Use steering analysis to determine if the radii of rounded surfaces on your ply are too small to have material properly applied to them. The smaller the radius, the greater the chance there will be distortion.
This illustration of a steering analysis shows areas where small radii can cause distortion in the material being applied.
To adjust steering analysis values:
- In the
TruPlan browser, double-click your steering analysis.
The Analysis dialog box opens.
- Optional: Click the color swatches to set highlight colors; from top to bottom, these colors are used to indicate radius ranges:
- Acceptable (green in this case)
- Close to radius limit (yellow in this case)
- Below the allowable radius (red in this case)
- Set steering values.
These should correspond to the radius limits of your manufacturing solution.
- Steering Radius Warning: Radii smaller than this value will be highlighted with the warning color (yellow).
- Steering Radius Limit: This refers to areas where the composite material will have too tight a curvature. Radii smaller than this value will be highlighted with the limit color (red), and are considered unacceptable. Since the risk of distortion increases as the radius decreases, the radius limit value should actually be smaller than the warning value. Autodesk recommends a default value of 1000 mm.
- Optional: Select
Display using a gradient.
If you select this, gradients are used depending on the value of the radius at that specific location. For instance, if the value is less than the Steering Radius Warning and more than the Steering Radius Limit, then the value is displayed as a gradient based on where the actual value is relative to those limits and their colors.
You can decrease radius values to reduce or eliminate problem spots provided your manufacturing solution supports the values. In the case of the preceding illustrations, with radius values significantly reduced, limit areas are virtually eliminated.
