Local Coordinate System Options for Shingled Cone Structure

[whitejd]

I am trying to figure out how to achieve a local coordinate system in an ANSYS model for use with an orthotropic material definition. The meshed geometry is a thick-walled cone (solid elements). I'd like to project the global cylindrical CS to each element (its z-axis is correlated with cone body centerline), but effectively add an extra rotation about the local theta direction after projection to correlate with a shingled tape layup defining the conical wall. After much reading, this does not appear to be a trivial task. It even appears to be more difficult than expected with UDF options. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Stringmaker]

This is a tough task you're trying to tackle. I've wanted to do something similar in the past with solid shell elements which are sensitive to node numbering and ESYS orientation. Please let me know if you find a solution to this.

 

[skjoex]

something like this ?

 

[whitejd]

Thanks skjoex. It looks like a slight modification of your script might just work for me. Appreciate the feedback.

If anybody is aware of any other options, I'd be interested in hearing from you. I'm an ABAQUS user, and the additional rotation is activated by two data items on a simple material orientation definition - specification of a local axis and the amount of rotation about it, where the origin is assumed to be the respective material point. However, I've always thought that the defintion should allow for multiple sequential rotations.