cae

Trademarks and Legal Notices

CAUTIONARY NOTICE TO USERS:

This manual is intended for qualified users who will exercise sound engineering judgment and expertise in the use of the ABAQUS Software. The ABAQUS

Software is inherently complex, and the examples and procedures in this manual are not intended to be exhaustive or to apply to any particular situation.

Users are cautioned to satisfy themselves as to the accuracy and results of their analyses.

ABAQUS, Inc. will not be responsible for the accuracy or usefulness of any analysis performed using the ABAQUS Software or the procedures, examples,

or explanations in this manual. ABAQUS, Inc. shall not be responsible for the consequences of any errors or omissions that may appear in this manual.

ABAQUS, INC. DISCLAIMS ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED REPRESENTATIONS ANDWARRANTIES, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIEDWARRANTY

OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS MANUAL.

IN NO EVENT SHALL ABAQUS, INC. OR ITS THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE,

SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS,

BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, OR LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION) EVEN IF ABAQUS, INC. HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY

OF SUCH DAMAGES.

The ABAQUS Software described in this manual is available only under license from ABAQUS, Inc. and may be used or reproduced only in accordance

with the terms of such license.

This manual and the software described in this manual are subject to change without prior notice.

No part of this manual may be reproduced or distributed in any form without prior written permission of ABAQUS, Inc.

ABAQUS, Inc. 2004. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

U.S. GOVERNMENT USERS: The ABAQUS Software and its documentation are commercial items, specifically commercial computer software and

commercial computer software documentation, and consistent with FAR 12.212 and DFARS 227.7202, as applicable, are provided under license to the

U.S. Government, with restricted rights.

TRADEMARKS

The trademarks and service marks (trademarks) in this manual are the property of ABAQUS, Inc. or third parties. You are not permitted to use these

trademarks without the prior written consent of ABAQUS, Inc. or such third parties.

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 their respective owners. For additional information, see the Trademark

and License Notices in the ABAQUS Version 6.5 Release Notes.

ABAQUS Offices and Representatives

ABAQUS, Inc. ABAQUS Europe BVRising Sun Mills Gaetano Martinolaan 95166 Valley Street P. O. Box 1637Providence, RI 02909-2499 6201 BP MaastrichtTel: +1 401 276 4400 The NetherlandsFax: +1 401 276 4408 Tel: +31 43 356 6906E-mail: [email protected] Fax: +31 43 356 6908http://www.abaqus.com E-mail: [email protected]

Sales, Support, and Services

UNITED STATES

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ABAQUS Erie, Inc. ABAQUS Great Lakes, Inc.3601 Green Road, Suite 316 14500 Sheldon Road, Suite 160Beachwood, OH 44122 Plymouth, MI 48170-2408Tel: +1 216 378 1070 Tel: +1 734 451 0217Fax: +1 216 378 1072 Fax: +1 734 451 0458E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]

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ARGENTINA AUSTRALIA

KB Engineering S. R. L. Worley Advanced AnalysisFlorida 274 - Ocina 35 Level 17, 300 Flinders Street1005 Buenos Aires Melbourne, Vic 3000Argentina Tel: +61 3 8612 5132Tel: +54 11 4326 9176/7542 Fax: +61 3 9205 0573Fax: +54 11 4326 2424 E-mail: [email protected]: [email protected]

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ABAQUS Austria GmbH ABAQUS Benelux BVZinckgasse 20-22/2/13 Huizermaatweg 576A-1150 Vienna 1276 LN HuizenAustria The NetherlandsTel: +43 1 929 16 25-0 Tel: +31 35 52 58 424Fax: +43 1 929 16 25-20 Fax: +31 35 52 44 257E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]

CHINA CZECH REPUBLIC

ABAQUS China Synerma s. r. o.Room A-2703, Eagle Plaza Huntirov 58No. 26 Xiao Yun Rd. 468 22 SkuhrovBeijing, 100016 Czech RepublicP. R. China Tel: +420 603 145 769Tel: +86 01 84580366 Fax: +420 603 181 944Fax: +86 01 84580360 E-mail: [email protected]: [email protected]

FRANCE GERMANY (Aachen)

ABAQUS France SAS ABAQUS Deutschland GmbH7 rue Jean Mermoz, Bat. A Theaterstrae 30-3278000 Versailles D-52062 AachenTel: +33 01 39 24 15 40 Tel: +49 241 474010Fax: +33 01 39 24 15 45 Fax: +49 241 4090963E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]

