Local coordinate system can also be specified using scs parameter. Then local coordinate system is specified in so called “shell” coordinate system, which is defined locally on each particular element and its definition is as follows: principal z-axis is perpendicular to shell mid-section, x-axis is perpendicular to z-axis and normal to user specified vector (so x-axis is parallel to plane, with being normal to this plane) and y-axis is perpendicular both to x and z axes. This definition of coordinate system can be used only with plates and shells elements. When vector is parallel to z-axis an error occurs. The scs array contain three numbers defining direction vector . If no local coordinate system is specified, by default a global coordinate system is used.
For 3D case the material compliance matrix has the following form
(1) |
(2) |
(3) | |||
(4) | |||
(5) | |||
(6) | |||
(7) | |||
(8) |
is Young's modulus in the -th direction, is the shear modulus in plane, is the major Poisson ratio, and is the minor Poisson ratio. Assuming that , etc., then is referred to as the major Poisson ratio, while is referred as the minor Poisson ratio. Note that there are only nine independent material parameters, because of symmetry conditions. The symmetry condition yields
Borek Patzak