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DIGIMAT® to ANSYS®

Document Version 1.0, October 2007

Copyright © e-Xstream engineering, 2007

info@e-Xstream.com

www.e-Xstream.com

THE COMPANY

e-Xstream engineering is a software and engineering services company100% focused on the advanced

micromechanical modeling of multi-phase materials such as composites.

e-Xstream develops DIGIMAT, The Nonlinear Multi-Scale Material and Structure Modeling Platform.

DIGIMAT-MF and DIGIMAT-FE software are used to predict the thermo-mechanical behavior of a large variety of

multi-phase (e.g. composites) materials based on the knowledge of their microstructures.

DIGIMAT is seamlessly interfaced with major CAE software such as ANSYS to offer an advanced multi-scale

modeling solution aimed at the accurate and efficient prediction of the thermo-mechanical behavior (stiffness,

vibration, creep and relaxation, impact and failure…) of a large variety of composite parts used across the

industries.

TARGET CUSTOMERS

The market segments targeted by DIGIMAT and DIGIMAT to ANSYS interfaces are:

1. Multi-Phase Material Suppliers who need to design optimal material and to support their end-customers

in their effort to select the optimal material and model its influence on the final part performance.

a. Engineering Plastics such as Glass or Carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastics (e.g. PPGF, PAGF,

etc.)

b. Rubber with carbon black or silica fillers.

c. Carbon Fiber Composites such as Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics and Carbon/Carbon

composites.

d. Hard Metals such as Tungsten Carbides (CoWC);

e. Polymer Nano Composites with nano-fillers and carbon nano tubes.

2. End-Users of Multi-Phase (Composite) Materials who need to select the optimal material for the optimal

part performance by accurately modeling the performance of such parts taking into account the actual

nonlinear and anisotropic material behavior as induced by the manufacturing process (e.g. Fiber

orientation induced by injection molding).

a. Automotive: OEMs & Suppliers

b. Aerospace: OEMs & Suppliers

c. Consumer Goods: Mobile Phones, Consumer Electronics, …

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d. Industrial Goods: Electric Connectors, Cutting and wear parts,…

e. Tires and Anti-Vibration Systems.

Reference Customers

The following customers are using DIGIMAT and DIGIMAT to ANSYS software.

Material Suppliers

� Rhodia Polyamide (France) : Reinforced Plastics

� EMS Chemie (Switzerland): Reinforced Plastics

Automotive

� Brose (Germany): 1st Tier Supplier

Consulting Services

� Prolimex (Germany): Simulation Service Provider.

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PRODUCT PORTFOLIO

Fig.1 DIGIMAT Graphical User Interface.

e-Xstream software products of interest to ANSYS customers are listed below. Please refer to the Product

Portfolio document and to the product data sheet for a more detailed description of each product.

DIGIMAT-MF, Mean Field Homogenization of Multi-Phase Materials

DIGIMAT-MF is micromechanical material modeling software that enables one to predict the linear and nonlinear

anisotropic thermo-mechanical properties of a multi-phase material based on the thermo-mechanical properties of

each material phase and on the description of the material microstructure morphology defined by the

reinforcement(s) phase(s) content, shape and orientation.

info@e-Xstream.com Copyright© e-Xstream engineering SA, 2006. www.e-Xstream.com

DIGIMAT-MF, Mean Filed Homogenization Software

Thermo-Mechanical Loading

Composite

Microstructure

Realistic Composite Microstructures

Linear & Nonlinear Micro Material Models

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Fig. 2 The Graphical User Interface of DIGIMAT-MF that is used to define and to predict the thermo-mechanical

behavior of multi-phase materials using state-of-the-art nonlinear micromechanics.

DIGIMAT-MF uses semi-analytical mean field homogenization technology based on Eshelby’s Theory.

The main advantages of DIGIMAT-MF are:

1. Ease of use: The material can be defined in less than 10 minutes.

2. CPU performance: The composite properties are usually computed in less than 1 minute.

3. Accuracy: the prediction of the macroscopic composite response and average fields in each phase of the

material is validated against available test data.

4. Multi-Scale Coupling with FEA: where DIGIMAT-MF is used as a micromechanically-based material law

at each integration point of a structural FEA model

info@e-Xstream.com Copyright© e-Xstream engineering SA, 2006. www.e-Xstream.com

DIGIMAT-MF, Virtual Material Lab

Predict

Material BehaviorPrediction of thermo-mechanical, elastic, elastic-plastic, time-dependent and hyperelastic composite properties under monotonic or cyclic loadings.

Parametric Studies

Sensitivity of composite

response to fiber orientation,

fiber shape, component

weight fractions, component

stiffness...

Optimize

Understand

What If ?

Fast explorative design of new

materials. Ability to predict

the influence of added

material on composite

response.

