Fields in Patran are used whenever you need to define variable (non-constant) data. Applications include material properties, element properties, or load variations as a function of time, frequency, or spatial position. Fields are also helpful to map results between dissimilar meshes. Practical uses are briefly described below.
A Material field is a special field class used to define the variation of material properties with respect to one or more of the following: Temperature, Strain, Strain Rate, Time or Frequency. Common uses include:
- Defining temperature dependent material properties: Modulus or Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE)
- Defining nonlinear material stress-strain data (beyond material yield, or hyperelastic response)
Spatial Fields are used to define variations with respect to: a physical coordinate system (for example variation in x, y, or z direction), parametric coordinates (for example, along a surface edge direction), or based on results from a prior analysis.
Examples of spatial fields with element properties includes:
- For shells, defining a tapered plate thickness
- For beams, defining a tapered beam sections and different orientations
Examples of spatial fields for load definitions includes:
- Pressure or temperature variation across a structure
Examples of spatial fields with analysis results includes:
- Interpolating pressure or thermal results onto a dissimilar structural mesh
- Mapping 2D results to a 3D mesh (for example, axisymmetric to solid model)
- Mapping coarse mesh displacement results to a fine mesh for Global-Local modeling
Non-Spatial Fields define variation with respect to: Time, Frequency, Temperature, Displacement, Velocity, or a User-Defined variable. Load variation as a function of time or frequency are commonly used with dynamic analyses (transient or frequency response).
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