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. It is included into all FEA and optimization processes. Configurator tools can be used to define special geometrical features of this region and technological constraints can be imposed as well.
A fixed region is the one that has to remain unchanged during optimization. Although it can not be optimized, it is still included into all FEA processes. Configurator tools and technological constraints can not be applied on a fixed region. Note, however, that a fixed region may interfere with technological constraints imposed on free regions.
An excluded region is essentially a special type of a fixed region, which is ignored by all FEA processes. The purpose of having this region type is to make its geometry available for the resulting model and/or surface export, if needed. This region type may also may interfere with technological constraints imposed on free regions.
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.