ABSTRACT
DAC (Designing Advanced Composites) is a user-friendly software package developed for the linear analysis of standard composite–material structural elements by the Composite Materials Group at the University of Zaragoza, Spain, under the supervision of Professor Antonio Miravete. DAC programs run on an IBM PC and compatibles under an MS–Windows environment. The user can work with a mouse, display several “windows” simultaneously on the screen, and use all the facilities that MS–Windows offers. Solutions of various problems are based either on the finite element method or analytical solutions of the classical laminate theory, and test results are also included wherever appropriate. All DAC programs have been developed with a similar user interface, which is carefully designed to be used by a inexperienced user. The material database is shared by all modules that use external material files. Optimization and sensitivity studies are also included, and the results are presented in a chart form, showing how results change with some of the input parameters. Thus, the user can find, for instance, the required thickness plate or the optimum ply orientation for maximum/minimum deflection or strength requirements in a few seconds.
