Constituents → Micro → Laminate
Constituent properties, reinforcement architecture and fractions produce reference ply properties used by linked laminate plies.
02.8 / Embedded models & coupling
Explore the models.
Follow their connections.
The growing CDS model library, organized by physics and application. See what each formulation uses, what it calculates, and how its results connect to the next study.
FROM MATERIAL TO RESPONSE
See the models at work
Explore an architecture, build a laminate, and follow its response through a process.
Enlarge ↗Random short-fiber orientation
Cox shear-lag teaching setup with Fa = 0.15 and Fp = 0.35. The 3D illustration uses normalized fiber lengths; it is not a resolved RVE or a physical-scale micrograph.
Enlarge ↗Connected laminate workspace
A 16-ply laminate using a linked Micro recipe. The live stack is colored by ply angle, alongside the shared CLT properties.
Enlarge ↗Thick-section thermal lag
A 64-mm, 16-layer teaching variation of the local T700 demo, with a heating-ramp cursor and through-thickness section. Conduction demonstration only: the GUI reports missing reaction-heating data. Not a NASA benchmark or a qualified cure cycle.
Actual Workbench interface captures · September 2026. Teaching setups illustrate the interface; they are not new validation runs. Controls may differ in later releases.
One material foundation. Several analysis paths.
Select a stage to jump to its model list. Connections require compatible models and the stated inputs.
Structural and failure paths are formulation-specific. Fatigue does not automatically degrade the saved laminate; RF absorption does not automatically supply thermal heating. The coupling guide below gives the scope of each path.
42 model families · 78 listed model choices
These are the current released Workbench choices. Available selections depend on your package and license. Each formulation has its own assumptions and required calibration; related models do not necessarily run together in one solve.
How the models connect
Linked properties, coupled histories and separate assessments serve different purposes. These connections describe supported paths, not a universal multiphysics solver.
Thermal / cure → Mechanical
Compatible selected cases can map temperature and supported polymer-state histories into the mechanical calculation. Enable the required coupling and supply calibrated properties.
Moisture → Mechanical
A compatible moisture case supplies moisture history and an enabled swelling contribution. Boundary schedules and material diffusion data remain explicit inputs.
Ply damage ↔ Delamination
The supported layerwise plate path couples ply damage and interface delamination. This does not apply to every plate, shell or joint formulation.
Intact ply stresses → Fatigue
Calibrated S–N models assess life from intact stresses. Residual-property studies use separate fitted laws and do not automatically degrade the saved laminate.
Cure shrinkage / temperature → Tool release
Free-release curvature and corner spring-in use prescribed thermal and post-gel shrinkage inputs; they do not automatically import the process history.
Dielectric mixture → RF layers
Effective electrical properties can be entered into RF layer studies. RF absorption is not automatically coupled into thermal heating or mechanical response.
Materials & micromechanics
Design a ply or reinforced feedstock
Micromechanics
- Halpin–Tsai
- Rule of mixtures
- Modified rule of mixtures
- Chamis
- Mori–Tanaka
- Hashin–Rosen
- Self-consistent scheme
- Woven fabric bridging
- Cox shear-lag elastic
- Inputs
- Constituents, architecture, fractions and calibrated modifiers
- Results & connections
- Reference ply properties for each linked laminate ply
- Scope
- One compatible homogenization model per Micro recipe. Use separate recipes for comparisons; they are not combined in a single ply.
Heat, moisture & manufacturing
Cure, pultrusion, conditioning and tool release
Cure, crystallization & material transport
- Kamal–Sourour autocatalytic
- Kamal–Sourour with diffusion control
- Nth-order Arrhenius
- CHILE (degree of cure)
- UV intensity-dependent cure
- Nakamura–Avrami
- Temperature-dependent tabular
- 1D Fickian diffusion
- Inputs
- Calibrated kinetics, modulus or transport laws and material assignment
- Results & connections
- Material laws consumed by compatible Micro or transport calculations
- Scope
- Independent model records can be linked together through material inputs. A saved model must be assigned to a material before it contributes to a simulation.
Thermal transport
- 1D transient heat transfer
- 1D steady-state heat transfer
- 1D pultrusion thermal cure
- Inputs
- Laminate transport properties, initial state and the thermal case’s own surface cycle
- Results & connections
- Temperature and supported polymer-state histories; mapped fields only when coupling is enabled
- Scope
- One transport formulation per thermal case. Select its laminate and configure its own initial conditions and surface cycle; pultrusion additionally requires a distance-based die schedule and pulling velocity.
