Regional Users Meetings

ABAQUS Version 6.5 Directions

Technology Briefs
ABAQUS in the News

ABAQUS INSIGHTS is published by

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In this issue:
1-2 Join the Conversation
2 2004 ABAQUS Regional Users Meetings

WWW.ABAQUS.COM

3 2004 ABAQUS Users Conference Recap

Copyright 2004 ABAQUS, Inc.

All rights reserved.

4 Invited Lectures, Briefly Noted

5-6 Wheel-on-Track Supports for Radio Telescopes
7-8-9 ABAQUS Version 6.5 Directions
10 ABAQUS for CATIA V5, Version 1.2, Web Seminars
11-12 Technical Corner
- ABAQUS Technology Briefs
- The AOSS Knowledge Database
- ABAQUS Tips
- Process Automation Update

13 ABAQUS in the News

13-14 Recent Announcements
14 ABAQUS Expands Academic Programs

Editor:

Jeff Rankin

Contributors:
Tom Battisti
Rishi Bhalerao
Greg Brown
Karen Curtis
Carly Newman
Mahesh Kailasam
Brian Rose, Frank Kan (SGH)
David Palmer
Marc Schrank
Jan Swaysland
Jon Wiening
Debby Vandermillen
Production Coordinator:
Laura Wistow
The following are trademarks or registered trademarks of ABAQUS, Inc. or its subsidiaries
in the United States and/or other countries: ABAQUS, ABAQUS/Standard, ABAQUS/Explicit,
ABAQUS/CAE, ABAQUS/Viewer, ABAQUS/Aqua; ABAQUS/Design; ABAQUS/Foundation;
and the ABAQUS Logo. Other company, product and service names may be trademarks or
service marks of others.

Join the Conversation

he annual ABAQUS Users Conference (AUC) is a significant event in many ways. It is a chance
for users to meet each other, an opportunity for us to present future product plans and ideas, and a
way for our development and product management teams to get valuable feedback on how well we
are meeting customers expectations.
I have had the privilege and pleasure of co-chairing the last two AUCs. Based on impromptu conversations
with users and formal event surveys, I have found that what really makes the AUC special is a unique
combination of plainspoken opinion and professional courtesy between customers and ABAQUS employees,
which results in three days of meaningful technical conversations in an enjoyable and warm atmosphere.
Year after year, we have benefited from chance encounters between users and developers at the AUC that go
on to provide the basis for specification, testing, and implementation of significant new functionality in ABAQUS.
At ABAQUS we try hard to make sure that as we grow, we do not lose sight of what makes us different-we are a company of
technologists with passion for our products and close relationships with our customers. The AUC is a crucial ingredient in preserving
this approach. For example, at this years event in Boston, more than 150 of our technical staff were able to attend the conference for
at least one day, which helps to reinforce existing relationships and allows new connections to be made. Without exception, our staff
returned from the AUC with a renewed sense of context, enthusiastic and motivated to improve what we have today and to ensure that
we meet the challenges set by our customers for the future.

You can read more about the 2004 AUC later in this edition. I would like to personally thank all our customers who presented or
contributed papers and participated this year, especially our invited lecturers, Luke Garner of Intel and Jim Mahoney of Honeywell
FM&T. We appreciate the hard work that goes into writing an AUC paper and preparing the associated presentation.
In addition to the annual AUC, we hold Regional Users Meetings each year, beginning in September. These meetings serve a
similar purpose to the AUC but are shorter and less formal. Our local office managers and their support teams tailor the content to
application- or industry-specific topics of interest in their regions, while technical staff from ABAQUS headquarters join these events
to present product plans and meet with users.
I hope you enjoy this issue of Insights, and I invite you to attend one of our Regional Users Meetings over the next few months.
Meet ABAQUS technical staff and other ABAQUS users right down the road, and join the conversation. And mark your calendars
for the 18th ABAQUS Users Conference, May 18-20, 2005, when we hope to see you in Stockholm!
Cordially,

Jeff Rankin
insights@abaqus.com

2004 ABAQUS Regional Users' Meetings

If youre looking for an opportunity to network with other ABAQUS users near you or to find out more about real-world applications of
ABAQUS, then youll want to check out the Regional Users Meeting in your area.
These conferences are hosted by the various ABAQUS regional offices, and provide a local forum for users in a number of geographic
regions to share ideas and experiences and meet with ABAQUS technical staff.
Presentations by ABAQUS technical staff at these events typically include information about the next release of ABAQUS and industryor applications-related topics specific to a region.
For more details on these events, please visit our website at www.abaqus.com/RUM2004.

Americas

Europe & Africa

Asia Pacific

Sept. 28

Cleveland, OH

Sept. 20-21

Koningswinter,
Germany

Oct. 20

Beijing, China

Sept. 29-30

West Lafayette, IN

Sept. 23

Pretoria, South Africa

Oct. 25-26

Tokyo, Japan

Sept. 30

Toronto, Canada

Sept. 23-24

Stockholm, Sweden

Nov. 2

Taipei, Taiwan

Oct. 7

Detroit, MI

Sept. 27-28

Linz, Austria

Nov. 10

Seoul, Korea

Oct. 19

Atlanta, GA

Oct. 7-8

Istanbul, Turkey

Oct. 20

Houston, TX

Nov. 5

Madrid, Spain

Oct. 26-27

Seattle, WA

Nov. 16-17

Warrington, UK

Nov. 8

Boston, MA

Nov. 17-18

Turnhout, Belgium

Nov. 10

Philadelphia, PA

Nov. 19

Poznan, Poland

Nov. 16

Baltimore, MD

Nov. 23

Paris, France

Nov. 11-12

San Carlos de
Bariloche, Argentina

Nov. 24-26

Poltecnico di Bari,
Italy

2004 ABAQUS Users' Conference Recap

The 17th Annual ABAQUS Users Conference took place in
Cambridge, Massachusetts, at The Charles Hotel. The change in
venue, from the traditional Newport location, met with very
positive reviews. With much to see and do in both Cambridge and
Boston, entertainment was only a walk or subway stop away. We
took advantage of this location by enjoying a dinner banquet aboard
the Sea Odyssey, a 175-foot long fine-dining cruise ship that toured
the Boston Harbor for three hours!

