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DYNAFAB™ Questions and Answers

What is DYNAFAB™ ?

DYNAFAB™ is a preprocessor with a user-friendly GUI used to automatically create finite element models of 2D and 3D fabrics such as plain weave and unidirectional architectures.

Where can I get the DYNAFAB™ User Manual from?

You can freely download a PDF copy of the user manual by using the Manual and Newsletter link in the menu bar on the left, or by clicking here.

What is the output of DYNAFAB™ ?

The output of DYNAFAB™ is a formatted LS-DYNA® keyword inputfile that is ready for use in a simulation, or it can be imported into other commercial preprocessing and modeling software such as Altair Hypermesh®, CATIA®, Patran®, Abaqus®, and LSPrePost®.

What does the textile FE model created by DYNAFAB™ contain?

The output textile FE model consists of a fabric with a yarn level architecture discretized by hexahedral or solid elements.

What are the advantages of DYNAFAB™?

1. With DYNAFAB™, all it takes is a few clicks of the mouse and less than a minute to completely set up a high quality FE mesh of a textile fabric.

2. No expensive third party CAD or preprocessing software licenses are required. If any modifications are required, they can be easily done in LS-DYNA’s freely available preprocessor LSPrePost®.

3. The users can choose from numerous custom equations to input their own cross-sections and undulating centerlines in order to develop or test new architectures.

4. DYNAFAB™ is highly customizable in terms of geometry / architecture. Different mesh schemes  allow the user to create coincident nodes at yarn / tow cross-over locations.

5. DYNAFAB™ leads to enormous savings in both time and money for the industry, especially since highly qualified and paid scientisits and researchers do not need to spend large amounts of their time creating or modifying the FE models, and can instead focus their efforts on capturing the physics of the simulation.

What types of yarn and tow cross sections can be created?

Over ten cross sections are available that include circular, rectangular, trapezium, sinusoidal, and elliptical. In addition hybrid cross sections which may have combinations of elliptical and sinusoidal on the top and bottom halves of the cross section are possible. The user can also use custom equations to generate their own cross sections and undulations or yarn / tow centerlines.

Why should I subscribe to the newsletter?

DYNAFAB™ is constantly being updated with new features and capabilities which will be outlined in the newsletter. Also receive information about special offers such as pricing discounts and user competitions.

Where can I check out some of capabilities of DYNAFAB™?

Please click on the Image Gallery link in the menu bar towards the left of your screen.

I study / work at a University. Can I obtain a discounted price?

Yes, we offer a specially discounted rate for all students, researchers, and faculty who are employed full time by a University. This is the “academic” version of the software. It must not be used for commercial purposes.

Does DYNAFAB™ create models using any other types of finite elements?

Currently only hexahedral or solid elements are used. Future versions may offer the choice of yarns discretized using shell elements. Further, future versions may also provide capabilities to model fabrics using a filament level architecture discretized using 1-d elements.

Can DYNAFAB™ be used for simulations only with LS-DYNA® and does it create only LS-DYNA® keyword input files?

The DYNAFAB™ output file can be imported into other commercial software and re-saved using that software into any other file format, for example to run simulations in Nastran®, CATIA®, Autodyn®, ANSYS®, and Abaqus®. Future versions of DYNAFAB™ may provide the user an option to directly write the output file in different commercial formats.

Does DYNAFAB™ have a demo version for me to download?

Yes, a demo version is available. After registration, instructions will be sent on how to download the demo. The demo version will not create any output FE models, it will simply give the user some insight into the capabilities of the software. However, sample finite element models will be provided to the user along with the demo version.

Does DYNAFAB™ create the resin mesh?

Currently the software does not include capabilities to create the resin mesh. Only the yarn and tow meshes will be created. Future versions may incorporate this feature.

What are some of the system requirements to use DYNAFAB™?

DYNAFAB™ is a Microsoft Windows® based software. The full version requires the MATLAB® Component Runtime (MCR) libraries which will be provided to the user at the time of download (~160 to 200 MB).  DYNAFAB™ will only run on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows® XP computers. DYNAFAB™ is in no way affiliated with LSTC or the University of Delaware. It is solely owned and distributed by Nilakantan Composites.

Where can I get more questions answered?

Please visit the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section by using the link in the menu bar towards the left of your screen or click here. You can also join the official DYNAFAB™ User Support group by clicking here. This support group provides a forum to interact with other DYNAFAB™ users and post your questions.

Nilakantan Composites