Figure. A part containing all three region types: free, fixed, and excluded.
In ProTOp all material regions have to be classified into one of the following types:
Figure. A part containing all three region types: free, fixed, and excluded.
The material region type can be set or changed at any time except during a running optimization process.
A free region is the one that can be optimized by removing or restoring material. Configurator tools can be used to define special geometrical features of this region and technological constraints can be imposed. This region is included into all FEA and optimization processes.
A fixed region is the one that has to remain unchanged and is not optimized. Configurator tools and technological constraints can not be applied on a fixed region. This region is included into FEA processes but is not optimized.
An excluded region is the one that is ignored by all FEA and optimization processes. The purpose of having this region type is to make its geometry available for resulting surface export if needed.
NOTE. Because an excluded region is ignored by all FEA processes, imposing supports and loads to this region does not have any effect.
After model import, ProTOp scans the names of imported materials and sets the default types of corresponding material regions according to the trailing tag in the material name.
| Trailing tag | Default material region type | Material name example |
|---|---|---|
| _FIX | fixed region | STEEL_FIX |
|
_FIXC or _CON |
fixed (contact) region | ALU_T6_FIXC |
|
_EXC or _CAD |
excluded region | STEEL_EXC |
| otherwise | free region | ALU_T2100 |
The default region type defined at model import can be changed later to any other type.