Interaction with ABAQUS Staff

For much of the conference we had more than 100 ABAQUS staff
in attendance, which allowed users to interact with many ABAQUS
employees and to put a name with the face. It was also an
opportunity to hold small meetings with customers in conference
rooms and during coffee breaks. In addition to formal Customer
Review Team (CRT) meetings on several topics, there was a Tire
Engineering interest group meeting and several other meetings
focused on particular industries or applications.
Complementary Technologies
For the second year in a row, the conference included a formal
presence by some of our business partners. The Complementary
Technology Exhibits area featured 10 of our business partners:
Altair, AVL, CEI, DatapointLabs, Fluent, GNS, IBM, HP, Platform
Computing, and SGI. Presentation Only sponsors included
FE-DESIGN and Linux NetworX. On Tuesday evening, attendees
joined ABAQUS and our business partners in a lively reception,
which provided an opportunity to learn of each others technical
work and to become acquainted informally.

We were delighted to see an increase in attendance again this year,

with well over 200 customers attending. When combined with
ABAQUS staff and our business partners, the Charles Ballroom
filled to its 350-seat capacity. The event commenced with opening
remarks from Roger Keene, General Manager for ABAQUS North
America, followed by a welcome and ABAQUS Outlook from
President/CEO Mark Goldstein.

Open Panel Discussions

The Open Forum Discussion on Thursday afternoon provided an
opportunity to hear our views on a variety of questions that users
submitted during the first two days of the conference. The
ABAQUS staff took questions on a range of topics, including
friction, response surface optimization, and supported hardware
platforms. During this event, we agreed to publish the results
related to hardware platforms of the customer survey conducted at
the event. These results can be found near the end of the article,
ABAQUS Version 6.5 Directions, later in this issue.

Near the close of the conference, we conducted an event survey,

which provided much of the commentary on user feedback in this
article. The survey also provided helpful feedback to make next
years event even better.

As with each conference, we continue to learn new ways to

improve upon what we already have established. We have received
some valuable feedback from attendees, and we hope to make next
years event even better.

Technical Content Surpassed Expectations

Intel and Honeywell agreed to join us as our Invited Lectures this
year. Luke Garner of Intel presented Mechanical Analysis
Challenges in Micro-Electronic Packaging on Tuesday and Jim
Mahoney, Jr. of Honeywell, Federal Manufacturing &
Technologies, presented Using ABAQUS in a Manufacturing
Environment at Honeywell, Federal Manufacturing &
Technologies: The Quest for Quality Parts Under Small Lot
Production Scenarios on Wednesday. Abstracts from these papers
can be found later in this article, where you will also find a web
page URL to download complete contributed papers and
presentation handouts.
The conference included over 60 technical presentations by users
as well as General Lectures and Tutorials by ABAQUS staff.
Attendees expressed that this event offered a very good balance
between ABAQUS staff and user presentations, and most appeared
quite enthusiastic about what they learned and what ABAQUS has
in store for future releases.

A view from the Odyssey as it left the Boston Harbor docking area.

Invited Lectures Highlight ABAQUS Strength in

Diverse Industries and Applications
As mentioned earlier, this years conference featured two invited lecturers: Luke Garner (Intel) and James Mahoney, Jr. (Honeywell
FM&T). Both lecturers delivered thought-provoking presentations with details on how their companies reap the benefits of using
ABAQUS products. Each created an energetic atmosphere and set the tone for the rest of the day.
To Learn More
You may download the complete contributed papers and associated presentations that were given at the 2004 ABAQUS Users
Conference by visiting www.abaqus.com/Insights0408.

Mechanical Analysis Challenges in

Micro-Electronic Packaging
Luke J. Garner and Frank Z. Liang
Intel Corporation

Using ABAQUS in a Manufacturing Environment at

Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies* The Quest for Quality Parts Under Small Lot
Production Scenarios
James F. Mahoney, Jr.
Honeywell FM&T

Electrical and thermal performance enhancing features in

modern integrated circuits have increased demands on the
electronic package. This paper reviews two solder joint failure
mechanisms; thermal cycle fatigue under compressive load
and solders joint cracking in shock.
Two modeling techniques are employed to study these
mechanisms, response surface modeling and modal analysis.
Response surface modeling is shown to be an effective
means of determining the impact of multiple design variables.
Modal analysis is used
to calibrate a complex
system model, prior
to simulating
shock events.

Schematic of Flip Chip Ball

Grid Array (FCBGA) package
and solder joint failure
mechanisms.
Image courtesy of Intel.

The diversity and complexity of current product designs require

skillful manufacturers to effectively produce the needed small
volume of parts. Traditional methods have been to do trial-anderror to produce good quality parts. Costs and flow times
associated with prototyping are skyrocketing. Survivability for
manufacturers is at stake. Computer simulations are key toward
solving production development issues facing industry today.
The aid of high-performance computing simulations has greatly
enhanced the manufacturing expertise and knowledge at
Honeywell Federal
Manufacturing &
Technologies. The
simulations augment
the prototyping and
development stage,
and aid in solving
production problems.

First figure: stress in fixture

joint as a result of heavy
loading. Second figure: stress
in support stand under offset
loading.
Image courtesy of Honeywell Federal
Manufacturing & Technologies.

Briefly Noted
ABAQUS has seen a steady increase in customer demand for Itanium systems, which was a key factor in the decision to upgrade support for Itanium
with the initial release of ABAQUS Version 6.5-1 instead of in a subsequent maintenance release as was done with Version 6.4. (See ABAQUS Version
6.5 Directions article later in this issue.) The in-house Itanium systems that ABAQUS utilizes have been a key enabler in our crashworthiness initiative,
and will provide a basis to further advance our parallel computing efforts and broaden support of the analysis products for DMP configurations. Also
noteworthy is the ABAQUS announcement of native support for x86-64 bit systems (new with Version 6.5) which include systems powered by AMD
Opteron and Intel EM64T chips.
Our services initiative continues to gain strength, as a number of customers have selected ABAQUS for specialized consulting and support services.
Securing an ABAQUS on-site support engineer has been a popular option recently, along with the more traditional engineering consulting as well as
process automation and methods development projects. To learn more about our services offerings, visit www.abaqus.com/Services.
ABAQUS will be involved in a number of upcoming industry events, including the 23rd Annual Conference on Tire Science and Technology, the SAE
Brake Colloquium, and the 75th Shock and Vibration Symposium. For additional information on these events, visit www.abaqus.com/Events.

