Composite Star 2.0

COMPOSITE STAR 2.0, the new version of the popular database and design software for composite materials, is out now! You can download the fully functional software and use it FREE for 30 days. Get a permanent license for only €495.

Download COMPOSITE STAR now! It's free!

Composite Star is an all-embracing composite design software and database for composite materials and structures. It calculates:

• the properties of plies by micromechanics
• the properties of laminates by Classical Laminate Theory (CLT) or Netting Analysis
• the laminate load response and failure with standard and new failure criteria and progressive failure models and
• the properties, load response and failure of laminated beams, tubes and plates.

Laminate load response
Laminate loads consist of external mechanical loads and internal thermal or hygroscopic loads. In order to solve real-world problems, Composite Star defines a constant and a variable load. Typically the constant load is a preload (e.g. thermal loads resulting from curing, an external static mechanical load). The variable load is used to define a dynamic external mechanical load. This permits the calculation of the extent to which the dynamic external load can be increased until failure occurs.

A new failure criterion and simulation of the failure process
Composite Star uses the ply-by-ply failure analysis in its most modern and advanced form. Besides the standard failure criteria (maximum stress, maximum strain, simple Puck, modified Puck, Tsai-Hill, Tsai-Wu, Hoffman, Hashin), Composite Star introduces one of the world's most detailed and sophisticated interactive criterion, Puck's action plane criterion. This criterion distinguishes between the different fracture modes (tensile and compressive fiber-fracture, tensile, shear and compressive inter fiber fracture), calculates the fracture plane angle for inter-fiber fracture and can predict catastrophic wedge effects. Progressive failure analysis allows strength prediction after first ply failure. Composite Star offers progressive failure calculation according to Tsai or the latest failure process and non-linear ply degradation model from Puck. The load will be increased step by step. If a failure occurs, the corresponding ply will be degraded and the new resulting laminate with the new stress and strain distribution will be calculated. All laminate properties, stresses and strains can be observed at every important moment of the load increase. Consequently, the progressive failure calculation results in a real simulation of the failure process. Puck's action plane failure criterion and degradation model has been tested thoroughly by university and industry research laboratories throughout the world and shows a unique conformity with reality. Furthermore, it is the new standard in VDI (Association of German Engineers) guidelines 2014 and is recommended by the IKV (Institute for Plastic Processing), Aachen, Germany and leading composite design experts worldwide.

3D model of the failure envelop with constant and variable stress vector

 

Polar diagram of Young's moduli

 

Stress distribution in the laminate

 

The FEA interface
Composite Star will also give you the ultimate interface to your specific FEA program. Any of the fiber, matrix, ply, laminate, stacking sequence, load or structural data can be imported or exported by a simple mouse-click. That's why this software is indispensable to the integrated design of composite materials and structures.

The graph engine
Composite Star's sophisticated graph engine allows display of any X-Y or polar graph, including any ply property versus the ply's orientation angle, carpet plots, ply-by-ply stress and strain diagrams and failure process diagrams. An additional and important tool for the designer is the display of the three-dimensional model of the failure envelope and the constant and variable stress vector for each ply. This allows immediate recognition of the stress state and reserve factor in the critical plies.

The material database
Composite Star stores all data in a state-of-the-art, full-featured database. Database features include extensive searching, filtering, sorting and data import and export. The database stores the data of fibers, matrices, plies, laminates, stacking sequences, loads and structures. In addition to the physical and engineering parameters, the database can store comments and text notes, manufacturing guidelines, manufacturing date and time, the manufacturer's name and address, quality control data and the price.

The user interface
The quality and efficiency of software is only as good as its user interface. Therefore, great importance has been placed on the calculation and database user interface. The different database tables are shown as grids. As with the so efficient spreadsheet programs, the user can change any value at any time and press one single calculation button, which will update all calculations results instantly. Although very sophisticated, the software can be used intuitively without complicated menus, windows or dialogs. Every function is just a mouse-click away. Composite Star also has an extensive report building capability. Data from the database and calculation results including diagrams and pictures can be displayed, stored and printed as text files, Acrobat Reader files or Word files.

Composite structures
Beams, tubes and plates belong to the few structures for which an exact elasticity solution can be found. Composite Star calculates all of the important properties for these structures under consideration of a great choice of cross-sections. With its new approach to laminate calculation, the results received are sure to be the closest to reality.

System requirements
Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP
600 MHz Intel Pentium III processor or equivalent
128 MB RAM (256 MB recommended)
Composite Star comes with a software protection hardlock. A parallel printer port is needed to connect the hardlock.

Composite Star comes with an unconditional 30-day money back guarantee. If you are not satisfied with Composite Star, simply return it and we will refund the full purchase price immediately, no questions asked.