Tutorial: Adding a Preform Material

Tutorial Level: Beginner Add a new Preform material to the Material Database.

A preform is a woven structure of carbon or glass fibers and is often complex. It is made in a pattern of weft, warp, and binder warp yarns. Modern weaving techniques allow the possibility of complex 3D patterns.

In Inspire RTM it is modeled as a porous media and simulated using Darcy’s model.

It is characterized by the permeability tensor , porosity , and pore size; in addition to the other thermomechanical properties. The RTM solver models the permeability as an orthotropic tensor in a specified coordinate system. The coordinate systems supported are:

  • cartesian
  • cylindrical
  • spherical
  • oblique
  • mapped from a lay flat cartesian using draping analysis (preferred)

The same approach is used for the thermal conductivity tensor .

The complete list of data used is:

  • Density )
  • Permeability tensor in X, Y, and Z directions
  • Porosity
  • Pore size )
  • Thermal conductivity tensor in X, Y, and Z directions
  • Specific heat
  • Coordinate system
    • Cartesion (no additional data)
    • Cylindrical (axis and center)
    • Spherical (axis and center)
    • Oblique (three axes data)
    • Mapped (use Cartesian and select draping while submitting the run)

Specify User Materials Folder

  1. On the File menu, click the Preferences button.
  2. Select Databases under Inspire Resin Transfer Molding, then enter a location for the user materials to be created.


    Note: When creating new materials, make sure you are in the User Materials database specified here. You may not have permission to create/edit materials in the system folder.

    Typically, you will be able to use this across multiple versions.

Create Preform Material Entry

  1. From the Resin Transfer Molding ribbon, click the Materials tool.
  2. Ensure that you are in the User Materials section and select the Preform folder then click to add a new material .


  3. Enter the following data to create the new material
    • Density
    • Permeability tensor
      • X = 1.0e-11
      • Y = 1.0e-11
      • Z = 5.0e-11
    • Porosity =
    • Pore size=
    • Thermal conductivity tensor
      • X =
      • Y =
      • Z =
    • Specific heat
    • Coordinate system
      • Mapped (use Cartesian and select draping while submitting the run)
  4. Click OK to confirm.
You can now use this new user material in analyses.