## 3.11. Variable Material Data in Composite Analyses

Composite modeling in Workbench provides the ability to account for variability in the mechanical properties of composite materials due to any scalar user-defined quantity. Temperature, Shear Angle (defined through ACP-Pre draping), and Degradation Factor are predefined variables in Workbench Engineering Data to be used for refining a composite material's behavior. You are free to define your own field variables.

The following mechanical properties can be defined as variable:

- Isotropic elasticity

- Orthotropic elasticity

- Orthotropic stress limits

- Orthotropic strains limits

Dependencies are specified in tabular form in Engineering Data.

An interpolation scheme is used to evaluate the effective properties given the local field variable state in the model. For information on how the interpolation scheme is controlled, see Variable Data Interpolation Settings.

Once the dependencies are defined in Engineering Data, they are accounted for in subsequent composite analyses and postprocessing. The Shear Value is defined by draping simulation in ACP-Pre, the Temperature is computed or defined in Structural, Transient Thermal, or External Data systems. The state of all other fields should be defined in ACP-Pre.

Variable material data is compatible with both shell and solid elements.

An example analysis using variable material data is given in Analysis Using Variable Material Data.

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