Using the Materials Library

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In this video, you’ll

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identify required mechanical information,

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identify appropriate material properties,

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and customize a generic material.

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In the Simulation workspace, it is possible to inspect the materials that are being used.

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To begin, open Using the Materials Library.f3d.

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In the Simulation workspace, from the Toolbar, select Materials.

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The Study Materials dialog displays.

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Here, you can see a table of the components in the study,

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along with their corresponding materials.

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By default, the Study Material is listed as “(Same as Model)” for all the components.

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This means the material assigned to the design is being used.

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To override this, in the row of the material you want to change,

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select (Same as Model) to activate it.

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Then, click it again to expand the drop-down.

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Now, you can scroll the list to select an alternative material, such as Aluminum 6061.

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While the Study Materials dialog is open, you can inspect the material properties.

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With a material selected, simply click Properties.

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The material properties display adjacent to the table.

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For a Linear Static Study, it is important to review certain properties.

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Density is a measure of the mass of the material per unit volume.

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Young's Modulus measures the stiffness of the material.

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Poisson's Ratio measures the deformation of the material in a direction

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perpendicular to the direction of an applied force.

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Yield Strength is the stress at which plastic deformation occurs

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that is, if the equivalent stress is greater than this value,

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the material will permanently deform.

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Ultimate Tensile Strength is the tensile stress above which the material will start to neck and fail.

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Click OK to close the dialog.

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You can also customize a generic material.

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From the Toolbar, expand Materials and select Manage Physical Materials.

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This opens the Material Browser.

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Rather than create a material from scratch,

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it's easier to choose an existing material that is close to what you want

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and then copy it and edit the copy.

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But first, add the material to your Favorites list so that it is easy to access.

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From the Fusion 360 Material Library, right-click Aluminum 6061

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and, from the shortcut menu, select Add to > Favorites.

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Now, in the menu, select Favorites.

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The material displays in the Favorites list.

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Now you can duplicate this material.

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From the Favorites list, right-click Aluminum 6061 and select Duplicate.

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The duplicate material appears under Favorites.

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To rename this material, right-click the duplicate and select Rename.

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For this example, type “(Stiffer)” after the name.

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To modify it, in the Category column, next to the duplicate, click the Edit icon.

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From the Edit panel, open the Physical tab.

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Here, you can modify its material properties.

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For example, make the material stiffer

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by increasing the value of Young's Modulus to 78.900, and then click OK.

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Close the Material Browser.

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Now, return to the Study Materials dialog.

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From the Toolbar, select Materials.

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In the dialog, in the Study Materials column,

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expand the drop-down for Aluminum 6061 and select the modified material,

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Aluminum 6061 (Stiffer).

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Understanding and customizing materials is an essential step in setting up a simulation study.

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When you are finished working with the materials, save the file.