GERMANY (Munich) INDIA (Chennai)

ABAQUS Deutschland GmbH ABAQUS Engineering India (Pvt.) Ltd.Sendlinger-Tor-Platz 8 3M, Prince ArcadeD-80336 Mnchen 22-A Cathedral RoadTel: +49 89 5999 1768 Chennai, 600 086Fax: +49 89 5999 1767 Tel: +91 44 28114624E-mail: [email protected] Fax: +91 44 28115087

E-mail: [email protected]

ITALY JAPAN (Tokyo)

ABAQUS Italia s.r.l. ABAQUS, Inc.Via Domodossola, 17 3rd Floor, Akasaka Nihon Building20145 Milano (MI) 5-24, Akasaka 9-chome, Minato-kuTel: +39 02 39211211 Tokyo, 107-0052Fax: +39 02 31800064 Tel: +81 3 5474 5817E-mail: [email protected] Fax: +81 3 5474 5818


JAPAN (Osaka) KOREA

ABAQUS, Inc. ABAQUS Korea, Inc.9th Floor, Higobashi Watanabe Building Suite 306, Sambo Building6-10, Edobori 1-chome, Nishi-ku 13-2 Yoido-Dong, Youngdeungpo-kuOsaka, 550-0002 Seoul, 150-010Tel: +81 6 4803 5020 Tel: +82 2 785 6707Fax: +81 6 4803 5021 Fax: +82 2 785 6709E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]

MALAYSIA NEW ZEALAND

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POLAND RUSSIA, BELARUS & UKRAINE

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SINGAPORE SOUTH AFRICA

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SPAIN SWEDEN

Principia Ingenieros Consultores, S.A. ABAQUS ScandinaviaVelzquez, 94 FEM-Tech ABE-28006 Madrid Pilgatan 8cTel: +34 91 209 1482 SE-72130 VstersFax: +34 91 575 1026 Tel: +46 21 12 64 10E-mail: [email protected] Fax: +46 21 18 12 44


TAIWAN THAILAND

APIC Worley Advanced Analysis11F, No. 71, Sung Chiang Road 333 Lao Peng Nguan 1 BuildingTaipei, 10428 20th Floor Unit BTel: +886 02 25083066 Soi ChaypuangFax: +886 02 25077185 Vibhavadi-Rangsit RoadE-mail: [email protected] Ladyao, Jatujak

Bangkok 10900ThailandTel: +66 2 689 3000Fax: +66 2 618 8109E-mail: [email protected]

TURKEY UNITED KINGDOM (Cheshire)

A-Ztech Ltd. ABAQUS UK Ltd.Perdemsac Plaza, Teknoloji Evi The Genesis CentreBayar Cad., Gulbahar Sok., No: 17 Science Park South, BirchwoodKozyatagi Warrington, Cheshire WA3 7BH34742 Istanbul Tel: +44 1 925 810166TURKIYE Fax: +44 1 925 810178Tel: +90 216 361 8850 E-mail: [email protected]: +90 216 361 8851E-mail: [email protected]

Sales Only

UNITED STATES

ABAQUS East, LLC, Mid-Atlantic Ofce ABAQUS South, Inc., Southeast Ofce114 Zachary Court 484 Broadstone WayForest Hill, MD 21050 Acworth, GA 30101Tel: +1 410 420 8587 Tel: +1 770 795 0960Fax: +1 410 420 8908 Fax: +1 770 795 7614E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]

ABAQUS West, Inc., Southern CA and AZ Ofce ABAQUS West, Inc., Rocky Mountains Ofce1100 Irvine Boulevard #248 6910 Cordwood Ct.Tustin, CA 92780 Boulder, CO 80301Tel: +1 714 731 5895 Tel: +1 303 664 5444Fax: +1 714 242 7002 Fax: +1 303 200 9481E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]

FINLAND INDIA (Pune)

ABAQUS Finland Oy ABAQUS Engineering Analysis Solutions (Pvt.) Ltd.Tekniikantie 12 C-9, 3rd FloorFIN-02150 Espoo Bramha Estate, Kondwa RoadTel: +358 9 2517 2973 Pune-411040Fax: +358 9 2517 2200 Tel: +91 20 30913739E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]

UNITED KINGDOM (Kent)

ABAQUS UK Ltd.Great Hollanden Business Centre, Unit AMill Lane, UnderriverSevenoaks, Kent TN15 OSQTel: +44 1 732 834930Fax: +44 1 732 834720E-mail: [email protected]

Preface

This section lists various resources that are available for help with using ABAQUS, including technical

engineering and systems support, training seminars, and documentation.

