ABAQUS / Answers

Answers to Common ABAQUS Questions Spring 1996

rectangular with respect to their parametric coordinate systems. When the elements are distorted, their accuracy deteriorates (see ABAQUS/Standard Example Problem 1.1.6). Therefore, try to use well-shaped elements in regions of interest.

Contents
Selecting Solid Elements for Stress Analysis in ABAQUS/Standard XY Plotting Improved Running Jobs Sequentially Compacting ABAQUS/Pre Databases 1 3 4 4

First- or Second-Order Elements

Second-order elements provide higher accuracy than rstorder elements for smooth problems that do not involve complex contact or impact, or severe element distortions. They capture stress concentrations more effectively and are better for modeling geometric featuresthey can model a curved surface with fewer elements. Finally, second-order elements are very effective in bending-dominated problems. First-order elements should be used in contact problems because the contact forces are consistent with the direction of contact. First-order elements perform better in analyses involving impact because they have a lumped mass matrix. First-order elements also perform better in analyses requiring large element distortions, such as the simulation of certain manufacturing processes or the response of rubber components.

Selecting Solid Elements for Stress Analysis in ABAQUS/Standard

The solid (or continuum) elements in ABAQUS can be used for linear analysis and for complex nonlinear analyses involving contact, plasticity, and large deformations. They are available for stress, heat transfer, acoustic, coupled thermal-stress, coupled pore uid-stress, piezoelectric, and coupled thermal-electrical analyses. Given the wide variety of element types available, it is important to select the correct element for a particular application. In this, the rst of two articles about solids, we explain the inuence of an elements interpolation order, basic formulation, and numerical integration scheme on its performance for stress analysis. In the next article we will address issues relating to coupled problems, composite solids, and element output. The solid element library includes full- and reducedintegration elements, with rst- or second-order interpolation, in both normal and hybrid forms. Linear interpolation, incompatible mode elements are also available. Chapter 3 of the Users manual contains a complete description of all solid elements, together with a description of the properties required, applicable loadings, and output available.

Bricks/Quadrilaterals or Tetrahedra/Triangles
Triangular and tetrahedral elements are geometrically versatile and are used in many automatic meshing algorithms. It is very convenient to mesh a complex shape with tetrahedra or triangles, and the second-order versions of these elements (C3D10, CAX6, etc.) are suitable for general usage. However, a good mesh of hexahedral elements usually provides a solution of equivalent accuracy at less cost. Quadrilaterals and hexahedra have a better convergence rate than triangles and tetrahedra and are less sensitive to mesh orientation. The faces of second-order tetrahedra should not be part of slave surfaces in contact problems because the equivalent nodal forces at the corners are zero, which leads to convergence problems. First-order triangles and tetrahedra are usually overly stiff, and extremely ne meshes are required to obtain accurate results. As mentioned below, they also exhibit volumetric locking in incompressible problems. As a rule, they should not be used except as ller elements in noncritical areas.

Element Selection
Choosing an element for a particular analysis can be simplied by considering specic element characteristics: rst- or second-order; full- or reduced-integration; hexahedra/quadrilaterals or tetrahedra/triangles; or normal, hybrid, or incompatible mode formulation. By considering each of these aspects carefully, we can arrive at the best element for a given analysis. Elements formulated as quadrilaterals or hexahedra perform better if their shape remains approximately

Full or Reduced Integration

Reduced-integration elements are less expensive than equivalent fully integrated elements. Element type C3D20

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has 27 integration points, while C3D20R has only 8; therefore, element assembly is roughly 3.5 times more costly for C3D20 than for C3D20R. However, fully integrated elements are not necessarily more accurate than those with reduced integration. With a regularly shaped mesh, reduced-integration elements can provide results that are more accurate than those provided by fully integrated elements. This super convergence property is discussed in detail in many textbooks on nite elements. Hourglassing can be a problem with rst-order, reducedintegration elements (CPS4R, CAX4R, C3D8R, etc.). Since the elements have only one integration point, it is possible for them to distort in such a way that the strains calculated at the integration point are all zero; this leads to uncontrolled distortion of the mesh. First-order, reduced-integration elements in ABAQUS include hourglass control, but they should only be used with reasonably ne meshes. Hourglassing can also be minimized by distributing point loads and boundary conditions over a number of adjacent nodes. Shear locking occurs in rst-order, fully integrated elements (CPS4, CPE4, C3D8, etc.) that are subjected to bending. The numerical formulation of the elements gives rise to shear strains that do not really existparasitic shear. This means these elements are far too stiff in bending; avoid them in bending-dominated problems. Volumetric locking occurs in fully integrated elements when the material behavior is almost incompressible. Spurious pressure stresses develop at the integration points, causing an element to behave too stify for deformations that should cause no volume changes. If materials are almost incompressible (such as elastic-plastic materials for which the plastic strains are incompressible), second-order, fully integrated elements develop volumetric locking when the plastic strains are on the order of the elastic strains. However, since rst-order, fully integrated quadrilaterals and hexahedra use selectively reduced integration (reduced integration on the volumetric terms), these elements do not lock with almost incompressible materials. Reduced integration, second-order elements develop volumetric locking for almost incompressible materials only after signicant straining occurs. In this case, volumetric locking is often accompanied by hourglassing. Frequently, this problem can be avoided by rening the mesh in regions of large plastic strain. You should check the pressure stress at the integration points (printed output) if you suspect volumetric locking, which is characterized by the pressure values showing a checkerboard pattern, changing signicantly from one integration point to the next. Usually this cannot be seen with the default smoothed contour plots in ABAQUS/Post, but it may be visible in unaveraged plots (SET, C QUILT=ON).