� Accurate & Efficient prediction of linear, nonlinear & time-dependent

thermo-mechanical properties as a function of materials’ microstructure

Thermal Expansion Coefficient of the PMC

0.E+00

1.E-05

2.E-05

3.E-05

4.E-05

5.E-05

6.E-05

7.E-05

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55

Fibers' Volume Fraction [%]

Th

erm

al

Ex

pan

sio

n C

oeff

icie

nt

[K-1

]

Transversal

Longitudinal

Fibers' orientation angle = 0°

Fibers' aspect ratio = 25

Fig.3 DIGIMAT-MF to perform “what if” analysis and to predict the influence of the microstructure parameters on

the final behavior of the material.

The main limitations of DIGIMAT-MF are:

1. Ellipsoidal Inclusion: The inclusions are assumed to have an ellipsoidal shape defined by 1 aspect Ratio

(Length/diameter).

2. Average Field: only average values (stress, strain,…) are available per phase. The detailed field

distribution is not predicted.

These 2 limitations are removed in DIGIMAT-FE described below.

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DIGIMAT-FE, Fini te Element Modeling of Material Representative Volume Elements (RVE)

DIGIMAT-FE is a micromechanical material modeling software that enables one to predict the linear, nonlinear

and anisotropic thermo-mechanical properties of a multi-phase material based on the thermo-mechanical

properties of each material phase and on the description of the material microstructure morphology given by the

reinforcement(s) phase(s) content, shape and orientation.

DIGIMAT-FE is used to generate complex microstructure geometries that are representative of the real material.

The microstructure geometry can then be meshed, using ANSYS® ICEM CFDTM, and solved using ANSYS Mechanical

FE solver

DIGIMAT-FE: Nonlinear Finite Element Modeling of Material RVE

Microstructure(s) Generation(s)

Geometry preparation

Meshing: ANSYS ICEM CFD

Solver: ANSYS

Pre-Processing: Material Definition

• Inclusion Morphology

• Volume/Weight Fraction

• Material properties

FE Model Definition

Material/BC/Loading

Post-processing

ANSYS

DIGIMAT-FE

Hydrostatic pressure heterogeneity Co

0.00E+00

5.00E-03

1.00E-02

1.50E-02

2.00E-02

2.50E-02

3.00E-02

3.50E-02

4.00E-02

4.50E-02

-3.00E+03 -2.50E+03 -2.00E+03 -1.50E+03 -1.00E+03 -5.00E+02 0.00E+00 5.00E+02

Hydrostatic Pressure (MPa)

Pro

bab

ility

Convergence of Young Modulus

4.200E+05

4.400E+05

4.600E+05

4.800E+05

5.000E+05

5.200E+05

5.400E+05

5.600E+05

5.800E+05

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Refinement ratio

E (

MP

a)

Disp BC

Mixed BC

Force BC

Linear (Disp BC)

Linear (Mixed BC)

Linear (Force BC)

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Fig. 4 DIGIMAT-FE enable one to generate Representative Volume Elements (RVE) of realistic materials that are

exported to ANSYS® ICEM CFDTM for meshing and to ANSYS® for analysis. The material specific pre and post-

processing is done in DIGIMAT-FE.

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DIGIMAT Interfaces to Injection Molding Software

DIGIMAT interfaces to the injection molding software listed below enable DIGIMAT users to read in the fiber

orientation induced by the injection molding process simulation and take into account the effect of fiber

orientation on the anisotropic behavior of the material at each local point of the structure. DIGIMAT to injection

molding software interfaces also take into account the effect of injection molding induced stresses and

temperature.

� DIGIMAT to MOLDFLOW

o DIGIMAT to Moldflow Mid-Plane

o DIGIMAT to Moldflow 3D

� DIGIMAT to 3D-SIGMA

� DIGIMAT to Moldex3D

DIGIMAT to CAE, The Bridge between Process, Material & End Product Performance.

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Fiber Length Distribution

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

25

75

125

175

225

275

325

375

425

475

525

575

625

675

725

775

825

875

925

975

10

25

10

75

11

25

Length [µm]

Nu

mb

er

Phase Material & Composite Microstructure

-Fiber Shape

-Fiber Weight Fraction

-Fiber Length Distribution

Fiber Orientations

Material DesignProcess Design

Structural FEA

Structure Design

Fig.5 DIGIMAT is interfaced to the major injection molding software to enable ANSYS users to perform accurate

nonlinear analyses of engineering plastics parts taking into account the local fiber orientation induced by the

injection molding process.

Fiber orientation, stresses and temperature are mapped from the injection molding mesh to the structural analysis

mesh using MAP described below.

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Interaction between DIGIMAT and ANSYS FEA Software

DIGIMAT-MF is strongly coupled to ANSYS via the Material User Subroutine (USERMAT). DIGIMAT to ANSYS

interface is provided as pre-compiled library to enable accurate and efficient nonlinear multi-scale structural

modeling where DIGIMAT-MF acts as the micromechanical material model that takes into account the behavior of

the material constituents and the morphology of the underlying microstructure at each element/integration point of

the ANSYS finite element mesh of the structure.

