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Knowmats is an informal repository of information related to materials and simulation. The information helps simulation professionals perform best-in-class simulation with a better understanding of how materials are represented in FEA and simulation. read more...


Cold Runner Design - Getting the whole picture matters

The profitability of a molded rubber product depends to a large extent on the mold efficiency. To achieve the maximum productivity, besides the larges possible number of cavities it is desirable to minimize the rubber consumption and to produce parts without defects.

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Rheology Rubbers Automotive Biomedical Injection Molding SIGMASOFT Newsletters


A Simplified Approach for Strain-Rate Dependent Hyperelastic Materials with Damage

"Simulation of rubber-like materials is usually based on hyperelasticity. If strain-rate dependency has to be considered viscous dampers are added to the rheological model. A disadvantage of such a description is timeconsuming parameter identification associated with the damping constants. In this paper, a tabulated formulation is presented which allows fast generation of input data based on uniaxial static and dynamic tensile tests at different strain rates. Unloading, i.e. forming of a hysteresis, can also be modeled easily based on a damage formulation. We show the theoretical background and algorithmic setup of our model which has been implemented in the explicit solver LS-DYNA [1]-[3]. Apart from purely numerical examples, the validation of a soft and a hard rubber under loading and subsequent unloading at different strain rates is shown."

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Mechanical Rubbers Hyperelastic Rate Dependency Yielding/Failure analysis Automotive High Speed Testing LS-DYNA Research Papers


Materials Data Workflow for Simulation of Composites in Transportation Applications

Multi-scale material models are being increasing applied for high level simulation of complex materials such as UD layups, fabric laminate composites, fiber-filled plastics. These models require data inputs from a variety of material tests which are then assembled into models used in the finite element solvers. We present an infrastructure for the digitalization of such information, where the required material data are collected including a process for maintaining traceability and consistency of the source data. Information about the compositional characteristics and processing history are captured. Built-in software modules or external client tools can be used for calibration of material models with the resulting material file linked to the source data. The accuracy of the reduced order model can be checked by running a validation simulation against a physical test. Models can be published and released into a master CAE materials library output where they can be used to model such materials for a variety of target solvers. This process improves the reliability and accuracy of composites simulation.

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Aerospace and Defense Automotive Structural Analysis Composites Presentations Materials Information Management


Practical Issues in the Development and Implementation of Hyperelastic Models

Hyperelastic models are used extensively in the finite element analysis of rubber and elastomers. These models need to be able to describe elastomeric behavior at large deformations and under different modes of deformation. In order to accomplish this daunting task, material models have been presented that can mathematically describe this behavior [1]. There are several in common use today, notably, the Mooney-Rivlin, Ogden and Arruda Boyce. Each of these has advantages that we will discuss in this article. Further, we will examine the applicability of a particular material model for a given modeling situation.

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Rubbers Foams Aerospace and Defense Automotive Biomedical Nonlinear Material Models Structural Analysis Abaqus ANSYS SOLIDWORKS MSC.MARC NX Nastran Research Papers


Datapoint Newsletter: Summer '08, Volume 14.2

New Tests and TestPaks. New Presentations On-line.

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LS-DYNA RADIOSS VISI Flow Newsletters Validation


Selecting Material Models for the Simulation of Foams 

We seek to lay down a framework to help us understand the different behavioral classes of foams. Following a methodology that we previously applied to plastics, we will then attempt to propose the right LS-DYNA material models that best capture these behaviours. Guidelines for model selection will be presented as well as best practices for characterization. Limitations of existing material models will be discussed.

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Foams Automotive Consumer Products Material Supplier Packaging Home Appliances High Speed Testing Nonlinear Material Models Structural Analysis LS-DYNA Abaqus ANSYS MSC.DYTRAN Research Papers


Datapoint Newsletter: Fall '08, Volume 14.4

A Makeover for DatapointLabs.

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Rheology Thermal Mechanical Newsletters


A Material Model for Transversely Anisotropic Crushable Foams in LS-DYNA

"Recently new materials were introduced to enhance different aspects of automotive safety while minimizing the weight added to the vehicle. Such foams are no longer isotropic but typically show a preferred strong direction due to their manufacturing process. Different stress/ strain curves are obtained from material testing in different directions. A new material model was added to the LS-DYNA code in order to allow a correct numerical simulation of such materials. Ease-of-use was a primary concern in the development of this user-subroutine: we required stress/ strain curves from material testing to be directly usable as input parameters for the numerical model without conversion. The user-subroutine is implemented as MAT_TRANSVERSELY_ANISOTROPIC_CRUSHABLE_FOAM, Mat law 142 in LS-DYNA Version 960-1106. In this paper we summarize the background of the material law and illustrate some applications in the field of interior head-impact. The obvious advantage of incorporating such detail in the simulation lies in the numerical assessment of impacts that are slightly offset with respect to the foam’s primary strength direction."

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Mechanical Foams Rate Dependency Automotive High Speed Testing LS-DYNA Research Papers


A Systematic Approach to Model Metals, Compact Polymers and Structural Foams in Crash Simulations with a Modular User Material

"Today the automotive industry is faced with the demand to build light fuel-efficient vehicles while optimizing its crashworthiness and stiffness. A wide variety of new metallic and polymeric materials have been introduced to account for these increased requirements. Numerical analysis can significantly support this process if the analysis is really predictive. Within the numerical model a correct characterization of the material behaviour – including elasto-viscoplastic behaviour and failure - is substantial. The particular behaviour of each material group must be covered by the material model. The user material model MF GenYld+CrachFEM allows for a modular combination of phenomenological models (yield locus, strain hardening, damage evolution, criteria for fracture initiation) to give an adequate representation of technical materials. This material model can be linked to LS-DYNA when using the explicit-dynamic time integration scheme. This paper gives an overview on the material characterization of ultra high strength steels (with focus on failure prediction), non-reinforced polymers (with focus on anisotropic hardening of polymers), and structural foams (with focus on compressibility and stress dependent damage evolution) with respect to crash simulation. It will be shown that a comprehensive material model - including damage and failure behaviour - enables a predictive simulation without iterative calibration of material parameters. A testing programme has been done for each material group in order to allow a fitting of the parameters of the material model first. In a second step different component tests have been carried out, which were part of a systematic procedure to validate the appropriate predictions of the crash behaviour with LS-Dyna and user material MF_GenYld+CrachFEM for each material group."

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Mechanical Plastics Foams Metals Rate Dependency Yielding/Failure analysis Automotive High Speed Testing LS-DYNA Research Papers


Ejection system design: Optimization with SIGMASOFT Virtual Molding

As the demand for functional integration and the need of design differentiation in manufactured products increase, the complexity of plastic parts increases as well; thus some previous knowledge on effective ejection systems becomes insufficient and the challenges in the design of ejection systems grow consistently.

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Rheology Plastics Rubbers Visco-elastic Automotive Biomedical Injection Molding SIGMASOFT Newsletters