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Materials Library

The Material Library module is a centralized database for managing the properties of all polymers and metals used in your catheter designs. It allows you to customize existing materials, add new proprietary blends, and share material data across different projects and team members.

Accessing the Material Library​

To open the material manager, navigate to the main menu bar and select Tools > Manage Material Library. This will open a dedicated dialog window where you can view and edit the current active material database.

Interface Overview​

The dialog provides a straightforward spreadsheet interface to manage your materials.

  • Search Filter: Located at the top left, this allows you to quickly find specific materials by typing part of their Name or Material Family.
  • Row Controls: Located at the top right, these buttons allow you to:
  • Add Row: Inserts a new, blank row at the bottom of the table.
  • Delete Row: Removes the currently selected material(s).
  • Move Up/Down: Reorders the selected material within the list.
  • Add Blend: Opens the Polymer Blend tool (see section 10.4).

Material Properties​

The main table displays the following physical and mechanical properties required by the simulation and analysis engines:

  • Name: A unique identifier for the material (e.g., "Pebax 72D"). This name will appear in dropdown menus throughout the Catheter Setup tab.

  • Material Family: A general classification (e.g., "Polymer" or "Metal").

  • Thermoplastic: A Yes/No toggle indicating if the polymer is a thermoplastic. This property is specifically used by the Flowdown Calculator module to determine if a layer will reflow during manufacturing.

  • Density: The mass per unit volume. The units (g/cm³ or lb/in³) adapt automatically based on your global unit preferences.

  • Modulus of Elasticity: Also known as Young's Modulus, this defines the material's stiffness or resistance to elastic deformation. Units are in MPa or psi.

  • Poisson's Ratio: A dimensionless value describing the material's tendency to expand in directions perpendicular to the direction of compression.

  • Tensile Strength: The maximum stress the material can withstand while being stretched before failing. Units are in MPa or psi.

Create Custom Blend​

VirtuCath includes a tool to quickly estimate the mechanical properties of a new material created by mixing two existing polymers. To access it, click the Add Blend button in the Material Library or navigate to Tools > Create Custom Blend from the main menu.

  • Material A & Material B: Select the two parent polymers from your existing library.
  • Blend Ratio (by mass): Use the slider or input box to define the mass percentage of Material A. The percentage for Material B is calculated automatically.
  • Live Preview: As you adjust the ratio, the expected properties (Density, Modulus, Poisson's Ratio, and Tensile Strength) of the resulting blended material are calculated and displayed in real-time. This calculation provides an engineering estimate based on standard rule-of-mixtures and immiscible polymer blend assumptions.
  • Save Blend: Click "Save" to immediately add this new calculated material to your active library, making it available for catheter construction.

Data Management​

At the bottom left of the Material Library dialog, the Manage Library dropdown provides file operations for the database:

  • Load from File: Imports a previously saved material library. The library must be in a standard JSON format.

  • Save As: Exports your current, customized material library as a .json file. This is highly recommended for backing up your data or sharing custom material properties with other VirtuCath users.

  • Reset to Defaults: Reverts the entire library back to the original factory settings, erasing any custom materials or modifications you have made.

    • Note: A confirmation prompt will appear before this action is executed.