Wheel-o
on-T
Track Supports for Radio Telescopes
Accurate Analyses at SGH Provide New
Insights into Wear and Design Aspects
Steerable radio telescopes range in reflector size up to 300 feet in
diameter. Many of these structures are supported by wheel-ontrack systems composed of wheel bogies and wear plates mounted
on base plates, with the largest examples having wheel loads of a
million pounds per wheel. In some installations, migration of the
wear plates has been observed between the wear and base plates
accompanied by significant wear and fracture of fasteners
restraining the plates, creating operational as well as
maintenance issues.

Major Structures, Major Insights

Historically, much of what we now know about the universe
comes from information carried to us by light. But visible light is
only a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum and the nonvisible radio frequency band has revealed extensive information
about our universe. Telescopes observing at these wavelengths are
commonly called radio telescopes. Although they do not look like
optical telescopes, radio telescopes are built to accomplish a
similar gathering and focusing of radio frequency radiation.
Two of the largest fully steerable radio telescopes (both about 100 m
diameter) are the National Radio Astronomy Observatorys site in
Green Bank, West Virginia, USA (http://www.gb.nrao.edu/) and
the Effelsberg Radio Observatory, part of the Max-Planck-Institut
fr Radioastronomie in Bonn, Germany
(http://www.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de/public/eff_e.html).
The Wheel-on-Track System
Most large radio telescopes use a wheel-on-track system to rotate
about the azimuth axis. The wheel-on-track system should support
and rotate the telescope without introducing pointing errors.
Therefore, the wheel-on-track system must be stiff and any
deviations from flat should be very small. Because of the size
and the weight of large telescopes and their modes of observation,
the tracks are subject to high cyclic wheel loads and fatigue.
A common design consists of a hardened steel wear plate for the
running surface, supported on a deeper base plate, which in turn
is supported on a concrete foundation. The wheel-on-track system
may incorporate features such as pretensioned bolts fastening the
wear plates to the base plates, joints in plates, welds and splice
plates. Due to the effect of the rolling of the wheels, the wear
plate tends to slip and migrate with respect to the base plate,
causing significant wear. Failure of bolts has also been observed
in the field.

The Green Bank Telescope.

Established in 1956 by three professors at the Massachusetts

Institute of Technology, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) has
grown to become an internationally recognized consulting firm,
(with its 225 employees providing a broad range of engineering
and design services to clients worldwide.) SGH designs,
investigates and retrofits buildings and structures of all types,
from structural elements and assemblies, building envelope
systems, and mechanical structures to complex investigations and
research. The Engineering Mechanics & Infrastructure Division of
SGH provides advanced engineering analysis for the design of
radio telescopes, optical telescopes, radomes, and mechanical
components. In addition, SGH provides dynamic and nonlinear
analyses incorporating soil/structure interaction for buried
structures, fluid/structure interaction for tanks, brittle failure of
concrete, and structural instability. In a recent technical paper
presented at the 2004 ABAQUS Users Conference (AUC), SGH
discussed some of the design and analysis challenges related to a
particular aspect of radio telescope structural engineering.

In an effort to increase the life of these wheel-on-track systems,

SGH studied the behavior of the systems using ABAQUS/Standard
nonlinear finite element models incorporating contact and sliding.
Based on these models, SGH estimated wear and the potential for
fastener breakage for several design options.

Example of a wheel-on-track
system and detail of the
wear plate and base plate
configuration.

The purpose of the study presented at the 2004 AUC is to design

a track that will not fail in the useful life of the telescope.
Degradation can occur by wear between the wear plate and base
plate, and failures can occur due to fracture of fasteners or fatigue
cracks in the wear plate. ABAQUS-based finite element analysis
allowed SGH to study and estimate phenomena underlying wear;
evaluate design of plate joints; select fasteners; and estimate
potential for yield and fatigue failure.
Mechanical Phenomena and Estimating Wear
The mechanical behavior of the wheel-on-track system is largely
governed by two phenomena: Hertzian contact and compound
beam-on-elastic-foundation action. Analytical solutions are
available for Hertzian contact stresses (Seely, 1959) and for
beam-on-elastic-foundation (Hetenyi, 1974); however, to
incorporate the effect of friction and sliding and complexities of
joints and fasteners, nonlinear finite element solutions are
needed. Finally, an approach developed by Rabinowicz in 1995
was used to estimate wear due to the repetitive contact and
sliding between the plates.
Finite Element Modeling Approaches and
Techniques Used
Two types of finite element models were constructed and
analyzed with ABAQUS for this study: a wheel-track contact
model and a wear plate-base plate wear model. The purpose of
Portion of
wheel

Rolling
direction

View angle in
contour plot
Wear plate

Bolt
Steel,
infinite
elements

Wear plate
Base plate

Base plate
Grout/concrete

Planes of
symmetry

Concrete
infinite elements
Track Support Structure

using Lagrange multipliers, except for the three-dimensional wear

plate-base plate wear model which uses the penalty method for
friction.
Results and Conclusions
The results from the wheel-track contact model helped to better
understand stress concentrations where the wheel-contact patch
coincides with joints in the plates. The wheel-track contact model
was benchmarked against a Hertzian contact solution to verify

Deformation (exaggerated) of the wear plate due to contact from the wheel.

model construction and analysis methods. This model also

provided contact stresses at the wheel-wear plate interface, which
are then used to generate a moving patch load that is applied in
the wear plate-base plate wear models.
A comparison of results for bolted versus non-bolted configurations,
using a two-dimensional model, proved interesting. The bolts have
the effect of reducing sliding, which in turn reduces wear; however,
running counter to this effect was the significant increase in contact
pressure, which increases wear (with the bolted configuration.) For
the designs analyzed in this study, the sum total of these two effects
indicates that the bolted configuration experiences higher wear than
the unbolted configuration.