Support

ABAQUS, Inc., offers both technical engineering support and systems support for ABAQUS. Technical

engineering and systems support are provided through the nearest local support ofce. You can contact

our ofces by telephone, fax, electronic mail, the ABAQUS web-based support system, or regular mail.

Information on how to contact each ofce is listed in the front of each ABAQUS manual. The ABAQUS

Online Support System (AOSS) is accessible through the MY ABAQUS section of the ABAQUS Home

Page (www.abaqus.com). When contacting your local support ofce, please specify whether you wouldlike technical engineering support (you have encountered problems performing an ABAQUS analysis or

creating a model in ABAQUS) or systems support (ABAQUS will not install correctly, licensing does not

work correctly, or other hardware-related issues have arisen).

The ABAQUS Online Support System has a knowledge database of ABAQUS Answers. The ABAQUS

Answers are solutions to questions that we have had to answer or guidelines on how to use ABAQUS. We

welcome any suggestions for improvements to the support program or documentation. We will ensure that

any enhancement requests you make are considered for future releases. If you wish to le a complaint about

the service or products provided by ABAQUS, refer to the ABAQUS Home Page.

Technical engineering support

ABAQUS technical support engineers can assist in clarifyingABAQUS features and checking errors by giving

both general information on using ABAQUS and information on its application to specic analyses. If you

have concerns about an analysis, we suggest that you contact us at an early stage, since it is usually easier to

solve problems at the beginning of a project rather than trying to correct an analysis at the end.

Please have the following information ready before calling the technical engineering support hotline, and

include it in any written contacts:

Your site identier, which can be obtained by typing abaqus whereami at your system prompt (or by

selecting HelpOn Version from the main menu bar in ABAQUS/CAE or ABAQUS/Viewer).

The version of ABAQUS that are you using.

The version numbers for ABAQUS/Standard and ABAQUS/Explicit are given at the top of the data

(.dat) le.

The version numbers for ABAQUS/CAE and ABAQUS/Viewer can be found by selecting

HelpOn Version from the main menu bar.

The version numbers for the ABAQUS Interface for MOLDFLOW and the ABAQUS Interface for

MSC.ADAMS are output to the screen.

The version number for ABAQUS for CATIA V5 can be found by selecting HelpAbout

ABAQUS for CATIA V5 from the main menu bar in either of the ABAQUS for CATIA V5

workbenches.

i

The type of computer on which you are running ABAQUS.

The symptoms of any problems, including the exact error messages, if any.

Workarounds or tests that you have already tried.

When calling for support about a specic problem, any available ABAQUS output les may be helpful in

answering questions that the support engineer may ask you.

The support engineer will try to diagnose your problem from the model description and a description of

the difculties you are having. The support engineer may need model sketches, which can be sent via fax,

e-mail, or regular mail. Plots of the nal results or the results near the point that the analysis terminated may

also be needed to understand what may have caused the problem.

If the support engineer cannot diagnose your problem from this information, you may be asked to

supply the input data. The data can be attached to a support incident in the ABAQUS Online Support

System. It may also be sent by means of e-mail, tape, disk, or ftp. Please check the ABAQUS Home Page

(http://www.abaqus.com) for the media formats that are currently accepted.

All support incidents are tracked in the ABAQUS Online Support System. This enables you (as well as

the support engineer) to monitor the progress of a particular problem and to check that we are resolving support

issues efciently. To use the ABAQUS Online Support System, you need to register with the system. Visit the

MY ABAQUS section of the ABAQUS Home Page for instructions on how to register. If you are contacting

us by means outside the AOSS to discuss an existing support problem and you know the incident number,

please mention it so that we can consult the database to see what the latest action has been and, thus, give

you more efcient support as well as avoid duplication of effort. In addition, please give the receptionist the

support engineers name if contacting us via telephone or include it at the top of any e-mail correspondence.

Systems support

ABAQUS systems support engineers can help you resolve issues related to the installation and running of

ABAQUS, including licensing difculties, that are not covered by technical engineering support.

