HyperWorks Tip/Trick # 668Applications:HyperMesh

Application version:5.0 and above

Computer hardware:All supported

Computer operating systems:All supported

Categories: SubcategoriesModeling/Solver Interfacing

Topic:Creating and using a LS-DYNA *DEFINE_CURVE card in HyperMesh.

Topic details:

The *DEFINE_CURVE card is an important part of an LS-DYNA input deck. The *DEFINE_CURVE card can be used to represent the non-linearity of a material or to define a prescribed motion.

To create and use *DEFINE_CURVE, follow the steps shown below.

STEP 1: Create a Plot

1 Verify that you are using the LsDyna user profile.

2 On the Post page, go to the xy plots: plot sub panel.

3 In the plot= field, type a plot name.

4 Ensure that the plot type is standard.

5 Click create plot.6 Click return to go back to the xy plots panel.

STEP 2: Create the curve

A curve can be created using one of the two methods shown below.

METHOD 1: Manual xy input

1 Go to the xy plots: edit curves sub panel.

2 Switch the file function to math function.

Altair Engineering © 2005 Page 1

3 Enter the values for x and then the values for y.

The format is:

x= {x1,x2,x3…...}y= {y2,y2,y3……}

METHOD 2: Import curve file

1 Go to the xy plots: read curves sub panel.

2 Select the plot on which you want to create the curve by clicking the plot= button.

3 Click browse… and select the curve file.

4 Click input to import the curve into the plot.

The format of the curve file is:XYDATA, <name of the curve>x1 y1x2 y2x3 y3x4 y4ENDDATA

STEP 3: Link the curve to the material or load collector

Defining the material

1 In collectors: create sub panel, create/edit a mats collector using the appropriate card image.

2 In the card image, click LCSS to display all the curve present in the model.

3 Select the curve that you want to assign to the material.

4 Click return to go back to the collectors panel.

Defining the loading

1 In collectors: create sub panel, create/edit a loadcols collector using the appropriate card image.

2 In the card image, click the LCID button to display all the curves present in the model.

3 Select the curve that you want to assign for the motion.

4 Click return to go back to the collectors panel.

Author:

Altair HyperWorks Technical Support Group (bp)

Date this entry was last reviewed:August 1, 2005

Altair Engineering © 2005 Page 2

Proprietary Information of Altair Engineering.