Inflating laminates

You can inflate a 2D laminate that you created using either the ply-based process or the zone-based process in one of these ways:

• Use the Extrude Laminate command to extrude a 2D laminate over a 2D mesh to create a 3D mesh.

• Use the Fill Laminate command to create 3D meshes between a set of 2D dependent meshes.

You can use the solid mesh to get better results in the ply out-of-plane direction.

The table lists meshes and mesh collectors that the software creates when inflating laminates.

3D Collectors	The software creates a 3D mesh collector for each laminate physical property that is referenced by the inflation elements. The 3D mesh collectors contain meshes for the 3D plies. In Simcenter Nastran and Abaqus solver environments, the 3D mesh collectors point to a solid laminate physical property. The stacking recipe of the solid laminate physical property is set to Extruded. In the ANSYS solver environment, the 3D mesh collectors point to a new laminate physical property. The stacking recipe of the new laminate physical property is set to Inherit from Layup.
Laminate1–Extrusion	The software assigns a layered laminate physical property to the solid meshes that the inflation process places under the [laminate name]–Extrusion collector.In the Nastran environment, the Output Format list is set to PCOMPS. In other environments, the Output Format list is set to Layered.
Laminate1–Ply1 Laminate1–Plies–2–3–4 Laminate1–Ply5	The software creates one 3D mesh per ply or ply group for each 2D mesh collector. The number of solid layers created depends on the Single Ply per 3D Layer check box and on number of ply groups. Each solid layer is a separate 3D mesh.The 3D meshes contain brick and wedge elements. Abaqus does not support the solid laminate physical property on wedges.
Laminate1–Cohesive4 Laminate1–Cohesive4 Laminate1–Cohesive5 Laminate1–Cohesive5	In the solver environments that support cohesive elements, the software creates a separate mesh collector and cohesive mesh for each cohesive layer in the stacking sequence. The mesh collector points to a Cohesive Property physical property. The physical property stores the material that you specified for the cohesive layer.
Laminate1–Extrusion–Homogeneous	The software assigns a homogeneous laminate physical property to the solid meshes that the inflation process places under the [laminate name]–Extrusion–Homogeneous collector.In the Nastran environment, the Output Format list is set to PSOLID. In other environments, the Output Format list is set to Homogeneous.To get these mesh collectors, you must do the following:Set the Solid Property option to Homogeneous for at least one ply in the source 2D laminate or layup.Select the Homogeneous Plies check box in the Laminate 2D-to-3D Extrusion dialog box or the Laminate 2D-to-3D Fill dialog box.
Extrusion Resin	The software creates a mesh collector that contains ply drop-off meshes. This mesh collector is called Extrusion Resin. The Extrusion Resin mesh collector points to a solid property and to the isotropic Epoxy material from the Default Material Library. You can change this material.The software creates the Extrusion Resin mesh collector and Resin Elements meshes only in the ply-based process, which uses global layups. Because the drop-off resin elements are not created in the zone-based process, which uses laminate physical properties, if the inflated meshes are based on physical properties that contain different numbers of plies, the meshes are discontinuous at their boundaries.
Resin Elements Resin Elements	The software creates drop-off meshes that contain combinations of brick, wedge, tetrahedron, and pyramid elements. These meshes are called Resin Elements.

Number of solid layers

You can control the number of solid layers in the inflated laminate, using the Single Ply per 3D Layer check box in the Laminate 2D-to-3D Extrusion and Laminate 2D-to-3D Fill dialog boxes.

When the Single Ply per 3D Layer check box is selected, the software creates a single layer of solids per ply. In the Nastran solver environment, at solve time, each solid layer is exported using one of the following cards:

• A PCOMPS card that contains a single ply, when the plies have the Solid Property option set to Layered.

• A PSOLID card that points to equivalent orthotropic properties, when the plies have the Solid Property option set to Homogeneous.

When the Single Ply per 3D Layer check box is not selected, the software creates one layer for the entire laminate unless one of the following conditions is true.

