Common Errors and Warnings in Convergence Problems-Abaqus

ERROR: TOO MANY INCREMENTS NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE STEP

Check the message file for any warning messages, such as numerical singularity or zero
pivot warnings, that may be causing slow convergence
If there appear to be no convergence issues, then you may need to increase the limit to the
number of increments for that step

ERROR: TOO MANY ATTEMPTS MADE FOR THIS INCREMENT ANALYSIS

TERMINATED

This is just an error message which gives reason for why Abaqus finally aborted
Do not modify the solver controls to increase the number of allowable attempts per
increment
Check the message file for warning messages that could cause convergence difficulties
Check the model definition, and make sure that the model can actually withstand the
applied loads

ERROR: TIME INCREMENT REQUIRED IS LESS THAN MINIMUM SPECIFIED-

ANALYSIS ENDS

Again, this is just an error message which gives reason for why Abaqus finally aborted-it
is not a suggestion by Abaqus to reduce the minimum allowable increment size
Check the message file for warning messages that could cause convergence difficulties
Check the model definition, and make sure that the model can actually withstand the
applied loads

WARNING: THE STRAIN INCREMENT HAS EXCEEDED FIFTY TIMES THE

STRAIN TO CAUSE FIRST YIELD AT 500 POINTS

Indicates excessive plastic yielding in the given increment

Possible causes would be:
Excessive or unrealistic loading (inconsistent units, for example)
Incorrect or insufficient stress-strain plastic data
Insufficient mesh refinement
Unstable deformation, such as buckling
NOTE: The factor fifty mentioned in the warning message cannot be modified
WARNING: ELEMENT 441 IS DISTORTING SO MUCH THAT IT TURNS INSIDE
OUT

Possible causes would be:

Insufficient mesh refinement
Hourglassing in first-order reduced integration elements
Inconsistent units for material properties and/ or loads
Excessive or unrealistic loads
Adjusting slave nodes of severely overclosed surfaces for contact pairs or tie constraints
(initial overclosures)

WARNING: THE SYSTEM MATRIX HAS 9 NEGATIVE EIGENVALUES

Possible causes would be:
. Some form of loss of stiffness suggesting that the stiffness matrix is assembled about a
non-equilibrium state:
. Geometrical instability: buckling, compression
. Material instability: inappropriate hyperelastic material models, onset of perfect
plasticity
. Numerically, the use of Lagrange multipliers in certain cases may also lead to these
warning messages
. Use of 3D second-order elements as contact (slave) surfaces
Typically, these warning messages do not appear in converged iterations
. If they do, ensure that the solution is physically acceptable

WARNING: SOLVER PROBLEM. NUMERICAL SIGULARITY WHEN PROCESSING

NODE 1 D.O.F. 3 RATIO=3.141E+15
Typically suggests an unconstrained rigid body motion
Even if the analysis runs to completion with these warnings, the results may not be
accurate
WARNING: SOLVER PROBLEM. ZERO PIVOT WHEN PROCESSING NODE 1
D.O.F.1
Typically suggests an overconstraint
Even if the analysis runs to completion with these warnings, the results will not be
accurate