Material Calibration App in Structural Mechanics Engineer role on 3DEXPERIENCE Platform

Realistic simulation requires an accurate representation of material behavior. The material microstructure makes each material behave differently when loaded or unloaded. The mathematical model in finite element analysis uses equations to capture the behavior of materials. Material response is defined by one or more parameters depending on settings in material representation. The quality of the mathematical model’s fit to the test data depends both on equations and parameters. In this article, we will look at the material calibration app on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform.

In general, material calibration refers to the process of determining the correct material model parameters for a given material. This ensures an accurate and reliable material model that correctly represents the material behavior. These models are critical in producing accurate simulations and predicting the real-world performance of a product.

The simulation app on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform offers a wide range of material models, including linear elastics, hyper-elastic, visco-elastics, plasticity, etc.  However, without proper calibration, the material model selected for a given material test data might not be an accurate fit.  Also, configuring material models manually can be time-consuming and prone to errors. For these reasons, using the Material Calibration app in Structural Mechanics engineer role on the platform is vital to reduce errors between the test data and material model. You can directly use the data points that come from the physical test lab.

The basic workflow for calibrating a material model is to import the material test data, select the appropriate material model and execute the calibration. The material calibration app uses optimization algorithms to calibrate the chosen material model’s parameters to fit the experimental data.

Supported formats for data import are MS Excel, Text files and CSV. Units can be specified when importing.

Test data can be edited after the import and there are tools for data repair, decimation and zero shifting. There are three computational modes for computing material’s response: analytical, numerical and FE-based. Users can switch between analytical and numerical modes as needed but it is not recommended to switch when using FE-based mode.

Visualization tools in the Material Calibration app enable users to compare experimental data with the predicted model and assess model accuracy. The comprehensive set of tools in the material calibration app streamlines the calibration process, making it easier for users to create reliable material models for their simulations. By employing these capabilities, product designers and engineers can be confident that their simulations will provide the insights necessary to drive product innovation and improve product performance.

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