat vector doesn't exactly match the length of your yarn.

Not sure why the weft yarns aren't being exported. Which export option are you using. Could you send your model so that I can see what's going on.

Best wishes,
Louise

[elenisheff]

Thanks again for your reply!

I will send you my model via email now.

It takes a long time to load on my computer. I am exporting as an ABAQUS voxel file. I am unable to export it as a dry fibre file without TexGen crashing. I thought maybe this was due to the size of the textile, but even if I create a single fibre within the same domain the software crashes.

Thanks so much,
Eleni

[louisepb]

Hi Eleni,

I'll take a look at it. The dry fibre export is normally pretty robust so there must be something strange going on!

I'll keep an eye out for your email.
Louise