Defining the Panel

You are going to create a panel defined by a curved surface and geometry constraints, represented by intersecting planes.

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  1. From the Grid Design section of the action bar, select Grid Panel .
  2. Select the reference surface.

    Physically, it is the mold used to manufacture the composites part.

  3. Select a Rosette from the list.

    • The Rosette is an important Composites object as it represents a reference used to drape the plies. Remember that plies are pieces of composites material, for example Kevlar or Fiberglass. These materials have fiber orientations. The way a material is draped on the mold is important as it impacts the mechanical properties, stress, and thickness of the final part.
    • The rosette feature is defined in the Composites Parameters.
    • It is made of an axis system that shows where the 0° orientation of the fibers is.
    • The rosette representation consists of arrows representing the fiber directions in the corresponding colors.

  4. A default name is proposed for the Reference Elements group. Customize it for a better understanding, and to avoid duplicate names. Select the line, enter H as a new prefix and click Rename Group.
    The group and its elements have been renamed accordingly.
  5. Select the Reference Elements group name and click Edit to define the staggering.

    Let us consider the staggering and the organization of the plies in layers on the mold. The staggering makes sure that plies laid one after the other are not relimited by the same boundary. The staggering provides the good mechanical properties on the part as well as a smooth final shape and avoids delamination risks.

    1. Select the Same on both sides option. Click New, enter an Offset of 10 mm and a Slope Step of 5 mm.
  6. Select the planes that define the horizontal Reference elements.
  7. Click Add to create the second group of Reference elements.
    1. For the staggering, enter an Offset of 20, a Step of 10 mm and select the Same on both sides option.
    2. Rename the group V.
    3. Select the vertical planes.
    4. Validate
  8. Hide the planes.

You are now ready to create the grid.