You should install ABAQUS by carefully following the instructions in the ABAQUS Installation and

Licensing Guide. If you are able to complete the installation, please make sure that the product verication

procedure was run successfully at the end of the installation procedure. Successful verication for licensed

products would indicate that you can run these products on your computer; unsuccessful verication for

licensed products indicates problems with the installation or licensing (or both). If you encounter problems

with the installation, licensing, or verication, rst review the instructions in the ABAQUS Installation and

Licensing Guide to ensure that they have been followed correctly. If this does not resolve the problems,

consult the ABAQUSAnswers database in the ABAQUSOnline Support System for information about known

installation problems. If this does not address your situation, please create an incident in the AOSS and

describe your problem, including the output from abaqus info=support. If you call, mail, e-mail, or fax

us about a problem (instead of using the AOSS), please provide the output from abaqus info=support. It

is important that you provide as much information as possible about your problem: error messages from an

aborted analysis, output from the abaqus info=support command, etc.

ii

ABAQUS Web server

For users connected to the Internet, many questions can be answered by visiting the ABAQUS Home Page

on the World Wide Web at

http://www.abaqus.com

The information available on the ABAQUS Home Page includes:

Link to the AOSS

ABAQUS systems information and computer requirements

ABAQUS performance data

Error status reports

ABAQUS documentation price list

Training seminar schedule

ABAQUS Insights newsletter

Technology briefs

Anonymous ftp site

For users connected to the Internet, ABAQUS maintains useful documents on an anonymous ftp account on

the computer ftp.abaqus.com. Simply ftp to ftp.abaqus.com. Login as user anonymous, and type your e-mail

address as your password. Directions will come up automatically upon login.

Writing to technical support

Address of ABAQUS Headquarters:

ABAQUS, Inc.

166 Valley Street

Providence, RI 02909, USA

Attention: Technical Support

Addresses for other ofces and representatives are listed in the front of each manual.

Support for academic institutions

Under the terms of the Academic License Agreement we do not provide support to users at academic

institutions. Academic users can purchase technical support on an hourly basis. For more information, please

see the ABAQUS Home Page or contact your local ABAQUS support ofce.

Training

All ABAQUS ofces offer regularly scheduled public training classes.

iii

The Introduction to ABAQUS seminar covers basic modeling using ABAQUS/CAE and linear and

nonlinear applications, such as large deformation, plasticity, contact, and dynamics using ABAQUS/Standard

and ABAQUS/Explicit. Workshops provide as much practical experience with ABAQUS as possible.

Advanced seminars cover topics of interest to customers with experience using ABAQUS, such as engine

analysis, metal forming, fracture mechanics, and heat transfer.

We also provide training seminars at customer sites. On-site training seminars can be one or more days

in duration, depending on customer requirements. The training topics can include a combination of material

from our introductory and advanced seminars. Workshops allow customers to exercise ABAQUS on their

own computers.

For a schedule of seminars, see the ABAQUSHome Page or call ABAQUS, Inc., or your local ABAQUS

representative.

Documentation

The following documentation and publications are available from ABAQUS, unless otherwise specied, in

printed form and through the ABAQUS online documentation. For more information on accessing the online

books, refer to the discussion of execution procedures in the ABAQUS Analysis Users Manual.

Modeling and Visualization

ABAQUS/CAE Users Manual: This reference document for ABAQUS/CAE includes detailed

descriptions of how to use ABAQUS/CAE for model generation, analysis, and results evaluation and

visualization. ABAQUS/Viewer users should refer to the information on the Visualization module in

this manual.

Analysis

ABAQUS Analysis Users Manual: This volume contains a complete description of the elements,

material models, procedures, input specications, etc. It is the basic reference document for

ABAQUS/Standard and ABAQUS/Explicit. Both input le usage and ABAQUS/CAE usage

information are provided in this manual.

Examples

ABAQUS Example Problems Manual: This volume contains more than 125 detailed examples

designed to illustrate the approaches and decisions needed to perform meaningful linear and nonlinear

analysis. Typical cases are large motion of an elastic-plastic pipe hitting a rigid wall; inelastic buckling

collapse of a thin-walled elbow; explosive loading of an elastic, viscoplastic thin ring; consolidation

under a footing; buckling of a composite shell with a hole; and deep drawing of a metal sheet. It is

generally useful to look for relevant examples in this manual and to review them when embarking on a

new class of problem.