Moisture transport
- 1D transient moisture diffusion
- 1D steady-state moisture diffusion
- Inputs
- Laminate diffusion properties, initial moisture and its own boundary schedule
- Results & connections
- Moisture history and enabled swelling contribution
- Scope
- One formulation per moisture analysis. Thermal and moisture analyses can both be linked in Simulation; each needs its own boundary conditions.
Tool-release shape
- Free-release eigenstrain & spring-in
- Inputs
- Laminate and prescribed temperatures, CTE and effective post-gel shrinkage
- Results & connections
- Free-release CLT curvature and separate corner spring-in estimate; not an automatic process-history handoff
- Scope
- Free CLT release from prescribed ply-local shrinkage/thermal eigenstrains. Corner spring-in is a separate uniform-strain estimate. Stress-free temperature and effective post-gel shrinkage need calibration. No tool friction, cure kinetics or viscoelastic restraint history.
Structural mechanics
Size plates, beams, shells, sandwich panels and joints
Plate · CLT & FSDT
- CLT
- FSDT
- Static bending
- Modal
- Buckling
- Buckling and modal
- Inputs
- Laminate stiffness, finite plate dimensions, supported edges and study choice
- Results & connections
- FSDT static bending or selected buckling / modal results; not progressive damage
- Scope
- Choose a formulation and study. Buckling and modal can be requested together; static bending requires FSDT. These are reference-elastic studies, separate from coupled process or progressive failure.
Cylinder
- Linear thin-wall membrane
- Layerwise thick-wall elasticity
- Inputs
- Laminate, cylinder dimensions and formulation-compatible pressure / axial loading
- Results & connections
- Thin-wall membrane response or layerwise radial fields, with distinct assumptions
- Scope
- Choose one cylinder formulation per case record. Geometry and plies remain shared; thick-wall radial results exclude torsion and process strains.
Membrane, bending & beam buckling
- Linear static
- Linear static with failure indices
- Beam Euler buckling
- Inputs
- Laminate, compatible section and static or Euler load case
- Results & connections
- Membrane / bending response or separate Euler buckling result
- Scope
- Geometry and the case determine the membrane or beam-test interpretation. Euler buckling requires a compatible beam section and a separate reference-elastic study; it is not a strength or local-buckling pass.
Layerwise sections, joints & delamination
- Layerwise x-z plane strain
- Single-lap x-z plane strain
- Coupled delamination growth
- Inputs
- Section or lap geometry, laminate, loads and calibrated interface properties
- Results & connections
- x–z fields; coupled ply damage and delamination only for the supported layerwise plate path
- Scope
- Coupled delamination is available only for the layerwise Plate section and needs calibrated interface and ply properties. Lap-shear uses its separate joint geometry and perfectly bonded elastic formulation.
Sandwich bending
- Sandwich three-point bend
- Inputs
- Faces, core, dimensions and three-point-bend load
- Results & connections
- Deflection and separate face, core and nominal bond-shear screening
- Scope
- Dedicated sandwich screening. Check core, faces and nominal bond shear separately; peel, mixed-mode debonding and crack growth are not assessed.
Analytical bonded joint
- Volkersen & Goland–Reissner joint
- Inputs
- Identical equivalent-elastic adherends, adhesive, overlap, width and tensile force
- Results & connections
- Volkersen shear and Goland–Reissner shear / peel; no debond growth
- Scope
- Identical equivalent-elastic adherends, long free arms and a thin elastic adhesive. Compare shear-only Volkersen with eccentric single-lap shear and peel. Not a debonding, plasticity or strength calculation.
Cylinder buckling
- Donnell cylinder · axial buckling
- Inputs
- Thin specially orthotropic shell, radius, length, axial compression and prescribed knockdown
- Results & connections
- Ideal / knocked-down Donnell axial buckling and governing mode; no pressure or postbuckling
- Scope
- Simply supported, thin, specially orthotropic cylinder under uniform axial compression. Discrete Donnell modes; prescribed knockdown factor explores imperfection sensitivity, not a prediction from measured imperfection amplitude. No pressure, torsion, postbuckling or strength pass.
Failure, durability & variability
Assess strength, service life and sensitivity
Failure & envelope comparison
- Maximum stress
- Maximum strain
- Tsai–Hill
- Tsai–Wu
- Hashin
- Inputs
- Eligible CLT load case, strengths / strain limits and selected criterion
- Results & connections
- First-ply envelopes or supported progressive ply-damage histories; criteria are not blended
- Scope
- One primary failure criterion per load. In Response → Failure, compare all eligible theories or a custom selection in the envelope controls. Each theory runs independently; criteria are not blended.