Typical FE models constructed for the study (three-dimensional wheel-track contact

model on the left vs. two-dimensional wear plate-base plate model on the right).

the wheel-track contact model is to capture the contact behavior at

the interface between the wheel and the wear plate accurately;
while the purpose of the wear plate-base plate wear model is to
capture the wear plate-base plate interaction and to predict wear.
Depending on the complexity of the system, both twodimensional and three-dimensional models were employed, for
both types of models. Two-dimensional models are built for pilot
studies, and three-dimensional models are built for detailed
studies. Two different configurations were studied: one in which
the wear plate is bolted to the base plate and a second
configuration where the wear plate is only restrained laterally.
Finite element meshes consisting of brick elements representing
the foundation, wear plate, and base plate were used. Infinite
elements were used to model the far field in both the vertical
and horizontal directions. ABAQUS/Standard was used to solve
the analysis models employing the nonlinear geometric strain
formulation. All materials were defined as linear elastic. Both
sliding (friction) and normal contact constraints were modeled

Contact pressure and relative sliding for bolted vs. unbolted configurations,
two-dimensional pilot study.

To Learn More
You may download the complete contributed paper
that was given by SGH at the 2004 AUC by visiting
www.abaqus.com/Insights0408.
Brian Rose (Senior Engineer) and Frank W. Kan (Staff Consultant) have been working
in the Engineering Mechanics & Infrastructure Division at Simpson Gumpertz &
Heger Inc. for 3 and 17 years, respectively. Brian holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering
from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and Frank holds a M.S. in Civil Engineering
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

ABAQUS Version 6.5 Directions

At the 2004 ABAQUS Users Conference David Fox of the CTO
office presented highlights of the next major release of ABAQUS,
Version 6.5. Fox discussed four major themes that have guided
development efforts on this next release. These are:
Advanced Engineering
Performance
Usability
Customer Requests for Enhancement (RFEs)
While the ABAQUS Version 6.5 Release Notes will provide a
comprehensive description of all the new features and enhancements,
this article offers a preview of the major technical themes and
highlights of some of the new features and enhancements in
ABAQUS Version 6.5.
Advanced Engineering
The Advanced Engineering theme aims to maintain ABAQUS at the
forefront of technology in finite element analysis by working closely
with customers to address challenging real-world analysis scenarios.
One of the focus areas of the Advanced Engineering theme is
crashworthiness and occupant safety assessments. At the 2003
ABAQUS Users Conference, BMW presented the first fruits of a
multi-year technical collaboration with ABAQUS to develop
next-generation capabilities in ABAQUS/Explicit for
crashworthiness simulations. Version 6.5 includes many new
features and enhancements to extend the applicability of
ABAQUS/Explicit for these applications. Of particular note will be
the availability of a suite of digital crash test dummy models to
support occupant safety simulations. These models are being created
by First Technology Safety Systems (FTSS), leading providers of
physical and digital crash test dummy models. These models
together with the airbag modeling capabilities will allow
ABAQUS/Explicit to be used for occupant safety simulations.
Other enhancements in ABAQUS/Explicit that will be of use for
crashworthiness applications include a new direct anti-aliasing
filtering capability that will allow analysts to sample results
accurately while simultaneously reducing the amount of output data
and kinematic hardening plasticity material models. While some of
the above-mentioned enhancements are targeted specifically for
crashworthiness applications, many others have much wider
applicability and will significantly benefit users in
other industries.

ABAQUS Version 6.5 includes

significant advances
in the areas of fracture
and failure modeling. New
and enhanced capabilities for
accurately predicting failure
are provided, including
implementation of a general
framework for modeling
progressive damage and failure.
This framework includes a set of
damage initiation and evolution
criteria that can be used to predict
failure of materials such as metals
(especially aluminum) and
adhesives. All of the damage
evolution criteria have been
developed to minimize mesh
dependency of the results that can
arise during progressive damage.
ABAQUS Version 6.5 also
ABAQUS/Standard analysis of a T-peel
introduces cohesive elements
specimen with one of the patches 50%
broken. This analysis is most common
that can be used to model the
for calibrating adhesive materials.
behavior or failure of adhesive
joints and interfaces in composites.
Mesh-independent fasteners can
now not only be deformable but can also be used with the general
framework for progressive damage and failure. This framework is
also available with connectors to allow failure of various
connections to be modeled in a very general manner.
ABAQUS/CAE has been enhanced to more effectively support
fracture and failure analysis capabilities. ABAQUS/CAE now
supports contour integral computations, the specification of damage
initiation and failure criteria, and cohesive elements.
Contact has been an important technological differentiator for
ABAQUS for many years, and we remain committed to
maintaining our leadership position. There are many new
enhancements in ABAQUS Version 6.5 resulting in improved

Left: a mixed mesh of tetrahedral (green) and hexahedral (yellow) elements, tied
together with a bonded interface. Top right: the hexahedral mesh, which is used to
model a crack tip. Bottom right: a comparison of the stresses at the bonded
interface obtained with Version 6.4 and Version 6.5.

Simulation of side-curtain airbag deployment with ABAQUS/Explicit. The image

shown is 50 milliseconds after the airbag was initially deployed. Image courtesy of Autoliv.

performance, robustness, and usability of contact. Some of the

enhancements in ABAQUS/Standard include a new stabilization
method for multi-body contact problems with initial rigid body
modes, the use of contact iterations that can result in improved

performance for frictionless contact, smoother and more accurate

contact stresses between higher-order elements, and the inclusion
of the shell thickness in contact computations for small-sliding
contact. The general contact capability in ABAQUS/Explicit has
also been enhanced to now account for shell offset definitions, to
allow specification of initial clearances, and to provide user controls
for initial overclosure adjustments. In addition to the enhancements
to contact, a new surface-to-surface formulation for mesh tie
constraints optimizes the stress accuracy of mismatched meshes
in both ABAQUS/Standard and ABAQUS/Explicit.

Image courtesy of Delphi.

Image courtesy of Fluent and

General Motors Product
Development Center.

In this image the Fluent CFD model is used to analyze thermal effects and air flow
effects in the disc brake region, while an ABAQUS FEA model is used for the
coupled temperature-displacement analysis and related acoustic model prediction.

ABAQUS has teamed up with Fluent, Inc., to address coupled

fluid-structure interaction analyses; and users will see the first
results of this collaboration in Version 6.5 of ABAQUS. The two
companies have identified several key applications to tackle initially
and are forming long-term joint-development plans to address
important applications where ABAQUS and FLUENT products can
be combined. This coupling of ABAQUS and FLUENT will open
up new analysis approaches for a wide variety of applications.

Performance
Our long-term strategic focus on software performance continues
with ABAQUS Version 6.5, taking into account not only faster
analysis solution speed but also solution robustness and overall
faster turnaround time.
In ABAQUS/Explicit users will benefit from significant
performance improvements in several areas. The performance of the
general contact algorithm has been improved considerably resulting
in significant performance gains for both serial and parallel
execution. Improved handling of constraints and rigid bodies also
provide significant performance gains during parallel execution.
Other major enhancements include improved memory management
and the availability of parallel execution on a variety of distributed
memory systems using an MPI-based implementation (Message
Passing Interface).

An example of a large
pattern of instances for a
semiconductor ball grid
array. A part (unit cell)
consisting of the
repeating geometry is
meshed using the new
part meshing capability.
This unit cell is then
patterned, along with
its mesh.

ABAQUS/CAE Version 6.5 also offers performance gains in a

number of areas. In particular, in models where there are more than
a few instances of a part, the time required to create the geometry
pattern and the related mesh has been greatly reduced, as has the
required memory to perform the operations. In addition, Version 6.5
offers exceptional performance improvements for postprocessing
element data results, which is a continuation of the improvements
made in Version 6.4 for postprocessing nodal data.
Historically, the performance of large models in ABAQUS/Standard
has been controlled by equation solver performance. Over the past
few years, ABAQUS has been successful in making the direct sparse
solver very efficient; so the focus now has turned toward improving
the performance of other features in the analysis process. In addition
to the solver, ABAQUS/Standard now performs element operations
in parallel so that almost the entire analysis can be executed in
parallel. ABAQUS/Standard is also available for parallel execution
on a variety of distributed memory systems when the iterative solver
is used. Other major improvements include improved performance
of submodeling analyses and reduced memory usage and improved
performance of cavity radiation analyses.
Usability
The third key ingredient that users will benefit from in ABAQUS
Version 6.5 is outstanding usability improvements in a number of
areas; not only is ABAQUS itself easier to use, but users should also
notice some enhancements tailored to improve integration with their
overall design environment.
Usability, as well as the look-and-feel of ABAQUS/CAE, has been
enhanced by the addition of a
Model Tree. The Model Tree
provides a visual description of the
hierarchy of objects in a model, and
is a convenient tool for navigating
and managing your models. In
addition, the Model Tree provides
another, and for some a more
natural, route to access much of the
functionality (edit, create, rename,
suppress, delete, etc.) of the main
menu bar, the module toolboxes,
and the various managers. The
arrangement of the objects in the
Model Tree reflects the order in
which users are expected to create
their model and can act as a guide
The Model Tree as it appears in ABAQUS
Version 6.5.

ABAQUS 6.5 Directions

(continued)

for new users of ABAQUS/CAE. A similar logic governs the

order of the modules in the module menu. Once users become
familiar with the Model Tree, they can perform most tasks
required to create and manage models quickly and conveniently,
without having to navigate any top-level menus.
In addition to the Model Tree, ABAQUS/CAE offers a long list
of new features and enhancements to improve usability. To
provide additional insights to model results, a view cut
capability, which allows the analyst to see how results vary inside
the model, has been added. View cuts can be planar (rectangular,
cylindrical or spherical) or isosurfaces of a specific result
quantity. With new capabilities such as the ability to access an
ODB across the network for visualization purposes without any
performance drawbacks, attributes suppression, a new section
assignment manager, sketcher improvements, and preselection
highlighting, we firmly believe that ABAQUS/CAE offers the
most productive modeling and visualization environment for the
majority of ABAQUS users.
The ABAQUS Analysis Products have their own share of
usability enhancements. Sequential thermal-stress analysis has
been made easier and more flexible with ABAQUS Version 6.5;
the analyst can now interpolate temperatures between the
thermal analysis mesh and the stress analysis mesh even if the
mesh densities are different. This capability also reduces the
number of analyses required in a sequential thermal-stress
analysis with submodeling.
Customer Request for Enhancements
With the introduction in August 2003 of WebRFE, our web-based
system for Customer Request for Enhancements (RFEs), we
reinforced our commitment to exceptional support for our
products. With ABAQUS Version 6.5 we have been able to address
over 140 unique RFEs in ABAQUS/CAE and ABAQUS/Viewer,
including 10 of the top 25 on the list (major new features or
enhancements often take multiple releases to implement.) In the
Analysis Products (ABAQUS/Standard, ABAQUS/Explicit, and
their related modules) we have been able to address over 25 unique
RFEs in ABAQUS Version 6.5. We have also addressed the most
highly requested RFE: distributed surface shear traction loading to
complement the existing pressure loading capability. In addition to
being able to specify shear and pressure loading separately,
ABAQUS has implemented an interface where the analyst can
directly specify a general traction vector. A related RFE also
addressed is edge loading on shell elements.

Platform Support
In a letter to ABAQUS customers at the end of March of this
year, we outlined our plan for platform support for ABAQUS
Version 6.5. Based on the feedback to that letter and also due to
subsequent changes in the hardware market, a slightly modified
plan was presented at the ABAQUS Users Conference. Further
refinements have been made to that plan, as reflected in the table
below that summarizes platform support for ABAQUS Version 6.5.
ABAQUS
Release

Platforms
Processor

Operating System(s)

6.5-3

SuSE Linux 8.2

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0
SuSE Linux 9.0
Red Hat Linux Linux 9.0
SuSE Linux 9.1

Yes*

Yes*

x86-32

Windows XP Professional
Windows 2000 Service Pack 3

Yes*

Yes*

Itanium

HP-UX B.11.22
HP-UX B.11.23

No

Yes

Itanium

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0

No

Yes

Power

IBM AIX 5.1

IBM AIX 5.2

No

Yes

x86-64

SuSE Linux 9.0

SuSE Linux 9.1
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0

Yes&

Yes

PA-RISC

HP-UX 11.00
HP-UX B.11.11

No

Yes

Alpha

HP Tru64 UNIX 5.1A (732)

No

Yes

MIPS

SGI IRIX 6.5.8

No

Yes

UltraSPARC

Solaris 8 (SunOS 5.8)

No

Yes

PrimePower

*
&

Analysis
Products

x86-32

6.5-1

6.5-2

Interactive
Products

Includes Intel Pentium and Xeon, and AMD Athlon processors

Includes AMD Opteron and Athlon64 processors, and Intel EM64T processors
Indicates 32-bit memory addressing; 64-bit memory addressing on all other platforms
ABAQUS/Viewer only. ABAQUS/CAE will be available in a subsequent maintenance version.
Distributed memory parallel (DMP) support for ABAQUS/Explicit, ABAQUS/Standard domain
decomposition iterative solver, and ABAQUS/Standard element operations

Shared memory parallel (SMP) support for ABAQUS/Standard

and ABAQUS/Explicit is available on all platforms, while
distributed memory parallel (DMP) is available on the platforms
indicated above. We are aware that Windows XP 64-bit is in Beta
release on x86-64 processors. We are monitoring the progress
with this operating system, together with customer interest, to
consider a secondary port to this platform for Version 6.5 of
ABAQUS. Complete platform support information, including
operating systems, compilers, and MPI configurations, is available
at www.abaqus.com (under Support & Services-Systems
Information for ABAQUS Version 6.5).
During the AUC2004 we conducted a customer survey that
included two questions on future hardware platforms. Results of
these survey questions are summarized below.
Linux
x86-32

Within 2 years what do you

expect will be your primary platform
for pre- and postprocessing?

Linux
x86-64
Windows
x86-32
Other

Closure
We hope this article has provided a useful glimpse into the new
functionality, performance, and user productivity offered by
ABAQUS Version 6.5. We are delighted with the progress made
in this release on many fronts but realize there is still much work
to do. ABAQUS Version 6.6 development is well underway, and
we encourage users to continue their proactive communication
with ABAQUS, via the WebRFE tool and in discussions with
local ABAQUS offices or representatives, as they tackle new
challenges with ABAQUS.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

HP-UX
Alpha
HP-UX
Itanium
HP-UX
PA-RISC
Within 2 years what do you
expect will be your primary
platform for solving?

IBM
Power
Linux
Itanium
Linux
x86-32
Linux
x86-64
SGI
MIPS
Sun
UltraSPARC
Windows
x86-32
0%

ABAQUS for CATIA V5 Capabilities Continue to Expand

Continuing with an aggressive, six-month release cycle, the
Version 1.2 release in August is the second major release of
ABAQUS for CATIA V5. This release provides a number of
important functionality enhancements; highlights of the most
significant are described below.
Shell and Beam Elements
Support for shell and beam elements opens ABAQUS for
CATIA V5 to a number of new applications, including
manufactured consumer products, airplane fuselage and wing
assemblies, and automotive chassis components. Two options
are available for surface meshing: the CATIA V5 OCTREE
Triangle Mesher and the CATIA V5 Smart Surface Mesher,
which generates quadrilateral-dominated meshes. A single
model can include solid, shell, and beam elements.

Clip for an automotive

exhaust system. Shell
modeling capabilities
enable a number of
new applications within
ABAQUS for CATIA V5
Version 1.2.

Integrated Job Submission

Version 1.2 greatly increases the usability and convenience of
job management. Without leaving the CATIA V5 environment,
you can create job specifications, submit analysis jobs to
ABAQUS, and monitor solution progress. The job type can be a
full analysis; or it can be a data check analysis, which can be
followed by a subsequent continuation analysis. In addition, you

Using the job management capability, you can create job specifications,
submit analysis jobs to ABAQUS, and continuously monitor solution
progress.

can create a job from an input file, which enables you to make
modifications to an input file and still run the job from the
CATIA V5 environment. Additional job options include
specifying the location of computation files and establishing
memory settings during analysis. After creating analysis jobs,
you can submit them and continuously monitor the solution
progress, including any diagnostic messages from ABAQUS.
For added convenience, you can use the Storage Manager to
view ABAQUS analysis files in the text editor of your choice.
CATIA V5 Integration
Leveraging advanced CATIA V5 capabilities is an important
advantage of ABAQUS for CATIA V5. Version 1.2
demonstrates our ongoing efforts to make full use of CATIA V5
features. Examples include enabling CATIA V5 groups for
effective grouping of geometric entities during model
preprocessing and activating Visual Basic scripting to
automate some aspects of model creation.
For more information visit www.abaqus.com/products/AFC
to download the Version 1.2 datasheet, or contact your local
ABAQUS office.

2004 ABAQUS Web Seminars

Due to the great attendance and feedback we have been receiving, we are continuing to run our web seminars throughout the fall.
Dont see a topic of interest? Please let us know what youd be interested in learning more about by emailing us at
webinars@abaqus.com.
For those of you just tuning in, ABAQUS has implemented a series of web seminars to keep all of our customers up to date on our
latest enhancements and to help our users utilize ABAQUS software to its fullest capability. These seminars are created to be
convenient for our customersyou can watch from your own desktop. We will target different niches to touch on topics of interest
for everyone. We currently are running approximately one seminar per month and we have two time offerings per event. The
upcoming schedule is as follows:

September Automobile Acoustics Applications and Analysis with ABAQUS

October Consumer Products Applications of ABAQUS
November Shock Analysis Using the DDAM Procedure in ABAQUS
December Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) for Composites Fracture
Analysis with ABAQUS

We hope you are able to join us. For more information and to register, please visit our website at www.abaqus.com/Events.

10

Technical Corner
ABAQUS Technology Briefs
In June, we re-launched the Technology Briefs portion of our
web site (www.abaqus.com/TechBriefs) that now offers a
number of in-depth sample applications to demonstrate how
ABAQUS is used in some of our major market segments. Each
application is summarized in the form of a detailed technical
paper (Technology Brief), which can be downloaded in Adobe
Acrobat (PDF) format. In addition, ABAQUS customers with
current technical support agreements can log on to the
ABAQUS Online Support System (AOSS) to download a .zip
archive that contains the ABAQUS model and/or input file.
The following is a list of the current Technology Brief titles.
There are additional Technology Briefs in the works. If youd
like to collaborate with ABAQUS on a particular topic or if you
have any feedback about the ABAQUS Technology Briefs,
please write to us at TechBriefs@abaqus.com.