ABAQUS Benchmarks Manual: This online-only volume contains over 250 benchmark problems

and standard analyses used to evaluate the performance of ABAQUS; the tests are multiple element tests

of simple geometries or simplied versions of real problems. The NAFEMS benchmark problems are

included in this manual.

iv

Training

Getting Started with ABAQUS: This document is a self-paced tutorial designed to help new

users become familiar with using ABAQUS/CAE to create solid, shell, and framework models and

ABAQUS/Standard or ABAQUS/Explicit to perform static, quasi-static, and dynamic stress analysis

simulations. It contains a number of fully worked examples that provide practical guidelines for

performing structural analyses with ABAQUS. In addition, three comprehensive tutorials are provided

to introduce users familiar with the ABAQUS solver products to the ABAQUS/CAE interface.

Getting Started with ABAQUS/Standard: Keywords Version: This online-only document is

designed to help new users become familiar with the ABAQUS/Standard input le syntax for static

and dynamic stress analysis simulations. The ABAQUS/Standard keyword interface is used to model

examples similar to those included in Getting Started with ABAQUS.

Getting Started with ABAQUS/Explicit: Keywords Version: This online-only document is

designed to help new users become familiar with the ABAQUS/Explicit input le syntax for quasi-static

and dynamic stress analysis simulations. The ABAQUS/Explicit keyword interface is used to model

examples similar to those included in Getting Started with ABAQUS.

Lecture Notes: These notes are available on many topics to which ABAQUS is applied. They are

used in the technical seminars that ABAQUS, Inc., presents to help users improve their understanding

and usage of ABAQUS (see the Training section above for more information about these seminars).

While not intended as stand-alone tutorial material, they are sufciently comprehensive that they can

usually be used in that mode. The list of available lecture notes is included in the Documentation Price

List.

Documentation Information

Using ABAQUS Online Documentation: This online-only manual contains instructions for viewing

and searching the ABAQUS online documentation.

Reference

ABAQUS Keywords Reference Manual: This volume contains a complete description of all the

input options that are available in ABAQUS/Standard and ABAQUS/Explicit.

ABAQUS Theory Manual: This online-only volume contains detailed, precise discussions of all

theoretical aspects of ABAQUS. It is written to be understood by users with an engineering background.

ABAQUS Verification Manual: This online-only volume describes more than 12,000 basic test

cases, providing verication of each individual program feature (procedures, output options, MPCs,

etc.) against exact calculations and other published results. It may be useful to run these problems when

learning to use a new capability. In addition, the supplied input data les provide good starting points

to check the behavior of elements, materials, etc.

Quality Assurance Plan: This document describes the QA procedures followed by ABAQUS. It is

a controlled document, provided to customers who subscribe to either the Nuclear QA Program or the

Quality Monitoring Service.

v

Update Information

ABAQUS Release Notes: This document contains brief descriptions of the new features available in

the latest release of the ABAQUS product line.

Programming

ABAQUS Scripting Users Manual: This online-only manual provides a description of the

ABAQUS Scripting Interface. The manual describes how commands can be used to create and analyze

ABAQUS/CAE models, to view the results of the analysis, and to automate repetitive tasks. It also

contains information on using the ABAQUS Scripting Interface or C++ as an application programming

interface (API) to the output database.

ABAQUS Scripting Reference Manual: This online-only manual provides a command reference

that lists the syntax of each command in the ABAQUS Scripting Interface.

ABAQUS GUI Toolkit Users Manual: This online-only manual provides a description of the

ABAQUS GUI Toolkit. The manual describes the components and organization of the ABAQUS GUI.

It also describes how you can customize the ABAQUS GUI to build a particular application.

ABAQUS GUI Toolkit Reference Manual: This online-only manual provides a command reference

that lists the syntax of each command in the ABAQUS GUI Toolkit.

Interfaces

ABAQUS Interface for MSC.ADAMS Users Manual: This document describes how to use the

ABAQUS Interface for MSC.ADAMS, which creates ABAQUS models of MSC.ADAMS components

and converts the ABAQUS results into an MSC.ADAMS modal neutral le that can be used by the

ADAMS/Flex program. It is the basic reference document for the ABAQUS Interface forMSC.ADAMS.

