Material Definition Dialog Box
Use the Material Definition dialog box to:
• Enter material properties for a new material
• Review and change properties for an existing material
On this dialog box, you enter the material name and an optional description, as well as determine definitions for:
The
principal system of units previously set for the model determines the units that appear by default on this dialog box. You can change the units for any property.
Choose one of the following tabs:
• Structural—Defines structural material properties.
• Thermal—Defines thermal material properties.
• Miscellaneous—Defines sheet metal properties, surface properties, and cross-hatching.
• Appearance—Defines appearances.
• User Defined—Defines reserved parameter definitions and add them to the materials database.
Different options appear on the Structural and Thermal tabs, depending on the material symmetry you select:
These symmetries are independent for Structure and Thermal. A material may have isotopic structural properties and orthotropic thermal properties.
You define an isotropic material for materials such as steel. For materials such as wood or fiber-reinforced composite, you define an orthotropic or transversely isotropic material.