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Normal or Hybrid Elements

Hybrid elements are designed for use with incompressible materials where the bulk modulus is many times greater than the shear modulus (for example, in linear elastic materials where the Poissons ratio is greater than .495). In hybrid elements the pressure is treated as an independent solution variable. Because of this, hybrid elements have more internal variables than their non-hybrid counterparts and are slightly more expensive. Hybrid elements must be used if the material is fully incompressible, except in the case of plane stress, such as in a shell element (since the incompressibility constraint can be satised by varying element thickness). If the material is almost incompressible and hyperelastic, hybrid elements are still recommended. For almost incompressible, elasticplastic materials and for compressible materials, hybrid elements offer no advantages and, hence, should not be used.

Incompatible Mode Elements

Incompatible mode elements (C3D8I, CPE4I, etc.) are rstorder quadrilateral and hexahedral elements that are particularly useful for modeling bending problems. They include additional internal deformation modes that allow them to perform almost as well as normal second-order elements in bending-dominated analyses if they are reasonably close to being rectangular in shape. They have more internal degrees of freedom than normal rst-order elements but are less expensive than the corresponding second-order elements.

Recommendations
If possible, use hexahedral elements in threedimensional analyses since they give the best results for the minimum cost. If an automatic tetrahedral mesh generator is used, use second-order elements (C3D10). For linear and smooth nonlinear problems, use reduced-integration, second-order elements. Use second-order, fully integrated elements close to stress concentrations to capture the severe gradients in these regions. However, avoid these elements in regions of nite strain if the material response is nearly incompressible. Use rst-order elements for problems involving contact or large distortions. If the mesh distortion is severe, use reduced-integration, rst-order elements. If the problem involves bending and large distortions, use a ne mesh of rst-order, reduced-integration elements. Incompatible mode elements can give accurate results in problems dominated by bending if they are reasonably rectangular in shape. Make all elements as well shaped as possible to improve convergence and accuracy.

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XY Plotting Improved
In response to requests from users, we made a number of improvements to the XY plotting capabilities in Version 5.5 of ABAQUS/Post. The enhancements, which address functionality and utility, are primarily associated with three commands: GRAPH AXES, REPORT XY VALUES, and READ CURVE. This article highlights these changes and presents some examples. The x- and y-values of a point in an XY plot may be displayed by using the REPORT XY VALUES command and clicking on the point with the mouse.
80.

As an example, consider a plot of all the displacement components for nodes 1, 5, and node set BASE. Compare the commands necessary to generate and display these curves on one plot in Versions 5.4 and 5.5. Version 5.4 syntax:
*nset, nset=plot >1,5,base > *read curve, var=u1, nset=plot, name=dis1 *read curve, var=u2, nset=plot, name=dis2 *read curve, var=u3, nset=plot, name=dis3 *display curve >dis1,dis2,dis3 >

[ x10 9 ]
40.

x x x
Point: 42 Data points are highlighted when selected with the cursor.

Version 5.5 syntax:

*read curve, var=u, node=(1,5,base), name=disp *display curve >disp >

REACTION FORCE - RF2

0.

-40.

x
-80. -120.

0.

5.

10.

15.

20.

25.

30.

35.

DISPLACEMENT - U2

When point 42 on curve LVD_1 is selected using the cursor, the output on the screen and in the report le (.rpt) is:
Curve:LVD_1, Point: 42, X=5.91792E-01, Y=1.89926E+10

The GRAPH AXES command controls the display of axis tickmarks, labels, and ranges on an XY plot. A number of new parameters have been added to this command to allow all aspects of the graph display to be adjusted. The axes and axis labels in the plot below were created with the following ABAQUS/Post command:
*graph axes, x max=4.e-5, xmin=0.,ymax=4.2e-3, ymin=0.,x tickmark=1.e-6, y tickmark=1.e-4, x label=10, y label=10, x digits=1, y digits=2, x intermediate grid=marks, y intermediate grid=marks, x grid=dashed, y grid=dashed

If the INTERPOLATE parameter is used, any point on the curve may be picked; otherwise, only the actual data points may be selected. Generic variables, such as S and U, may now be specied on the READ CURVE command for data being read from the results le or the selected results le. Previously, only individual components could be read. Now, for example, if stress values have been written to either the results le or the selected results le, the command
*read curve, name=stress, variable=s, element=100

4.0

[ x10 -3 ]

U1 for node_33 U1 for node_55 U1 for node_77

3.0

creates a curve set containing histories of each component of the stress tensor. A list of nodes and node sets may be given using the NODE parameter on the READ CURVE command. Similarly, a list of elements and element sets may be given using the ELEMENT parameter. For example, the command
*read curve, name=disp, variable=u2, node=(101,201,lhend)

DISPLACEMENT - U1

2.0

1.0

0.0 0.

10.

20. TOTAL TIME

30.

40.

[ x10 -6 ]

creates curves of the history of U2 for nodes 101, 201, and all the nodes in node set LHEND. The NSET and ELSET parameters, which were previously used to specify a node or element set for which multiple curves were required, are no longer used for this purpose.

The Y TICKMARK and Y LABEL parameters specify that tickmarks be plotted every 10-4 m and that every tenth tickmark be labeled. The Y INTERMEDIATE GRID and Y GRID parameters cause a mark to be plotted at every unlabeled tickmark and a dashed line at every labeled one.

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ABAQUS/Answers

The Y DIGITS parameter species that the labels are to be plotted with two signicant digits.

Running Jobs Sequentially

If you need to run a number of ABAQUS jobs overnight or during the weekend on an engineering workstation, it is better to run them sequentially rather than simultaneously. This ensures that the analyses do not compete for the computers memory and scratch disk space. The following Unix script runs three jobs, run1.inp,
run2.inp, and run3.inp, sequentially. #!/bin/csh -f foreach job (run1 run2 run3) (abaqus job=${job} int) >& ${job}.log end

Other XY Plotting Enhancements

The parameters BTIME and ETIME have been added to the READ CURVE command to allow partial time histories to be read from the results and selected results les. These parameters may not be used in conjunction with BINC and EINC. If the NAME parameter is set equal to an existing curve set name, the new curve may now be appended to the existing curve set. Other options in this case include overwrite (default) and cancel. This change affects the READ CURVE, the DEFINE CURVE, and the PATH commands. The values of J and C t from a fracture mechanics analysis may be plotted. For example,
*read curve, name=curve1, variable=jint

Create a le (e.g., runs.csh) containing this script. Ensure that the le has execute privilege:
chmod 777 runs.csh

and execute the script:

./runs.csh

creates a curve set CURVE1 containing the history contour integrals for all contours requested in the analysis. The GRAPH LEGEND command provides additional control over the appearance of the graph legend. The SHOW, CURVE DATA command has been added to display the data values for a specied curve on the screen. The SHOW, CURVE command has been renamed to SHOW, CURVE ATTRIBUTES. The CURVE STYLE, SYMBOL TYPE command now includes both lled and hollow symbols. Limitations on the number of curves that can be read from the selected results le at one time have been removed. Further details of these and other changes in the latest release of ABAQUS/Post are described in Section 6.4 of the Version 5.5 Release Notes. Changes to output variables (not covered here) are discussed in Section 6.5 of the Release Notes.

Make sure that the input les for all the analyses are in the current directory and that no output les are present.

Compacting ABAQUS/Pre Databases

The performance of ABAQUS/Pre may degrade if you have made many changes to a database, such as deleting and redening large parts of a model. This causes information to be stored inefciently as the database becomes fragmented. The size of the database will also become larger than it has to be. If this occurs, try compacting the database by using the Compact Database option in the File menu. This must be selected before the database is opened. ABAQUS/Pre will take a few minutes to compact the database, but it should produce a smaller database le and improve performance when ABAQUS/Pre is used for further work on the model.

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Copyright 1996, Hibbitt, Karlsson & Sorensen, Inc. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or distributed in any way without prior written agreement with Hibbitt, Karlsson & Sorensen, Inc.

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