ABAQUS Interface for MOLDFLOW Users Manual: This document describes how to use the

ABAQUS Interface for MOLDFLOW, which creates a partial ABAQUS input le by translating

results from a MOLDFLOW polymer processing simulation. It is the basic reference document for the

ABAQUS Interface for MOLDFLOW.

Installation and Licensing

ABAQUS Installation and Licensing Guide: This document describes how to install ABAQUS

and how to congure the installation for particular circumstances. Some of this information, of most

relevance to users, is also provided in the ABAQUS Analysis Users Manual.

vi

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

PART I INTERACTING WITH ABAQUS/CAE

1. Using this manual

Overview of this manual 1.1

Typographical conventions 1.2

Basic mouse actions 1.3

2. The basics of interacting with ABAQUS/CAE

Starting and exiting ABAQUS/CAE 2.1

Overview of the main window 2.2

What is a module? 2.3

What is a toolset? 2.4

Using the mouse with ABAQUS/CAE 2.5

Getting help 2.6

3. Understanding ABAQUS/CAE windows, dialog boxes, and toolboxes

Using the prompt area during procedures 3.1

Interacting with dialog boxes 3.2

Understanding and using toolboxes 3.3

Managing objects 3.4

Working with the Model Tree 3.5

Saving your ABAQUS/CAE GUI settings 3.6

4. Managing viewports on the canvas

Understanding viewports 4.1

Manipulating viewports and viewport annotations 4.2

5. Manipulating the view and controlling perspective

Understanding camera modes and view options 5.1

Understanding the view manipulation tools 5.2

Customizing the view triad 5.3

Controlling perspective 5.4

6. Selecting objects within the viewport

Understanding selection within viewports 6.1

Selecting objects within the current viewport 6.2

Using the selection options 6.3

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7. Configuring graphics display options

Overview of graphics display options 7.1

8. Printing viewports

Understanding printing 8.1

PART II WORKING WITH ABAQUS/CAE MODEL DATABASES, MODELS, AND FILES

9. Understanding and working with ABAQUS/CAE models, model databases, and files

What is an ABAQUS/CAE model database? 9.1

What is an ABAQUS/CAE model? 9.2

Accessing an output database on a remote computer 9.3

Understanding the files generated by creating and analyzing a model 9.4

ABAQUS/CAE command files 9.5

10. Importing and exporting geometry data and models

Importing files into and exporting files from ABAQUS/CAE 10.1

Valid parts, precise parts, and tolerance 10.2

Controlling the import process 10.3

Understanding the contents of an IGES file 10.4

What can you import from a model? 10.5

A logical approach to successful import 10.6

PART III CREATING AND ANALYZING A MODEL USING THE ABAQUS/CAE MODULES

11. The Part module

Understanding the role of the Part module 11.1

Entering and exiting the Part module 11.2

What is feature-based modeling? 11.3

How is a part defined in ABAQUS/CAE? 11.4

Copying a part 11.5

What is an orphan mesh part? 11.6

Modeling rigid bodies and display bodies 11.7

The reference point and point parts 11.8

What types of features can you create? 11.9

Using feature-based modeling effectively 11.10

Capturing your design and analysis intent 11.11

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What is part locking? 11.12

What are extruding, revolving, and sweeping? 11.13

What is lofting? 11.14

Using the Sketcher in conjunction with the Part module 11.15

Understanding toolsets in the Part module 11.16

Using the Part module toolbox 11.17

12. The Property module

Entering and exiting the Property module 12.1

Understanding properties 12.2

Which properties can I assign to a part? 12.3

Understanding the Property module editors 12.4

Using the Property module toolbox 12.5

13. The Assembly module

Understanding the role of the Assembly module 13.1

Entering and exiting the Assembly module 13.2

Working with part instances 13.3

Creating the assembly 13.4

Creating patterns of part instances 13.5

Merging and cutting part instances 13.6

Understanding toolsets in the Assembly module 13.7

Using the Assembly module toolbox 13.8

14. The Step module

Understanding the role of the Step module 14.1

Entering and exiting the Step module 14.2

Understanding steps 14.3

Understanding output requests 14.4

Understanding integrated, restart, diagnostic, and monitor output 14.5

Understanding adaptive meshing 14.6

How can I customize the ABAQUS analysis controls? 14.7

Using the Step module toolbox 14.8

15. The Interaction module

Understanding the role of the Interaction module 15.1

Entering and exiting the Interaction module 15.2

Understanding interactions 15.3

Understanding interaction properties 15.4

Understanding constraints 15.5

Understanding connectors 15.6

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Understanding connector properties 15.7