Fatigue S–N
- Kim–Zhang
- Sendeckyj
- Weibull S–N
- Kohout–Vechet
- Basquin
- Inputs
- Intact ply stresses, cyclic loads and measured S–N calibration
- Results & connections
- Separate life assessment; no automatic laminate degradation
- Scope
- Select calibrated S–N curves for each material, direction and stress sign in Fatigue. Different sources can use different models. S–N life does not define residual stiffness or strength.
Open-hole strength
- Whitney–Nuismer open-hole tension
- Inputs
- Specially orthotropic laminate, hole radius, unnotched strength and calibrated distances
- Results & connections
- Point / average stress strength screening and radial stress profile
- Scope
- Infinite-width, specially orthotropic tension screening. Point and average stress distances must be calibrated independently for this laminate. Not compression, bearing or a joint allowable.
Creep & stress relaxation
- Generalized Maxwell · axial Prony
- Inputs
- Laminate Ex, Prony fractions / times and held stress or strain at calibration temperature
- Results & connections
- Separate axial creep and relaxation curves with time-refinement safeguards
- Scope
- Linear uniaxial response at the calibration temperature. Reference Ex is the instantaneous modulus. Three Maxwell branches; creep is solved from stress equilibrium, not the reciprocal relaxation modulus. No thermal shifting or nonlinear creep.
LaRC04 failure initiation
- LaRC04 · linear shear
- Inputs
- Laminate, membrane / bending resultants and calibrated effective ply strengths
- Results & connections
- Linear-shear LaRC04 initiation indices at ply faces; no progressive degradation
- Scope
- NASA LaRC04 linear-shear specialization, evaluated at both faces of every ply under membrane and bending loads. Supplied ply strengths are effective/in-situ values; no automatic thin-ply enhancement. Initiation only, not degradation or nonlinear-shear instability.
Fatigue residual properties
- Calibrated residual-property fatigue
- Inputs
- Modulus, independently fitted stiffness / strength retention laws, life and elapsed cycles
- Results & connections
- Residual-property curves for the specified constant-amplitude calibration; saved laminate is unchanged
- Scope
- Prescribed power-law retention fitted to constant-amplitude tests at a fixed stress ratio, amplitude and temperature. Stiffness and strength have independent coefficients. S–N life alone cannot calibrate either. Does not modify the saved laminate.
Uncertainty & sensitivity
- Seeded laminate uncertainty
- Inputs
- Laminate, bounded modulus / thickness / angle variations, seed and axial load
- Results & connections
- ABD axial-strain percentiles and signed correlations; not certified reliability
- Scope
- Seeded independent uniform sampling of shared modulus, ply-thickness and angle offsets. Recomputes laminate ABD for each sample. Bounds are assumptions, not measured distributions. Percentiles and sensitivity are exploratory, not reliability certification.
Virtual test lab
Explore specimen behavior and calibration
D6641 · Compression coupon
- Virtual test · compression coupon
- Inputs
- Linked laminate and explicit specimen, load or measured calibration inputs
- Results & connections
- Uniform small-strain compression using linked laminate Ex and thickness. Measured compressive strength supplies a screening ratio; fixture, tabs, buckling and failure evolution are not simulated.
- Scope
- Uniform small-strain compression using linked laminate Ex and thickness. Measured compressive strength supplies a screening ratio; fixture, tabs, buckling and failure evolution are not simulated.
D5379 / D7078 · Shear coupon
- Virtual test · nominal shear coupon
- Inputs
- Linked laminate and explicit specimen, load or measured calibration inputs
- Results & connections
- Uniform nominal shear between notches using linked laminate Gxy and thickness. Not a notch/fixture stress field or nonlinear shear solution. Gauge length is the effective shear deformation length, not crosshead travel.
- Scope
- Uniform nominal shear between notches using linked laminate Gxy and thickness. Not a notch/fixture stress field or nonlinear shear solution. Gauge length is the effective shear deformation length, not crosshead travel.
D5528 · DCB opening
- Virtual test · DCB beam compliance
- Inputs
- Linked laminate and explicit specimen, load or measured calibration inputs
- Results & connections
- Ideal Euler–Bernoulli DCB with equal homogeneous 0° arms, each half the linked laminate thickness. No root rotation, shear, large displacement or cohesive growth. Critical load is an initiation estimate from supplied GIc.
- Scope
- Ideal Euler–Bernoulli DCB with equal homogeneous 0° arms, each half the linked laminate thickness. No root rotation, shear, large displacement or cohesive growth. Critical load is an initiation estimate from supplied GIc.
