2.2.7 Specify Materials

Materials can be defined either by manually setting their mechanical properties or by selecting from a library of predefined materials (see Fig. 2.2.7.1, item 3). Materials attach to cross-sections. There are two options for assigning materials:

Fig. 2.2.7.1: Definition of materials via element names.

• Assignment via the “Assemble” Component: Use the “Elem|Id” input plug to specify the names of the elements to which the material should be attached. Alternatively, a regular expression can be used to select elements. Leaving “Elem|Id” empty sets the material for all elements. Materials are not attached directly to elements but to the element’s cross-section.

• Direct Input at the “Cross Section” Component: As shown in Fig. 2.2.7.2.

Fig. 2.2.7.2: Definition of a material directly at the "Element" component.

Figure 2.2.7.1 illustrates how materials can be defined by element names “Elem|Id”:

1. Definition of an isotropic custom material.

2. Definition of an orthotropic custom material.

3. Selection of a material from the material library.

Assignment via the “Assemble”-component overrides direct assignment in the cross section.

Should you not assign a material to your beam or shell elements, the default material will be used.