Material Orientation Options

Solid sections can be oriented to a coordinate system and rotated about an axis.

See Also
Defining Continuum Shell Sections
Defining Gasket Sections
Defining Shell Section Properties
Defining Solid Sections
In Other Guides
Setting Display Preferences
Option Description
Specify orientation If the materials in your model exhibit directional properties, you can define their orientation.
Axis system definition There are several axis system choices:
Global
Defined by a constant orientation for the entire model.
Local
Defined by a displacement or rotation from the global system. It might move with a portion of the model during deformation.
Face and edge
Defined by selecting faces and edges and specifying their relation (creates a spatially varying orientation).
For example, select a surface or face to define the normal axis and the normal at the point closest to your selection is used as the normal axis direction. Select an edge to define the primary axis; the point on the edge closest to your selection defines the tangent used as the primary axis construction direction.
The axis system follows the selected face and edge through motion and deformation of the model and recalculates axis locations according to their relative motion.
Notes: For shell sections and membrane sections, the element normal is always preserved. The axis following the normal direction is projected onto the surface as the 1-direction. The 2-direction is the cross-product of the element normal and the 1-direction.

Face and edge selection is not available for axisymmetric models.

Axis system Local axis systems must be defined in another app. For detailed information, see Defining an Axis System in the Simulation Model Preparation guide.
Axis system type Cartesian specifies an axis system where each point is located relative to an origin and to three planes that intersect at right angles to the origin. Cylindrical specifies a local axis system where points are located based on their distance from a reference axis.
Note: This option is relevant only for non-axisymmetric models. Axisymmetric models use a Cartesian axis system.
Axis for rotation An axis for additional rotation of the axis system. For Face and edge systems, this axis is the same as the normal direction definition.
Additional rotation Positive rotation is measured using the right hand rule. You can enter a value in radians (rad) to convert it to degrees.