Radiation

Thin-

Shock Response and Acoustic

Radiation Analysis of a Submarine
Quasi-Static Collapse of Spot-Welded
Thin-Walled Curved Beams

The AOSS Knowledge Database

A unique component of the AOSS is the Knowledge Database.
By registering in the AOSS, our customers gain access to the
collection of ABAQUS Answers stored in the Knowledge
Database. The ABAQUS Answers are designed to address
specific technical points in a question-and-answer format.
Both mechanics and systems-related issues are addressed.
The purpose of the Knowledge Database is to archive and
share the knowledge and experience generated in the course
of providing technical support to our customers. It is a very
convenient way to address frequently asked questions, provide
examples of specific techniques, or explain the intricacies of
ABAQUS. With this service, we expect to:
Provide our customers with a growing body of
knowledge that can be used by all to quickly answer
support questions
Improve our customers efficiency by providing a
source of highly detailed technical information that is
available at any time
Since its inception, the Knowledge Database has grown steadily
in its size and use, with well over 600 different answers on a
wide variety of topics. Some recent additions include:
2035

An Integrated Approach for Transient

Rolling of Tires

Stents

Simulation of Implantable Nitinol

Stents
Nonlinear Micro Finite Element
Analysis of Human Trabecular Bone
Failure of a Prestressed Concrete
Containment Vessel
Construction, Rapid Drawdown,
and Earthquake Simulation of
an Earthen Dam

Two-Pass Rolling Simulation

Merging nodes across part instances in ABAQUS/CAE

Answer 2035 discusses the techniques available in Version 6.4 of

ABAQUS/CAE for creating continuous meshes for assemblies that
consist of unique parts. Specifically, the tools available for merging
nodes and geometry are presented.
1985

Modeling an applied displacement along a spiral

Answer 1985 demonstrates how connector elements in

ABAQUS/Standard and ABAQUS/Explicit can be used to simplify
the specification of complicated applied displacement loading. As a
specific example, applying a displacement along a variable radius
spiral is examined.
1988

Customizing the ABAQUS environment to allow

memory settings to depend on the number of
CPUs requested

With the inclusion of some basic Python scripting in the ABAQUS

environment file, a high degree of customization is available to users
of the ABAQUS product suite. Answer 1988 demonstrates the
general technique of parsing command line arguments and defining
environment parameters that depend on the values of the arguments.
1195

Using MIO and FFIO to improve performance

For SGI and IBM platforms, the proprietary software packages MIO
and FFIO can be used to improve the performance of systems with
limited memory resources. Answer 1195 explains how to configure the
ABAQUS environment file to utilize these packages.

To view all the available ABAQUS Answers, simply log on to

the AOSS and click the ABAQUS Answers tab. If you have not
created your AOSS Account, simply follow the link for new
users.

11

ABAQUS Tips
On a monthly basis, your local ABAQUS branch office sends an email message containing timely information about using the ABAQUS
software suite. In each issue of ABAQUS Tips, information designed to increase your knowledge, efficiency and productivity as an
ABAQUS user will be presented. Among the topics to be included are the finer points of using ABAQUS/Standard and ABAQUS/Explicit,
modeling techniques in ABAQUS/CAE, scripting, and highlights of unique capabilities.
Each ABAQUS Tip will be sent by your local branch office and will include information unique to your local ABAQUS community,
including:
Upcoming Training Classes and Seminars
Regional Users Meetings
Consulting Services
Other Special Events
Each issue of ABAQUS Tips is archived in the ABAQUS Online Support System (AOSS) Answer Database. To facilitate retrieval, the
tips will be associated with the ABAQUS Topic ABAQUS Tips. In the ABAQUS Answers section of the AOSS, select this topic
from the ABAQUS Topics pulldown list.
In keeping with the nature of a tip, the information will be presented in a brief, concise manner with links to additional web pages and
ABAQUS Answers. To view an example ABAQUS Tip, please see ABAQUS Tips for January 2004. To sign up for the ABAQUS Tips
service, please contact your local ABAQUS office or see ABAQUS Answer 1132.

Process Automation Update

Since its introduction in January 2004, the ABAQUS Process Automation Portal
has become a valuable resource for many users. Over 400 ABAQUS users have already
registered on the portal and turn to it for downloading custom applications and tools
that have been developed by users and are provided free for the benefit of others.
The portal contains a wide variety of applications including examples that are helpful
for users getting started with scripting and customization. Many of these applications
have been utilized by other users as ideas and starting points for their own projects.
Over 30 downloads are currently available on the portal and the top three downloaded
Graphical Users (GUI) Customization Applications are:
Various Examples suite (illustrates how different types of
interfaces can be built)-downloaded 96 times
HTML Report Generator-downloaded 85 times
Bellows Application-downloaded 79 times
Among kernel scripts, the most frequent download is a tool that finds the maximum
value of Mises stress from an output database and prints its value and location. This script has been downloaded 58 times.
In addition to downloads, the Process Automation Portal provides web links, news updates, and forums for the benefit of the ABAQUS
community involved with GUI Customization and kernel scripting.
Portal Access/User Accounts
To access the portal, you will first need to login to the ABAQUS Online Support System (AOSS). If you are not yet registered, you can
create a user account by visiting http://abaqus.custhelp.com. After you login to AOSS, you will find a link to the portal. When you
register at the portal, you may specify a username and password that are different from your AOSS account. Portal accounts are
cookie-based; therefore, you will not be asked to re-enter your information each time you use the portal.

12

ABAQUS in the News

A number of ABAQUS customers and staff have recently been
featured in major articles in a wide range of engineering
publications. Several of the more notable articles are
summarized below. To read the full stories, please visit our web
site at www.abaqus.com/News and click on In the News.
IndustryWeek June 2004, pp. 24-32
The New Materials Age
Information technology has transformed materials science,
giving product designers the knowledge tools once controlled
by specialists and turbo-charging the product-development
process, writes John Teresko, Senior Technology Editor at
IndustryWeek magazine. In this article Teresko discusses how
leading firms-including GM, Procter & Gamble, Corus, and
Johnson & Johnson-are using finite element software to bring
analysis tools into the design engineering environment, thereby
bridging two traditionally segregated domains. ABAQUS usage
at P&G, Corus, and J&J is highlighted extensively in the article.
Packaging Design Engineer
(a supplement to Machine Design)
June 2004 pp. 20-21
Building A Better Bottle
In this article David Henning, Manager of Package Analysis at
Procter & Gamble, describes how P&G has used simulation to
determine how bottles fill and stack and whether theyll tip over
on a conveyor. P&Gs Virtual Package Simulation (VPS)
system, based on Hypermesh and ABAQUS, helps to speed
bottle design and enable engineers to quickly assess the
structural performance of different design configurations.

