[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":145},["ShallowReactive",2],{"R23sz1EguNRwD1K_0RR6PSuvKZRXgEhAOgNjdKBlMQ8":3,"article_introduction-to-composites_solidworks":10,"_apollo:default":143,"_apollo:identified":144},{"mailchimpAudience":4},{"actionUrl":5,"slug":6,"locale":7,"default":8,"__typename":9},"","introduction-to-composites","en","https:\u002F\u002F3ds.us3.list-manage.com\u002Fsubscribe\u002Fpost?u=ed4601044e1936748c0d2aa6b&id=e5080ff9fe&f_id=002d4de2f0","MailchimpAudience",{"posts":11},{"nodes":12,"__typename":142},[13],{"id":14,"slug":6,"title":15,"uri":16,"excerpt":17,"locale":18,"featuredImage":21,"tableOfContents":30,"content":31,"date":32,"authorJobTitle":5,"author":33,"masterings":43,"globalTags":57,"products":91,"disciplines":102,"seo":131,"__typename":141},"cG9zdDoxMDk1Mw==","Introduction to Composites","\u002Fproducts\u002Fsolidworks\u002Fintroduction-to-composites","\u003Cp>A composite material is a mixture of two or more materials. This…\u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"locale":19,"__typename":20},"en_US","Locale",{"node":22,"__typename":29},{"large":23,"__typename":24,"medium_large":25,"thumbnail":26,"srcSet":27,"sizes":28},"https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcomposites-3.png.webp","MediaItem","https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcomposites-3-768x469.png.webp","https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcomposites-3-150x150.png.webp","https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcomposites-3.png.webp 792w, https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcomposites-3-300x183.png.webp 300w, https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcomposites-3-768x469.png.webp 768w","(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px","NodeWithFeaturedImageToMediaItemConnectionEdge",[],"\u003Cp>A composite material is a mixture of two or more materials. This is usually a stiff unidirectional fiber combined with a softer matrix element. The goal of such a mixture gets more desirable overall properties that each individual material could not provide. Composites usually exhibit good strength to weight ratio and are used primarily in the Aerospace and Biomedical applications or sporting goods like tennis racquets.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cfigure class=\"size-large thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"615\" height=\"260\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcomposites-1-615x260-1.png.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10955\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcomposites-1-615x260-1.png.webp 615w, https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcomposites-1-615x260-1-300x127.png.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 615px) 100vw, 615px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Figure 1: Composite Material\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003Ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SOLIDWORKS Simulation Composite Analysis capabilities\u003C\u002Fh3>\u003Cp>SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium has the ability to perform a composite analysis. Users can perform a Linear Static, Buckling or Frequency analysis with composite materials.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cfigure class=\"size-large thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"615\" height=\"346\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcomposties-2-615x346-1.png.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10956\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcomposties-2-615x346-1.png.webp 615w, https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcomposties-2-615x346-1-300x169.png.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 615px) 100vw, 615px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Figure 2: Simulation Product Matrix\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003Ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why use a Composite Analysis tool?\u003C\u002Fh3>\u003Cp>The main reason to simulate composites is that the material properties of a composite material are hard to calculate by hand. Just like simulation is intended to decrease the number of iterations needed, a composite analysis tool helps simulate different layer and angle configurations to see which material composition produces stress results that are acceptable.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cfigure class=\"size-large thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"615\" height=\"376\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcomposites-3-615x376-1.png.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10957\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcomposites-3-615x376-1.png.webp 615w, https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcomposites-3-615x376-1-300x183.png.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 615px) 100vw, 615px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Figure 3 Composite material with fiber angles\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003Cp>There are failure criteria specific to Composites. Tsai-Wu and Tsai Hill are two composite failure criteria commonly used in the industry and these outputs can be seen using SOLIDWORKS Simulation. Finally, the stresses in each layer or the stresses between layers called interlaminar stresses may also be viewed to make critical design decisions.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cfigure class=\"size-large thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"615\" height=\"346\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcomposites-4-615x346-1.jpg.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10958\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcomposites-4-615x346-1.jpg.webp 615w, https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcomposites-4-615x346-1-300x169.jpg.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 615px) 100vw, 615px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Figure 4: Aircraft built with Carbon Fiber Composite\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003Ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Technical Deep Dive\u003C\u002Fh3>\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cfigure class=\"size-large thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"290\" height=\"615\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcomposites-5-290x615-1.png.