D7905 · ENF sliding
- Virtual test · ENF beam compliance
- Inputs
- Linked laminate and explicit specimen, load or measured calibration inputs
- Results & connections
- Ideal equal-arm, homogeneous 0° ENF beam; support span is twice the half-span. Crack must be shorter than the half-span. No shear/root correction or unstable crack growth. GIIc is supplied, not fitted automatically.
- Scope
- Ideal equal-arm, homogeneous 0° ENF beam; support span is twice the half-span. Crack must be shorter than the half-span. No shear/root correction or unstable crack growth. GIIc is supplied, not fitted automatically.
D6671 · Mixed-mode fracture envelope
- Virtual test · BK mixed-mode envelope
- Inputs
- Linked laminate and explicit specimen, load or measured calibration inputs
- Results & connections
- Benzeggagh–Kenane envelope from calibrated GIc, GIIc and exponent. Supplied GI/GII are energy-release rates from a separate test reduction or analysis. This does not resolve the MMB lever fixture or propagate a crack.
- Scope
- Benzeggagh–Kenane envelope from calibrated GIc, GIIc and exponent. Supplied GI/GII are energy-release rates from a separate test reduction or analysis. This does not resolve the MMB lever fixture or propagate a crack.
D5229 · Moisture uptake calibration
- Virtual test · Fickian uptake calibration
- Inputs
- Linked laminate and explicit specimen, load or measured calibration inputs
- Results & connections
- Homogeneous slab, initially dry, both faces held at equilibrium moisture. Fits diffusivity from two early uptake measurements (both ≤50% saturation) using the square-root-time approximation. Edge ingress and temperature dependence are excluded. Does not overwrite material properties.
- Scope
- Homogeneous slab, initially dry, both faces held at equilibrium moisture. Fits diffusivity from two early uptake measurements (both ≤50% saturation) using the square-root-time approximation. Edge ingress and temperature dependence are excluded. Does not overwrite material properties.
D5961 · Bearing / bypass screening
- Virtual test · bearing bypass screening
- Inputs
- Linked laminate and explicit specimen, load or measured calibration inputs
- Results & connections
- Single-pin nominal bearing, net-section and shear-out checks with independent measured allowables. Bypass tension is added to net-section load only. No contact, bolt preload, load redistribution or validated bearing–bypass interaction envelope.
- Scope
- Single-pin nominal bearing, net-section and shear-out checks with independent measured allowables. Bypass tension is added to net-section load only. No contact, bolt preload, load redistribution or validated bearing–bypass interaction envelope.
D6484 · Open-hole compression
- Virtual test · measured open-hole compression
- Inputs
- Linked laminate and explicit specimen, load or measured calibration inputs
- Results & connections
- Nominal gross/net stress and demand relative to measured open-hole compressive strength for this geometry and layup. This is test-data screening, not an uncalibrated notch-strength prediction. No local buckling or kink-band simulation.
- Scope
- Nominal gross/net stress and demand relative to measured open-hole compressive strength for this geometry and layup. This is test-data screening, not an uncalibrated notch-strength prediction. No local buckling or kink-band simulation.
D6742 · Filled-hole comparison
- Virtual test · measured filled-hole comparison
- Inputs
- Linked laminate and explicit specimen, load or measured calibration inputs
- Results & connections
- Compares user-measured open- and filled-hole compressive strengths using gross-section stress. Use matched layup, hole, environment and fastener condition. Filling a hole does not automatically recover strength; no fastener contact/preload model is applied.
- Scope
- Compares user-measured open- and filled-hole compressive strengths using gross-section stress. Use matched layup, hole, environment and fastener condition. Filling a hole does not automatically recover strength; no fastener contact/preload model is applied.
D7136 / D7137 · Impact & CAI assessment
- Virtual test · measured impact and CAI
- Inputs
- Linked laminate and explicit specimen, load or measured calibration inputs
- Results & connections
- Incident energy from measured impact velocity; residual compressive strength from measured peak CAI force. Rebound energy estimates energy not returned to the striker, NOT damage energy. No impact/contact solver, damage-area prediction or energy-to-strength extrapolation.
- Scope
- Incident energy from measured impact velocity; residual compressive strength from measured peak CAI force. Rebound energy estimates energy not returned to the striker, NOT damage energy. No impact/contact solver, damage-area prediction or energy-to-strength extrapolation.
