Taking Variable Cores into Account in Solids or Top Surfaces

You can use the definition of variable cores (contour and height) to elevate a top surface or a solid created from iso-thickness areas.

You select a top surface, or a solid and indicate a surface acting as top surface.
Elevate Solid or Top Surface retrieves the contours used in the definition of the variable cores found either in the complete stacking, or in a selection of plies.
These contours are transferred from the surface supporting the plies and the variable core to the top surface you have selected.
An offset of the value of the height of the variable core is applied to this top surface to elevate it. This offset top surface is then turned into a solid if the support was a solid.

Notes:

This task is available in Composites Designand Composites Manufacturing Preparation.
The variable cores must have been defined as described in Creating a Core.
The elevation cannot be computed from overlapping or intersecting variables cores.
The elevation may fail in some cases, for example when the variable cores lie on top surface discontinuities.
The resulting top surface or solid is not continuous in tangency.

From the Solid and Top Surfaces from Plies section of the action bar, click Elevate Solid or Top Surface .
Select a top surface, or a solid and a surface considered as the top surface.
Decide if you want to retrieve the core definition from the Complete stacking or from a Selection of plies group.
Define the Transfer mode.
- Projection: The projection is perpendicular to the top surface.
- Elevation: The projection is perpendicular to the surface supporting the plies.
Those modes are similar to those described in About Skin Swapping.
Click OK to validate and exit the dialog box.
The elevated solid or top surface is created as a datum, under AddVariableCoreBody for a solid, under AddVariableCoreSet for a top surface.
- Original top surface and variable core:
- Elevated top surface: