Material Orthotropy in FEA
Why does a plate bend differently when I support its opposite, parallel sides? 🤔
For structural engineers, this is a simple question, as they know that many materials have properties that vary depending on the direction along which those properties are calculated. This is typical behavior for wood-based plates, such as Oriented Strand Board or Plywood.
💡 RFEM offers a variety of material models to account for orthotropic behavior in elements like surfaces or solids.
👉 Orthotropic | Linear Elastic
This model allows for different stiffness properties in different directions within the plane of the plate, representing materials with varying strength and stiffness along each surface axis.
👉 Orthotropic | Plastic
This model combines orthotropic and plastic behavior, initially modeling elastic properties and then transitioning to plasticity governed by the Tsai-Wu criterion when yielding occurs.
👉 Orthotropic | Timber | Linear Elastic
Designed for timber materials, this model accounts for directional stiffness and considers different stiffness behaviors for plate and wall stress.