Electromagnetics & RF
Design dielectric mixtures, shielding and periodic layers
Wiener series and parallel
- EM · Wiener series and parallel
- Inputs
- Explicit host/inclusion electrical properties and fractions
- Results & connections
- Effective permittivity; manual handoff to an RF layer, not an automatic mechanical-property update
- Scope
- Positive lossless dielectric bounds; complex directional estimates.
Looyenga / Landau–Lifshitz–Looyenga
- EM · Looyenga / Landau–Lifshitz–Looyenga
- Inputs
- Explicit host/inclusion electrical properties and fractions
- Results & connections
- Effective permittivity; manual handoff to an RF layer, not an automatic mechanical-property update
- Scope
- One cube-root mixing law, not two independent models.
Maxwell–Garnett
- EM · Maxwell–Garnett
- Inputs
- Explicit host/inclusion electrical properties and fractions
- Results & connections
- Effective permittivity; manual handoff to an RF layer, not an automatic mechanical-property update
- Scope
- Dilute subwavelength spherical inclusions in a host.
Normal-incidence laminate TMM
- EM · Normal-incidence laminate TMM
- Inputs
- Explicit dielectric A/B layers, thicknesses, repetition, frequency and supported polarization
- Results & connections
- Reflection, transmission, absorption and shielding spectra; no mechanical coupling
- Scope
- Coherent isotropic nonmagnetic layers between air half-spaces.
Bruggeman symmetric EMT
- EM · Bruggeman symmetric EMT
- Inputs
- Explicit host/inclusion electrical properties and fractions
- Results & connections
- Effective permittivity; manual handoff to an RF layer, not an automatic mechanical-property update
- Scope
- Two positive-permittivity phases; no explicit contact network.
EM Mori–Tanaka
- EM · EM Mori–Tanaka
- Inputs
- Explicit host/inclusion electrical properties and fractions
- Results & connections
- Effective permittivity; manual handoff to an RF layer, not an automatic mechanical-property update
- Scope
- Scalar principal-axis ellipsoidal field approximation.
EM self-consistent
- EM · EM self-consistent
- Inputs
- Explicit host/inclusion electrical properties and fractions
- Results & connections
- Effective permittivity; manual handoff to an RF layer, not an automatic mechanical-property update
- Scope
- Scalar principal-axis self-consistency; spherical case equals Bruggeman.
Differential effective medium
- EM · Differential effective medium
- Inputs
- Explicit host/inclusion electrical properties and fractions
- Results & connections
- Effective permittivity; manual handoff to an RF layer, not an automatic mechanical-property update
- Scope
- Incremental mixing with time-step refinement check.
Coated sphere and interphase
- EM · Coated sphere and interphase
- Inputs
- Explicit host/inclusion electrical properties and fractions
- Results & connections
- Effective permittivity; manual handoff to an RF layer, not an automatic mechanical-property update
- Scope
- Concentric subwavelength coated spheres; no dynamic Mie scattering.
Generalized multiphase EMT
- EM · Generalized multiphase EMT
- Inputs
- Explicit host/inclusion electrical properties and fractions
- Results & connections
- Effective permittivity; manual handoff to an RF layer, not an automatic mechanical-property update
- Scope
- Spherical multiphase Bruggeman with convergence checks.
Oblique polarized laminate TMM
- EM · Oblique polarized laminate TMM
- Inputs
- Explicit dielectric A/B layers, thicknesses, repetition, frequency and supported polarization
- Results & connections
- Reflection, transmission, absorption and shielding spectra; no mechanical coupling
- Scope
- TE or TM waves; scalar isotropic layers, no polarization conversion.
1D transmission line matrix
- EM · 1D transmission line matrix
- Inputs
- Explicit dielectric A/B layers, thicknesses, repetition, frequency and supported polarization
- Results & connections
- Reflected and transmitted pulse histories and spectra; mesh and energy checks
- Scope
- Normal-incidence lossless delay-line mesh with pulse decay, energy and mesh-refinement safeguards. Explicit Run required; not a 3D solver.
1D Floquet–Bloch periodic layers
- EM · 1D Floquet–Bloch periodic layers
- Inputs
- Explicit dielectric A/B layers, thicknesses, repetition, frequency and supported polarization
- Results & connections
- Periodic-cell eigenvalues, folded Bloch phase and stop-band decay
- Scope
- Lossless isotropic A/B unit-cell eigenvalues, folded Bloch phase and stop-band attenuation at normal incidence. Not arbitrary-cell homogenization.
Choose the models for your work
Explore packages and pricing · View the connected workflow · Workbench model locations and release scope
The wider theory library also covers reference and research formulations. Their presence in the manual does not make them an embedded Workbench capability.