User-defined materials provide the flexibility needed to design models using a combination of existing material properties and properties defined by the user. These material properties can also be included in a user-developed material database for easy access to frequently used materials.
Users often spend significant time developing models with material properties not available in the COMSOL Multiphysics material database. To reduce the time required for developing future models, the user may want to reuse this material in a new model. The simple and effective procedure to reuse material from a previously developed COMSOL model is described in this article.
Suppose the user has developed model file “model_benchmark.mph” that contains materials that are also used in another model file, “my_model.mph”. Right-click Materials node and select Browse Materials, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Use Browse Materials option as a first step to create User-Defined Library
The above step will open Material Browser window. Click button Import material Library button located at the bottom right of this window, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Material Browser window and Import Material Library button
Browse Choose Material Library window to locate the mph file containing material to be reused, then select the file and click Open, as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3. Browsing and selecting mph file containing materials you want to reuse
The Material Browser window will display all materials existing in the selected mph file. Select material to be reused and click Add to Component button, as shown in Figure 4. Finally, click Done button to add selected material to the new mph model, as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 4. Selecting material from the mph file
Figure 5. Selected material is added to your new model
If needed, the user can repeat last steps to add several materials from the mph file.
Are you new to COMSOL? Our introductory class, Multiphysics Solutions using COMSOL, is great for engineers who need to learn how to solve problems of interest using a new piece of software. Individual sessions of this course are available to experienced COMSOL users who need to brush up on a specific skill. To learn more about the class and to register, click on this link.