*+PDR: Include Powder Elements

*+PDR

This card introduces powder elements into the part-scale powder-bed modeling. This must be used in both the thermal and mechanical analysis files. This allows for more accurate predictions of heat transfer during powder bed simulations. By default powder material properties are scaled so that the thermal conductivity is 0.01X solid part conductivity, and powder specific heat is 0.60X solid part specific heat. Scaling can be controlled using *DDM1 or the powder can be assigned its own material properties directly using *DDMM in conjunction with the material property card, *MATI. When using this card the powder elements will be visible in the thermal analysis. This is of particular interest when modeling parts that trap powder within their body, multiple parts on a build plate that are close enough to transfer heat amongst the various parts, or a part with disparate sections that may transfer heat back to itself through the powder. Note that the powder elements will not be displayed in the mechanical simulation, as the powder elements are not attached to the body, and will have no effect upon the mechanical behavior.