Generating a Braiding Surface

You can generate a mesh used as a braiding surface.

It takes the varying thickness inherent to braiding plies into account.

For multiple braiding paths, you can use Thickness Update in Producibility for Braiding before generating the final braiding surface. The tow thickness must then be comparable to the mean effective thickness, shown in the producibility dialog box.

Note: This task is available in Composites Braiding.

  1. From the Solids and Top Surfaces from Plies section, click Braiding Surface .
    Selected ply groups that contain braided plies are listed.
  2. Optional: Edit the name proposed for the mesh.
  3. Specify the mesh parameters.

    • The same mesh topology is used for all layers and its location according to the thickness of underlying braid layers: Successive braids are laid down on the surface of the previous braid.
    • Grid mesh is suitable for models without sharp corners. The result provides a consistent number of elements around the circumference and a consistent size axially. This is a good, regular mesh for finite element analysis.
    • ISO mesh is suitable for models with sharp corners as the mesh is refined at area of high curvature. The result is a tri mesh with a consistent size over the whole model.

  4. Enter a Max gradient value to limit the variations of the thickness to generate a smoother mandrel surface.

    This does not limit the effect of the slope of the surface.

  5. Select the Export Layup File check box, then proceed as explained in Preparing for Import/Export of Files.