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2019-05-27

[EN] FAQ 003098 | How can I save frequently used membrane materials in RFEM?

Question:
How can I save frequently used membrane materials in RFEM?

Answer:
For lightweight plate structures, there are many technical membranes. 

Polyester fabric (PES) coated with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) → PES/PVC
Polyester coating covered with polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
Glass fabric → Glass/PTFE, coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)
Polyester fabric (PES) coated with polyolefin
Polyester fabric (PES) coated with fluoroplastic
Glass fabric coated with silicone
Open and closed mesh fabrics
Uncoated and natural fabrics
Ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene foils → ETFE

Depending on the various properties for the respective project, these materials can be selected for each structural task. With regard to the structural analysis, all products have different load-bearing properties, some of which can vary with each production batch. 

In RFEM, these different values are entered in material table 1.3 in connection with the suitable material model. 

For the recurring use of materials in different models, model templates are available. This allows you to save any list of membrane materials and import it directly when opening a new model. 

In most cases, the membrane materials consist of an interaction of fixed material values and a material law. Since the existing material library only organizes materials with the material law "Isotropic Linear Elastic", this database is not applicable to orthotropic membrane materials.