• There are drop-offs. In this case, the software exports each ply that contains a drop-off as an individual solid layer.

• There are ply groups. In this case, the software creates a single layer for each ply group. Use ply groups to control the number of solid layers.

• One or more plies have a thickness tolerance override. In this case, the software exports these plies as individual solid layers when you use the Fill Laminate command. The thickness tolerance override does not apply to extruded plies.

• Plies have different solid property types: layered or homogeneous. Only plies with the same solid property types are grouped together.

3D Collectors Laminate1 Extrusion Laminate1–Ply1 Laminate1–Ply2 Laminate1–Ply3 Laminate2 Extrusion Laminate2–Plies–1–2–3	3D Collectors	Laminate1 Extrusion	Laminate1–Ply1	Laminate1–Ply2	Laminate1–Ply3	Laminate2 Extrusion	Laminate2–Plies–1–2–3		(1) Laminate1 Extrusion Single Ply per 3D Layer(2) Laminate2 Extrusion Single Ply per 3D Layer
3D Collectors
Laminate1 Extrusion
Laminate1–Ply1
Laminate1–Ply2
Laminate1–Ply3
Laminate2 Extrusion
Laminate2–Plies–1–2–3

Modifying laminate inflation operations

The Extrude Laminate and Fill Laminate commands each create a setup node in the Simulation Navigator under the Laminate Inflation node.

Layups
Layup Offset
Material Orientation
Zones
Laminate Inflation
Extrude Setup 1
Extrude Setup 2
Fill Setup 1
Fill Setup 2

From the setup node you can update, edit, or delete the inflated laminate.

If you copy and translate, reflect, or project inflated 3D elements, the copied elements do not reflect the original extrusion but still point to the same extruded laminate physical property. All association to the plies is lost. Because the copied elements do not belong in any zone, the exporter issues a warning that some elements have no plies. Copy the source 2D elements and inflate them.

Layer butt joints in the ply-based process

In the ply-based process, you can create a layer butt joint between two plies that are on the same layer when you inflate a 2D laminate instead of using drop-off resin elements between the two plies. In the zone-based process, the software always creates butt joints.

Laminate with drop-off elements

Laminate with butt joint

For more information, see Defining butt joints.

Creating groups for inflated mesh free faces

When you inflate a laminate, the software creates one or more groups containing the nodes, 2D elements (for a sandwich inflation), 3D elements, and 3D element faces that lie on the free faces of the inflated meshes. The software creates one group per each free face.

Note:

The nodes and element faces generally do not lie on polygon geometry, except for those on the master inflation faces, and if they do they cannot be attached to the geometry.

Every time the inflation is updated, the software updates the groups so that they always contain the latest nodes, elements, and element faces. Therefore, when you reference the original groups in the loads, constraints, or other conditions in the Simulation file, the reference groups are still valid after each inflation update. However, it is possible that the content of some groups are interchanged.

Each group name contains an integer that is incremented each time a group is created, the inflation node name, the face type (master, side, cut, top), and an integer that is incremented for each instance of a side face.

Groups
1 - laminate inflation name_Master
2 - laminate inflation name_Top
3 - laminate inflation name_Side0
4 - laminate inflation name_Side1
5 - laminate inflation name_Side3
6 - laminate inflation name_Side4

The number of side groups and their content is defined by the geometry, and the feature angle for side groups option, which you can modify in Customer Defaults.

How do I

Extrude a 2D laminate to 3D

Create a sandwich structure

Create a 3D laminate between 2D dependent meshes

Create a butt joint

Learn more

Extrude Laminate

Fill Laminate

Defining butt joints

Look up more details

Right-click commands for laminate inflation nodes

Material orientation and laminate inflation

Inflated mesh color

Element type support for laminates

Quick links

Command reference

Pre/Post video examples

Bulk Entry Descriptions

Simcenter 3D tutorials

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Inflating laminates, Simcenter 3D 2021.1 Series

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