Define the Material Properties

Create a new material by loading stainless steel from the material library.

1. In the Model tree, right-click on Materials and choose New.
2. In the dialog, click on Select Material.
3. The Material DB dialog will become populated with the available libraries. Click on Load Database.
4. Browse to C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Nastran In-CAD 2016\Materials, and open the ADSK_materials.natmat file.
5. The material tree is populated with the available materials. Under the Steel category, select 16-25-6 Stainless Steel.

   

   Ignore any messages about Failure Theory.

6. Rename the material to Propeller Material.

   

7. Click OK to create the material.

The key ingredients of a normal modes analysis are stiffness and mass. Take caution and time to ensure that a mass density is defined in the material information when defining a custom material for normal modes analysis.