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10959\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcomposites-5-290x615-1.png.webp 290w, https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F02\u002Fcomposites-5-290x615-1-141x300.png.webp 141w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption>Figure 5: Aircraft built with Carbon Fiber Composite\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003Cp>Let’s look at Composites from a technical perspective. Given the nature of where it is used, Composites are defined using Shell Elements. Hence, each composite part is assumed to have a uniform cross-section and a high length to thickness ratio. A maximum of 50 layers may be defined. The type of layups available with SOLIDWORKS Simulation is:\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Col class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003Cli>Symmetric Laminate: Plies stacked symmetric about midplane\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Unsymmetric Laminate: Laminate does not exhibit Symmetry\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Sandwich Plate Laminate: Softer Core with a stiffer symmetric top and bottom layers\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Fol>\u003Cp>SOLIDWORKS provides self-learning \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fgoengineer.sharefile.com\u002Fd-s48db4a79e6641ab9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tutorial PDFs\u003C\u002Fa> and access to self-paced \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fgoengineer.sharefile.com\u002Fd-s9a0c65262134a2ab\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Training Files\u003C\u002Fa>. Once a user has good knowledge of how a Linear Static Analysis and Shell Meshing works, these files should get them up and running with using Composite Analysis as well. SOLIDWORKS also has the ability to export results to other FEA software like Nastran and ANSYS.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Verification\u003C\u002Fh3>\u003Cp>Typically for aerospace companies, verification of any FEA tool is critical before they can start using it. SOLIDWORKS has independently verified the accuracy of the composite tools. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fgoengineer.sharefile.com\u002Fd-s68e442e6eb442429\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click Here\u003C\u002Fa> for links to the verification documentation.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Author: Arvind Krishnan, Additive Manufacturing Applications Engineer at GoEngineer\u003C\u002Fp>","2018-08-04T11:00:35",{"node":34,"__typename":42},{"nicename":35,"description":36,"slug":35,"name":37,"firstName":37,"lastName":5,"avatar":38,"__typename":41},"goengineer","GoEngineer delivers software, technology and expertise that enable companies to unlock design innovation and deliver better products faster. With more than 30 years experience and thousands of customers in high tech, medical, machine design, energy and other industries, GoEngineer provides best-in-class design solutions from SOLIDWORKS, Stratasys, CAMWorks, Altium and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM). For more information, visit goengineer.com.","GoEngineer",{"url":39,"__typename":40},"https:\u002F\u002Fblog-assets.solidworks.com\u002Fuploads\u002F2025\u002F12\u002Fgoengineer-2-120x120-1.png-96x96.webp","Avatar","User","NodeWithAuthorToUserConnectionEdge",{"nodes":44,"edges":51,"__typename":56},[45],{"id":46,"name":47,"slug":48,"uri":49,"__typename":50},"dGVybToxOTk2","Tutorials","tutorials","\u002Fmastering\u002Ftutorials\u002F","Taxonomy_mastering",[52],{"isPrimary":53,"node":54,"__typename":55},false,{"id":46,"name":47,"slug":48,"uri":49,"__typename":50},"PostToTaxonomy_masteringConnectionEdge","PostToTaxonomy_masteringConnection",{"nodes":58,"__typename":90},[59,65,70,75,80,85],{"id":60,"name":61,"slug":62,"uri":63,"__typename":64},"dGVybTo5NjAx","3D CAD","3d-cad","\u002Ftags\u002F3d-cad\u002F","Taxonomy_tag",{"id":66,"name":67,"slug":68,"uri":69,"__typename":64},"dGVybTo5NjI4","3D Modeling","3d-modeling","\u002Ftags\u002F3d-modeling\u002F",{"id":71,"name":72,"slug":73,"uri":74,"__typename":64},"dGVybTo5NjU1","Finite Element Analysis (FEA)","fea","\u002Ftags\u002Ffea\u002F",{"id":76,"name":77,"slug":78,"uri":79,"__typename":64},"dGVybTo5NjA3","Simulation","simulation","\u002Ftags\u002Fsimulation\u002F",{"id":81,"name":82,"slug":83,"uri":84,"__typename":64},"dGVybTo5NjAz","SOLIDWORKS","solidworks","\u002Ftags\u002Fsolidworks\u002F",{"id":86,"name":87,"slug":88,"uri":89,"__typename":64},"dGVybTo5NTk2","Tips and Tricks","tips-tricks","\u002Ftags\u002Ftips-tricks\u002F","PostToTaxonomy_tagConnection",{"edges":92,"nodes":99,"__typename":101},[93],{"isPrimary":53,"node":94,"__typename":98},{"id":95,"name":82,"slug":83,"uri":96,"__typename":97},"dGVybTo1Ng==","\u002Fproducts\u002Fsolidworks\u002F","Taxonomy_product","PostToTaxonomy_productConnectionEdge",[100],{"id":95,"name":82,"slug":83,"uri":96,"__typename":97},"PostToTaxonomy_productConnection",{"nodes":103,"edges":124,"__typename":130},[104,117],{"id":105,"name":106,"slug":73,"uri":107,"parentId":108,"disciplines":109,"__typename":116},"dGVybTo4OA==","FEA","\u002Fdisciplines\u002Ffea\u002F","dGVybTo4NQ==",{"nodes":110,"__typename":115},[111],{"title":106,"uri":112,"parentId":113,"__typename":114},"\u002Fdisciplines\u002Fsimulation\u002Ffea","cG9zdDozODAw","Discipline","Taxonomy_disciplineToDisciplineConnection","Taxonomy_discipline",{"id":108,"name":77,"slug":78,"uri":118,"parentId":119,"disciplines":120,"__typename":116},"\u002Fdisciplines\u002Fsimulation\u002F",null,{"nodes":121,"__typename":115},[122],{"title":77,"uri":123,"parentId":119,"__typename":114},"\u002Fdisciplines\u002Fsimulation",[125,128],{"isPrimary":53,"node":126,"__typename":127},{"parentId":108,"id":105,"name":106,"slug":73,"uri":107,"__typename":116},"PostToTaxonomy_disciplineConnectionEdge",{"isPrimary":53,"node":129,"__typename":127},{"parentId":119,"id":108,"name":77,"slug":78,"uri":118,"__typename":116},"PostToTaxonomy_disciplineConnection",{"canonical":5,"title":132,"metaDesc":5,"opengraphAuthor":5,"opengraphDescription":133,"opengraphTitle":15,"opengraphUrl":134,"opengraphSiteName":135,"opengraphPublishedTime":136,"opengraphModifiedTime":137,"twitterTitle":5,"twitterDescription":5,"readingTime":138,"metaRobotsNoindex":139,"__typename":140},"Introduction to Composites - Blog Solidworks","A composite material is a mixture of two or more materials. This…","\u002Fproducts\u002Fsolidworks\u002Fintroduction-to-composites\u002F","Blog Solidworks","2018-08-04T15:00:35+00:00","2026-03-04T13:58:07+00:00",2,"noindex","PostTypeSEO","Post","RootQueryToPostConnection",{},{},1776256832509]