Learning Forum

[Stathis Stratakos]

What are the approaches used in finite element simulations to represent, with a homogeneous structure, an object composed of multiple layers of the same material stacked together?

I would like to simulate the bending of ream of a high number of paper sheet layers and I am seeking for an approach that will allow me to approximate the overall structure with a single component.

Do you have any suggestions?

Thank you!

Best,
Stathis

[mjmiddle]

If this is the same material but any layering will affect the behavior, then there must be something different to define "layers." There are probably different orthotropic properties, such as different fiber direction for layers of a composite. Have you considered using Ansys Composite PrepPost (ACP) to set up the layer stack?

Or are these layers of isotropic material with bonding that may delaminate with bending or temperature gradient?

We also have Material Designer where you can model a small unit of the material to obtain the overall properties. You could make your own user defined material and stack up the layers.

https://ansyshelp.ansys.com/account/secured?returnurl=/Views/Secured/corp/v231/en/acp_md/acp_md.html