How to model a composite helicopter blade cross section and extrude?

[seepratik]

Hi friends,

I am working with abaqus in GUI for two years for modeling heat transfer analysis and I am switched to structural mechanics now. I need to model a closed central cross section (like helicopter blade) which has offset composite layers wrapped over it (2-3 times). Can anybody tell me how to model it? I tried shell planar but in this way the adding up layers might be ok, but there is hollow inside the center which I need to make solid. I created a 2-d cross section and extruded it and then pade partions as layers throughout the length, but it failed after running saying: 240 elements have missing property definitions. I want to make the cross section as: steel or aluminum at the center core, top layer as composite, next top layer as another composite like this. I tried lots of times but could not do it. There is no such video also in youtube. Can anybody help?

Thanks
Pratik

 

[corus]

Missing property definitions shows that you haven't assigned material properties. Viewer will show you the element set that hasn't been assigned properties.

 

[seepratik]

Dear Corus,

Thanks for your reply. I have already assigned the material properties before running it. When I assign the whole section (by dragging), only part of it was green and most of the part was yellow. Then I changed the green ones yellow also by clicking on them. However, that model was not good enough. I am thinking now about creating a solid cross section which is possible to extrude and wrapping up composite materials (extrudable as the same length like the solid center) over that as shell planar composite faces.But I am not sure how to combine the outer surface of the center core to the inner surface of the lowest composite layer. Can you help?

Thanks
Pratik

 

[Mustaine3]

Create the solid and assign a solid section.
Create a skin on the solid in property module, then create your composite layup and assign that to the skin.

 

[rstupplebeen]

I second Mustaine3's response. You may also want to use a CAD package to create the geometry, which could be quite complex.

I hope this helps.
Rob


Rob Stupplebeen
OptimalDevice.com
My LinkedIn

 

[rb1957]

can you (maybe in CAD) extract the surface of the blade, then offset the surface to create the inner surface of the outer ply (also the outer surface of the 2nd ply, then make a volume between these two surfaces and brick mesh ?

can you make a 1D beam model and develop a section property (similar to laminate elements) that is based on the lamina and their properties ?

another day in paradise, or is paradise one day closer ?

 

[seepratik]

Dear all,

Thanks for all your responses. Let me tell all of you my situation.

For assigning the cross section, Abaqus only shows some built in geometry like rectangular, circular, trapezoidal etc. The attached file will show you how my cross section looks like.I don't know how to assign it to the wire element that's why I did it in 3-d. Can you help to assign the cross section to abaqus for a 2-d wire analysis?

@ Mustaine3 and rstupplebeen:
I at first created a 2-d shell beam and wrapped the composite over it. Then I created another solid and applied tie constraint between the outer surface of the solid and the inner surface of the shell to assemble them.This is the way I built my model.

@ rb1957: The core of my section is solid with honey comb and glass fiber.(Please look the attached file)

Thanks
Pratik