Desktop
Engineering
Supplement
Elements of
Analysis
June 2004,
pp. 12-17
A Convergence
of Disciplines
Greg Brown,
Manager of
Interactive
Products at ABAQUS,
was featured along with other
leading players in the June
edition of Desktop Engineering
supplement. Brown was asked for his
input on topics pertaining to customers, standards for industry,
and unified approaches. The challenge for companies is to find
better ways of implementing FE tools to improve their bottom
line. Brown stated, Once the strategic value of analysis is
recognized in a companys business and process, analysis
quality is usually better and it becomes more widely deployed.
SAE Automotive Engineering International
April 2004, pp. 56-57
Honda Gears up CVT Design
The continuously variable transmission (CVT) offers a way for
automobile manufacturers to address increasing demands for
environmental compliance without sacrificing vehicle
performance. This article, written by Toshihiro Saito, Assistant
Chief Engineer at Honda R&D Co. Ltd., describes how Honda
used ABAQUS to understand how to modify the V-belt for its
CVT transmission and develop a design tool for future use.

Recent Announcements
ABAQUS Selected by Boeing to Commercialize Composite
Structure Design Technology
In April, ABAQUS, Inc., announced that it had been selected by the Boeing Intellectual Property Business
to develop and market Boeing technology for prediction of fracture and failure in laminated composite
materials. The technology, an implementation of a novel and refined technique that utilizes the Virtual
Crack Closure Technique (VCCT), has been used by Boeing and plays an important role in the design of
aero structures involving composites. Development of this implementation of the VCCT was sponsored by
the Composite Affordability Initiative, of which Boeing is a member. Boeing has filed a patent application
for this implementation of the VCCT and ABAQUS, Inc., will market the technology. To download the full
article, please visit our web site at www.abaqus.com/News and click on In The News.

13

ABAQUS Expands Academic Programs

Where were you when you first learned about ABAQUS? This
question generally results in one of two answers. For many, the
drive to learn ABAQUS was a research project in an academic
setting. ABAQUS software is well established as a research level
tool at more than 1,000 academic sites worldwide. However, if
your first exposure to FEA was in an undergraduate classroom,
chances are good that ABAQUS was not the first software you
learned; in which case you probably began using ABAQUS in
the workplace. Academic use of ABAQUS was once relegated to
the niche world of research, where the ability to describe
sophisticated materials and behaviors demanded ABAQUS.
However, the release of ABAQUS Version 6.4, with its
Windows-native ABAQUS/CAE interactive product, has made
ABAQUS an attractive academic solution for both research and
classroom use.
Responding to industry requirements for highly qualified
engineers entering the workforce, we have expanded our
academic offerings to include programs for high-end research,
classroom teaching, and independent learning. ABAQUS
Research Edition provides the full capability of the commercial
programs. ABAQUS Teaching Edition, which is designed for
classroom use, allows 20 simultaneous users to solve problems
with 10,000 or less nodes. The recently announced
ABAQUS/Student Edition fills the need for a personal program
for learning ABAQUS and reinforcing modeling and analysis
techniques. All ABAQUS academic offerings provide complete
preprocessing, solution, and postprocessing functionality.
We recently instituted an increased corporate focus aimed at
developing programs and resources for the academic use of
ABAQUS. Current initiatives include developing resources for
academic users to reference and share, nurturing commercial/

academic alliances, and

assisting academic
institutions with
implementing ABAQUS
in ways that are
cost-effective.
A common request
from engineers and
students has been the desire to gain more experience with
ABAQUS without engaging their site license. Responding to
this need, we are pleased to introduce ABAQUS Student Edition
Version 6.4. Now ABAQUS features and capabilities can be
learned outside of the workplace or classroom at a convenient
time and place. While the ABAQUS Student Edition was
developed primarily for academic users, it is quickly becoming
adopted as a popular learning tool by current and prospective
analysts in industry. It provides an ideal means for expanding your
ABAQUS knowledge, developing expertise for upcoming
projects, or for enhancing your personal skills inventory.
ABAQUS Student Edition is the perfect personal finite element
analysis tool. Problems of limited size (1000 nodes) that do not
require user subroutines can be solved with ABAQUS/Standard,
ABAQUS/Explicit, and ABAQUS/CAE in the Student Edition
software. Available for both the Windows XP and Windows 2000
Platforms, ABAQUS Student Edition includes complete online
documentation, making it a valuable off-site reference.
Additional information about ABAQUS for academic use is
available at www.abaqus.com/Academic. For product
information about ABAQUS Student Edition, or to order
your own copy, go to www.abaqus.com/Student.

ABAQUS Signs Agreement with FTSS for Development of Digital Models of

Automotive Crash Test Dummies
In March, ABAQUS, Inc., announced that it had entered into an agreement with
First Technology Safety Systems (FTSS). Under the terms of the agreement, FTSS will
develop a suite of crash test dummy models for ABAQUS to support crashworthiness
simulation. ABAQUS and its authorized resellers will be the exclusive distributors and
provide technical support for the entire ABAQUS suite of crash dummy models.
As part of this agreement the first ABAQUS crash dummy model available will be
the SID-IIs side impact dummy, targeted for general release in the third quarter
of 2004. Additional models will be released in close succession to eventually
comprise a comprehensive suite for a wide range of automotive applications.
To read the full press release, please visit our web site at
www.abaqus.com/News and click on Press Releases.
14

ABAQUS, Inc.
1080 Main Street
Pawtucket, RI 02860-4847 USA
+1 401 727 4200
e-mail info@abaqus.com
Europe
+31 43 356 6906
e-mail info.europe@abaqus.com
Japan
+81 3 5474 5817
e-mail info.japan@abaqus.com

WWW.ABAQUS.COM

ABAQUS, ABAQUS/Standard, ABAQUS/Explicit, ABAQUS/CAE,

ABAQUS/Viewer, ABAQUS/Aqua, ABAQUS/Design,
ABAQUS/Foundation, and the ABAQUS logo are trademarks or
registered trademarks of ABAQUS, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the
United States and/or other countries.
Other company, product, and service names may be trademarks
or service marks of others.
Copyright 2004 ABAQUS, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MAR_INS_408