Interaction between DIGIMAT and ANSYS FEA

Monday, October 01, 2007 Copyright© e-Xstream engineering SA, 2003-2007 10

FE model level

Nodal coordinates, …

Strain increments,

material state, …

Element level

Material level

Stresses and

material stiffness

Internal forces and element stiffness

εεεε

σσσσ

Classical FE process Coupled FE/DIGIMAT process

« In code » model

FE model level

Nodal coordinates, …

Strain increments,

material state, …

Element level

Stresses and

material stiffness

Internal forces and

element stiffness

Material level

Fig. 6 DIGIMAT-MF is strongly coupled to ANSYS where it can be used as a “User Defined Material” to enable

nonlinear multi-scale material and structure modeling from within ANSYS. In this case, DIGIMAT-MF can be seen

as a micromechanically-based material model acting at each relevant integration point of the ANSYS FE model.

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MAP

For engineering plastic suppliers and end-users, MAP offers the capability to transfer fiber orientation, residual

stresses and temperature from the injection molding mesh to the optimal ANSYS mesh, where they can be used by

DIGIMAT to ANSYS to perform state-of-the-art nonlinear multi-scale analysis

Fig. 7 Mapping of fiber orientation from Moldflow Mid-Plane Triangular Mesh to ANSYS quadrangular multi-

layered shell mesh. MAP enables ANSYS users to define the optimal mesh refinement and to choose the right

element for the right structural FEA.

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COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

The Competitive advantage of e-Xstream and DIGIMAT are:

1. A unique software platform for the accurate and efficient prediction of the nonlinear anisotropic material

behavior as a function of the underlying material microstructure.

2. Strong coupling with advanced FE solvers to enable nonlinear multi-scale modeling of composite parts

where the material is modeled using state of the art nonlinear micromechanical technology.

3. Interfaces to injection molding software to bridge the gap between the process and end-performance

simulation of injection molded parts made of reinforced plastics.

4. A motivated team with a strong expertise in nonlinear material and nonlinear structural FEA.

5. A strong industrial expertise in plastics, rubber, hard metals and nano-composite materials.

SALES MODEL

DIGIMAT licenses are managed using FlexNet license management technology. We support the following type of

licensing schemes:

� Fixed duration (i.e. lease) or Perpetual (i.e. paid-up) licenses; Leased license include maintenance and support. Paid-up license include the first year maintenance and support. The maintenance and support for the following years is optional and has to be contracted separately.

� Node Locked or Floating;

The use of a DIGIMAT product is enabled by a combination of product-specific seat (S) and a number of tokens

(T) as summarized below:

1. Product Specific Seat (S). 1 seat is needed per product use. The price of a seat is product specific. 2. Tokens (T) are common and interchangeable between all DIGIMAT software modules. The price of a

T is common to all products. The number of tokens needed per product use depends on the product being used as describe in the table below:

Software Product S T

DIGIMAT 1 0

DIGIMAT-MF 1 10

DIGIMAT-FE 1 10

DIGIMAT to Moldflow MP 1 0

DIGIMAT to Moldflow 3D 1 0

DIGIMAT to 3D-SIGMA 1 0

DIGIMAT to Moldex3D 1 0

DIGIMAT to ANSYS 1 5

� Entry level license includes: 1 Seat of DIGIMAT + 1 Seat of DIGIMAT-MF + 10 T. This license will allow

you to use DIGIMAT-MF to compute the micromechanical linear and nonlinear behavior of reinforced

materials.

� To use DIGIMAT to model the material behavior within ANSYS you just need to add: + 1 S of DIGIMAT

to ANSYS. The 5 T are already available from the pool of 10 T included in the entry level DIGIMAT

license.

� To use DIGIMAT with ANSYS taking into account fiber orientation computed by injection molding

software like Moldflow 3D you just need to add: + 1 Seat of DIGIMAT to Moldflow 3D. No Tokens

are required in this case.

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DIGIMAT interactive GUIs are available on windows 32 or 64 bits OS. DIGIMAT MF and FE solves are available

on Redhat or Suse 64 bits platforms.

SALES CONTACT

Roger Assaker, CEO

Roger.Assaker@e-Xstream.com

Mobile: +32 495 52 56 52

Legal Notice

e-Xstream engineering, eX, eXdigimat, eXdigimat to ANSYS, are Registered Trademarks or Trademarks of e-Xstream

engineering SA.

ANSYS, ANSYS Workbench, AUTODYN, CFX, FLUENT and any and all ANSYS, Inc. brand, product, service and

feature names, logos and slogans are registered trademarks or trademarks of ANSYS, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the

United States or other countries. ICEM CFD is a trademark used by ANSYS, Inc. under license. All other brand,

product, service and feature names or trademarks are the property of their respective owners.