HyperWorks Tip/Trick # 668

Applications:
HyperMesh

Application version:
5.0 and above

Computer hardware:
All supported

Computer operating systems:

All supported

Categories: Subcategories
Modeling/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.

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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 y1
x2 y2
x3 y3
x4 y4
ENDDATA

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

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Proprietary Information of Altair Engineering.