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Proven and powerful fiber simulation for CATIA V5 Composites Workbench (CD3/CPE/CPM)
Proven Fiber Simulation
High Accuracy and Resolution
Flexible Seed Point
Seed Curve Constraint
Order of Drape Specification
(Sequential Areas)
Flexible Dart Handling
Instantaneous Flat Pattern
Powerful Simulation Options
Extensible Material Model
Robust draping simulation even on
complex surfaces
Simulates real-world manufacturing
operations
Allows rapid optimization of
producibility
Generates flat pattern, draped pattern
and fiber orientations
Specifies manufacturing procedure
Ensures product quality
CATIA V5 Composites Design 3 Configuration (CD3)
CATIA V5 HD2 + Composites Engineering 2 product (CPE)
CATIA V5 HD2 + Composites
Design for Manufacturing 2 (CPM)
Simulayt has now released its Advanced Fiber Modeler
(AFM) for the CATIA V5 Composites Workbench, which for the first time makes
Simulayt’s proven and powerful fiber simulation
technology available as a fully integrated option within CATIA V5. This means that users of CATIA
V5 now have access to a unique
tool with proven advantages over competitors. Rapid generation of accurate data
s t r eam l i ne s t h e en t i r e compos i tes deve lopment
process of design, analysis and manufacture.
The Layup Technology which lies at the core of AFM is
already widely used by c o m p o s i t e s e n g i n e e r s worldwide and so comes with
the benefit of 15 years’ of fiber s i m u l a t i o n r e s e a r c h ,
development and experience. AFM makes this proven and powerful technology accessible
to CATIA V5 users.
Brookwood House, Brookwood, Woking, Surrey,
GU24 0NX, UK
Tel. +44 (0) 1483 476521 fax. +44 (0) 1483 475519
www.simulayt.com
Simulayt develops the Layup Technology which includes
advanced f iber s imulat ion capabilities. This technology has been developed continuously since
1991 for the aerospace composites industry, and is now
used extensively in many other applications uti l is ing f iber reinforcement. Simulayt is focused
on meeting the evolving needs of the advanced composites
market.
Real-world components incorporate awkward
features like sharp corners, splits and rapid changes in
curvature. These requirements routinely trap fiber
simulation tools that have not been developed with real
geometry in mind.
The Simulayt simulation technology is routinely used to
analyse complex surfaces, particularly in the aerospace,
helicopter and motorsport industries. These awkward
surfaces continue to drive the development of Simulayt
simulation solutions as composite structures become
increasingly sophisticated.
For example, a typical Formula 1 monocoque contains
over two thousand separate plies. These structures
are designed in the space of two weeks, so product
performance is critical. This has driven our real-time
simulation and instantaneous flat pattern capabilities.
High Accuracy and Resolution
AFM analyses the surface topology in detail in order to
provide accurate simulations without errors due to fiber
bridging. This Predictive Surface Topology (PST)
approach yields important advantages on complex
surfaces in particular.
Independent benchmarks comparing AFM solutions to
other solutions have revealed that AFM generates more
accurate results than competing codes based on
conventional technology. This advantage increases as
the curvature of the surface increases.
AFM also resolves detail where the ply boundary is
jagged, as is often the case if many cuts need to be
inserted to drape the ply. The resolution of edge
detail is independent of the draping step length.
Order of Drape Specification
On the shop floor, plies are applied in stages to allow
accurate placement. AFM allows the user to specify
the order of draping over multiple regions to bring a
new level of accuracy to fiber simulation.
The sophisticated algorithms allow the specification of
plies with darted boundaries. AFM accepts sharp ply
boundaries without complaint so the user can specify
darts using the limit contour capabilities of CATIA V5.
Flexible Dart Handling
Instantaneous Flat Pattern
Simulayt’s proven technology generates cutter-ready
flat patterns instantaneously. These can be displayed
on-screen to improve the interpretation of the
simulation results and aid process optimisation. Also,
flat pattern update following geometry update is quick
The seed curve capability allows warp, weft or bias
directions to be constrained along a curve. This allows
accurate and realistic simulation of the application of
plies over surfaces such as C-section spars and oval
window frames. These shapes are increasingly
common in primary aerospace structures.
Seed Curve Constraint
Flexible Seed Point
Often, draping must begin at the edge of the ply.
AFM allows users to define seed points at the ply
boundary to run simulations cleanly and effectively.
AFM includes optimized propagation types that yield
excellent results for commonly-used woven fabrics
used for composites structures. The flexible
architecture of the Producibity application in CATIA
V5 Composites Workbench will allow ready extension
of AFM for specialist applications like tow placement.
Powerful Simulation Options
AFM supports extensible material models, including
disparate warp and weft lengths from the first release.
Extended material models such as those needed for
Non-Crimp Fabrics (NCFs) exist in the underlying
technology and will be supported as required by users.
Extensible Material Model AFM is fully integrated into the Producibility panel of the
CATIA V5 Composites Workbench. AFM simply
extends the existing fiber simulation features of this
product family to allow for advanced fiber simulation. All
data are stored and handled directly by the producibility
application of the Composites Workbench, including:
User interface
Storage of input and output data
Thickness update of the simulation surface
Visualisation of the fiber paths
Inspection
2D/3D and 3D/2D Transfer
Display and storage of the flat pattern
Thus, a customers process can remain the same
while reaping the benefits of more accurate and
robust advanced fiber simulation.
Fully Integrated in CATIA V5
AFM is based on Simulayt’s Layup Technology used
by hundreds of engineers worldwide. Therefore the fiber
simulation in CATIA V5 Composites Workbench is
the same as the fiber simulation in other composites
solutions using the Layup Technology. This means
that composites design, analysis and manufacturing
engineers can share a common solution within the
environment with which they are familiar, promoting
efficiency and product quality.
Compatible with Layup Technology
Proven Fiber Simulation
