Creating a Butt Splice Zone

This task shows you how to create Butt Splice Zones, i.e. zones where the splicing of plies should be performed without overlapping because of a structure element positioning for example.
Available in Composites Engineering Design (CPE) and Composites Design for Manufacturing (CPM).
Open the SpliceZone01.CATPart document.

  1. Click Butt Splice Zone in the Splice Zones toolbar.
    The Butt Splice Zone Definition dialog box is displayed.

  2. Select the surface on which the zones will be created.
    Its name is displayed in the dialog box.

  3. The button Add is now available.
    Click Add.
    The Contour dialog box is displayed.
    Select the curves that will define the Butt Splice Zone.

    The curves must form a closed contour.

    They are displayed in the dialog box.
    Use Add and Remove to add or remove a curve
    Use Insert After, Before and Remove to modify the order of the curves as well as the contour.

    Click OK to revert to the main dialog box.

  4. Select the Elements to which the zones apply. We have selected the Stacking.

    • Multi-selection is available.
    • The elements can be a stacking, plies groups, sequences, plies.

  5. If required, set a Gap size:

    • if the Gap size value is greater than 0, a small gap will be created between butt spliced cut-pieces:
    • the butt splice gap will be created by creating a parallel to the splicing curve. You can choose the type of parallel created

  6. Click OK. A Butt Splice Zones group is created under the Stacking, if it does not already exist, and the Butt Splice Zone is created in that group.
  • If the number of intersections between the splicing curve and the zone is not equal to the number of intersections between the overlap curve (parallel to the splicing curve) and the zone then the butt-splice curve cannot be defined.
  • If you create 3D Multisplices, this is what you will obtain:
    Within the Butt Splice Zone, the cut-pieces do not overlap, and there is a small gap between them.
  • Butt Splice Zones are taken into account by the Skin Swapping command if you select the Stacking node.
    If you applied the Skin Swapping was applied to elements under the staking, you can generate a Skin Swapping feature for the Butt Splice Zones by selecting either a zone or its group. In this case a Skin Swapping feature will be added at the end of the Composites Geometry of the corresponding elements.