Introduction
In Part 1 of this tutorial series I discussed the experimental data that is available for the PEEK material. In this article I will focus on how to import this data into MCalibration, our preferred tool for exploring and calibrating different material models.
There are five different ways to import experimental data into MCalibration. The following subsections describe the different methods.
Import Data Method 1
Select the experimental data files in a Microsoft Explorer window, and click COPY. If you are a Linux user (like me!) then just select the files using your favorite file manager. Then open a MCalibration window then use the Menu item Paste.
This will create a new load case for each pasted file. Once the load cases have been created you should check that they have the correct settings.
Import Data Method 2
Select the experimental data files in a Microsoft Explorer window, and click COPY. If you are a Linux user (like me!) then just select the files using your favorite file manager.Then drag-and-drop those experimental files into the new MCalibration window.
This will create a load case for each pasted file. Once the load cases have been created you should check that they have the correct settings.
Import Data Method 3
Click on the + sign in the Load Cases section of the main window. This will open the Edit Load Case dialog box. You can then use this dialog box to setup the load case. Repeat this step for all experimental files.
Import Data Method 4
The fourth method to import experimental data into MCalibration is to read in the experimental data in the Data tab, and then click on the Create Load Case icon to create a load case from the experimental data. Repeat these steps for each experimental data file. This method to import the experimental data requires more steps than the other methods, but is convenient if the experimental data need to be cleaned up before use.
Import Data Method 5
A final way to import experimental data into MCalibration is to copy and then paste existing load case(s) from another MCalibration window. You can do this by clicking on the copy and paste buttons above the list of load cases.
Summary
Once you have read in all experimental data files, you can rearrange their order, and you can change the plot settings, fitness weights, etc. Also note that if you select one of the load cases and then click on the edit E load case button, then the software will present a dialog box with all available settings for that load cases. If you select two or more load cases and then click on the edit E load case button, then the software will show a different dialog box that can be used to set some key settings for all of the selected load cases.
The next step in the calibration procedure is to select a material model. That step is discussed in the next part of this tutorial series.
