Using the Virtual Stacking 2D Viewer and Options

You can create and manage a Virtual Stacking from the grid you have created.

Virtual Stacking supports the Main Stacking Sequence mode.

Ramp preview is available. See Virtual Stacking Drops in Defining the Panel.

Note: This task is available in Composites Design.

  1. From the Grid Design section, click Virtual Stacking and select a grid.
  2. Display the table according to your needs:
    1. Resize the dialog box to enlarge the 2D viewer.
    2. Zoom in or out, or pan the table as you need, using standard tools.

    • This 2D viewer displays Composites cells with background colors that correspond to the ply orientation colors.
    • If you have selected the option in the Preferences, place the cursor over a cell in the 2D viewer to display information about that cell, for example the sequence or the ply the cell belongs to, its material, its orientation, its name.

  3. Combine the Entity level (Sequence or Ply) and the View mode (Cells or Stacking areas) to retrieve and display the information you need.
  4. Press Compare with Current State .
    • The current cell coverage of all elements is stored.
    • All tools that have an impact on virtual element cell coverage remain available.
    • All tools that have an impact on virtual element order are disabled.
    • When you start a tool, the new coverage is compared with the stored one, and information on differences is displayed using visual effects:
      • In the 2D viewer:
        • Added cells are displayed with a white border.
        • Removed cells are displayed with a black border.
      • In the 3D area:
        • Differences are visualized when you select a virtual element.
        • Additions are symbolized by a darker orientation color.
        • Removals are symbolized by a darker gray color.
    • When you release , the stored information is lost. All virtual elements found with an empty cell coverage are removed. An information message is displayed.
  5. Make a Review:
    1. Use the arrows to go from row to row, or from column to column.
      The names displayed below the arrows are either the name of the ply or of the sequence, and the title of the column. Those names are also displayed when you pick a cell in the 2D Viewer.
    2. Use the Filter to display virtual elements with the selected orientation or shape.

      • Filter proposes plies orientation, and shapes of plies or sequences.
      • Shapes of plies or sequences are proposed depending on the selected entity level, and given by the list of grid cells covered by the ply or the sequence.
      • The name of the shape in the list is that of the first entity with this shape found in the virtual stacking table.
      • When filtering by shape, if the shape of the first row is modified, the rows below are replaced by plies or sequences sharing the new shape.
      • If the shape of the next rows is modified, the rows disappear from the list as they no longer correspond to the first shape found.

      All virtual elements corresponding to the selected criterium are displayed. When a filter is applied:
      • Lock symmetry is disabled.
      • Only tools that modify the virtual elements contents (especially orientation) remain available.
      • Cut Row is available, Copy Row and Paste Row are not.
      • Export is always performed with all orientations.
      • Current filter applies on imported virtual elements.
  6. Click one Preview icon to visualize the shape of the plies or sequences without previously generating them.

    • Each icon corresponds to one plies generation option. See Generating the Plies from the Virtual Stacking for more details.
    • Multiselection of plies is supported.
    • Preview lines may be distant from the actual plies.
    • Small gaps or overlaps of preview lines may occur.
    • Preview of steps resulting from a ramp support with no clearance are not centered.

    Once computed, these previews are displayed instead of the plies.
  7. Go to Symmetry Management.
    1. Select Lock symmetry to automatically apply modifications you make on the upper plies to their symmetry counterparts (plies grayed in the lower part of the table, below the symmetry axis (which is displayed in pink).
    2. For better performance, Cell valuation or its equivalent double-click does not start the recomputation of all symmetric layers. Click Refresh to force this recomputation when required.
    3. Select Automatic refresh to start an automatic recomputation, when performance is not an issue.
    4. Click Reorder plies from seq to reorder plies contained in symmetrical sequences so that they also become symmetrical.

      Reorder plies from seq is available when Lock symmetry is selected with Entity level specified as Ply.

    • All other tools start an automatic recomputation of the symmetric layers.
    • Changing the Entity level or the View mode starts an automatic recomputation of the symmetric layers because:
      • Symmetry can be different in Sequence or Ply level.
      • Symmetry is not different in Cells or Stacking areas view mode, but the recomputation updates the upper and lower symmetric layers.

  8. Go to Columns Management.
    1. Select Prevent Auto Computation to de-activate the automatic recomputation of the stacking areas when you exit one of the tools.
    2. Select Reorder to reorder the stacking areas or cells according to the number of entities they cover (from the greatest to the smallest number of layers).

    By default:

    • Prevent Auto Computation is selected.
    • Reorder is selected.
    Note:
    • The stacking areas or cells are not renamed.
    • Selecting Prevent Auto Computation inactivates Reorder.

  9. Select Display 3D Information to display information in the 3D area.
    1. Click Options to select the types of information to display.

      • One label for identical cells
      • Cells name
      • Stacking area name
      • Thickness law
      • Number of plies
      • Thickness
      • Delta with grid data (when there is a delta).

  10. Click Display Info Table to display an addition information table.
    In this table, if the current thickness law is different from the stress thickness law, the cell are colored:
    • In red if the current number of plies is lower than the stress.
    • In yellow if the current number of plies is greater than the stress.
    • Stacking areas are computed from the cells that share the same stacking sequence and are dynamically updated.
  11. Double-click a Structural Reference Element to edit it without exiting Virtual Stacking.

    See Edit a Reference Elements Group for more information.

  12. Click More...
    Additional options appear.
  13. Click Export to export data.
    1. Click to select the export mode from a list and proceed as explained in Import, Export, and Manage External Data.
    2. Click ... to define the path of the export file.
    • A message informs you whether the export has been successful or not.
    • If the number of columns required is greater than 256, the export result is written over several worksheets.
    • In Stacking areas View mode, the list of the cells corresponding to each stacking area is added to the .xls file.
    • Export to .xls file does not export the background colors of the cells.
  14. Click Import to import data.
    1. Click to select the import mode from a list and proceed as explained in Import, Export, and Manage External Data.
    2. Click ... to define the path of the import file.
    • The display mode is updated according to the .xls file imported.
    • If you have changed the names or materials of plies or sequences, this is detected and processed bySynchronize stacking .
    • If the import leads to a Virtual Stacking incompatible with the Main Stacking Sequence, the import fails.
    • A message informs you whether the import has been successful or not.
  15. Select Highlight Real Sequence or Ply.

    By default, this check box is selected.

    When you select a line in the dialog box, the corresponding real sequence or ply is highlighted in the work area, when it exists.
  16. Select Force Automatic Merge on Sequence or Ply when required.

    By default, this check box is selected.

  17. Use the Undo/Redo arrows as required.

If all the laminates used on grid cells are defined from the Main Stacking Sequence, the stacking sequences are aligned as shown below. This Main Stacking Sequence

Material Laminate.1 Laminate.2 Laminate.3
Unidir Material 0 0 0
Unidir Material 45 45 45
Unidir Material 90 90 90
Unidir Material -45 -45 -45
Unidir Material 0 0 0
Unidir Material 45 45 45
Unidir Material 0 0
Unidir Material -45 -45
Unidir Material 90 90
Unidir Material -45 -45
Unidir Material 0 0
Unidir Material 45 45
Unidir Material 0 0
Unidir Material 45 45 45
with Cell C1 pointing to Laminate.1, C2 to Laminate.2 and C3 to Laminate.3 results is this Virtual Stacking

If it exists, a Level column is added.

Note: In edition mode, if a ply group already exists, you are asked to update it or not. See Virtual Stacking for more information.