Explicit material
Where it is
Section titled “Where it is”Not a setup-tree node. Embedded in the application.
Controls
Section titled “Controls”MATERIAL
Section titled “MATERIAL”Browse…
Section titled “Browse…”- Control: action (
ToolButton2)
ELASTIC
Section titled “ELASTIC”Density ρ
Section titled “Density ρ”- Control: value (
ValueField) - Unit: kg/m³
- Value modes: none (plain entry)
Matters twice in an explicit run: it is the inertia that carries the part into the floor, and with E it sets the speed of sound and so the time step.
Young’s modulus E
Section titled “Young’s modulus E”- Control: value (
ValueField) - Unit: Pa
- Value modes: none (plain entry)
Poisson’s ratio ν
Section titled “Poisson’s ratio ν”- Control: value (
ValueField) - Value modes: none (plain entry)
PLASTIC
Section titled “PLASTIC”Yield stress σy
Section titled “Yield stress σy”- Control: value (
ValueField) - Unit: Pa
- Value modes: none (plain entry)
Where the metal stops springing back. Required: an impact that stays elastic is not what explicit dynamics is for, and the dent you are after is the plastic strain past this point.
Hardening modulus B
Section titled “Hardening modulus B”- Control: value (
ValueField) - Unit: Pa
- Value modes: none (plain entry)
Flow stress = σy + B·εpⁿ. Zero is perfectly plastic. The library carries no hardening data, so this is yours to set and it survives a change of material.
Hardening exponent n
Section titled “Hardening exponent n”- Control: value (
ValueField) - Value modes: none (plain entry)
Between 0 and 1 for metals; 1 is linear hardening.
FAILURE
Section titled “FAILURE”Failure strain
Section titled “Failure strain”- Control: value (
ValueField) - Value modes: none (plain entry)
The plastic strain at which an element is DELETED, which is how a hole opens and how a shot gets through. Zero is no failure at all - right whenever the answer is a stress or a deflection rather than a tear. No library material carries one, so it is the case’s own number and stays when a new material is picked.
STRAIN RATE
Section titled “STRAIN RATE”Rate coefficient c
Section titled “Rate coefficient c”- Control: value (
ValueField) - Value modes: none (plain entry)
Zero switches strain-rate hardening off. Around 0.014 for mild steel and 0.025 for copper — it is fitted to a specific test, so take it from the same source as σy, B and n.
Reference rate ε̇₀
Section titled “Reference rate ε̇₀”- Control: value (
ValueField) - Unit: 1/s
- Value modes: none (plain entry)
The rate the coefficient was measured against, and the term is a logarithm of the ratio — so it cannot be zero once c is set. Usually 1/s.
Rate filter cutoff
Section titled “Rate filter cutoff”- Control: value (
ValueField) - Unit: Hz
- Value modes: none (plain entry)
The raw strain rate at an element swings by orders of magnitude between time steps and the logarithm amplifies it, so it is filtered. 10 kHz is the usual value for an impact. The solver refuses to be quiet about a rate term without one.
THERMAL SOFTENING
Section titled “THERMAL SOFTENING”Thermal exponent m
Section titled “Thermal exponent m”- Control: value (
ValueField) - Value modes: none (plain entry)
Zero switches thermal softening off. Around 1.0 for most metals — 1.09 for copper, 0.94 for mild steel.
Melting temperature
Section titled “Melting temperature”- Control: value (
ValueField) - Unit: K
- Value modes: none (plain entry)
The top of the scale the temperature rise is measured against, so it has to be above the starting temperature.
Heat capacity ρ·Cp
Section titled “Heat capacity ρ·Cp”- Control: value (
ValueField) - Unit: J/(m³·K)
- Value modes: none (plain entry)
VOLUMETRIC — density times specific heat, not specific heat on its own. About 3.5 MJ/(m³·K) for steel and copper alike. It is what turns plastic work into a temperature rise.
Starting temperature
Section titled “Starting temperature”- Control: value (
ValueField) - Unit: K
- Value modes: none (plain entry)
293 K is room temperature and the default.
Problems reported against this step
Section titled “Problems reported against this step”The application reports no problems against this step.
… marks a value the application computes at run time, so the source carries no fixed text for it.