Understanding Interaction module managers and editors 15.8

Understanding symbols that represent interactions, constraints, and connectors 15.9

Using the Interaction module toolbox 15.10

16. The Load module

Understanding the role of the Load module 16.1

Entering and exiting the Load module 16.2

Managing prescribed conditions 16.3

Creating and modifying prescribed conditions 16.4

Understanding symbols that represent prescribed conditions 16.5

Transferring results between ABAQUS analyses 16.6

Using the Load module toolbox 16.7

17. The Mesh module

Understanding the role of the Mesh module 17.1

Entering and exiting the Mesh module 17.2

Mesh module basics 17.3

Understanding seeding 17.4

Assigning ABAQUS element types 17.5

Verifying and improving meshes 17.6

Understanding mesh generation 17.7

Structured meshing 17.8

Free meshing 17.9

Swept meshing 17.10

Advanced meshing techniques 17.11

Using the Mesh module toolbox 17.12

18. The Job module

Understanding the role of the Job module 18.1

Understanding analysis jobs 18.2

Restarting an analysis 18.3

19. The Sketch module

Understanding the role of the Sketch module 19.1

Entering and exiting the Sketch module 19.2

Overview of the Sketch module 19.3

Basic Sketcher concepts 19.4

Sketcher geometry 19.5

Specifying precise geometry 19.6

Modifying, copying, and offsetting objects 19.7

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CONTENTS

PART IV ENGINEERING FEATURES AND MODELING TECHNIQUES

20. Special engineering features

Modeling fracture mechanics 20.1

Modeling inertia 20.2

Modeling skin reinforcements 20.3

Modeling springs and dashpots 20.4

21. Modeling techniques

Modeling adhesive joints and bonded interfaces 21.1

Modeling bolt loads 21.2

Modeling connectors 21.3

Modeling continuum shells 21.4

Modeling display bodies 21.5

Modeling gaskets 21.6

Modeling load cases 21.7

Submodeling 21.8

PART V VIEWING RESULTS

22. Visualization module basics

Understanding the role of the Visualization module 22.1

Entering and exiting the Visualization module 22.2

Understanding plot modes and plot customization 22.3

Understanding toolsets in the Visualization module 22.4

Understanding Visualization module performance 22.5

23. Viewing diagnostic output

Overview of job diagnostics 23.1

Generating diagnostic information 23.2

Interpreting diagnostic information 23.3

24. Selecting model data and analysis results to plot

Overview of results selection 24.1

Selecting the results step and frame 24.2

Selecting the field output to display 24.3

Selecting result options 24.4

Creating new field output 24.5

Creating coordinate systems during postprocessing 24.6

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CONTENTS

25. Plotting the undeformed shape

Understanding undeformed shape plotting 25.1

Overview of undeformed plot options 25.2

26. Plotting the deformed shape

Understanding deformed shape plotting 26.1

Overview of deformed plot options 26.2

27. Contouring analysis results

Understanding contour plotting 27.1

Overview of contour plot options 27.2

28. Plotting analysis results as symbols

Understanding symbol plotting 28.1

Overview of symbol plot options 28.2

29. Plotting material orientations

Understanding material orientation plotting 29.1

Overview of material orientation plot options 29.2

30. XY plotting

Understanding XY plotting 30.1

Specifying and saving XY data objects 30.2

Producing an XY plot 30.3

Operating on saved XY data objects 30.4

Customizing XY plot axes 30.5

Customizing XY curve appearance 30.6

31. Querying and probing

Understanding general queries 31.1

Understanding probing 31.2

32. Viewing results along a path

Understanding results along a path 32.1

33. Calculating linearized stresses

Understanding stress linearization 33.1

Stress linearization example 33.2

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CONTENTS

34. Animating plots

Understanding animation 34.1

Producing and customizing an object-based animation 34.2

Saving an animation file 34.3

Controlling animation playback 34.4

35. Cutting through a model

Understanding view cuts 35.1

36. Generating tabular data reports

Producing a tabular report 36.1

Overview of tabular report options 36.2

37. Customizing plot display

Overview of plot display customization 37.1

Customizing render style, translucency, and fill color 37.2

Customizing element and surface edges 37.3

Coloring individual elements 37.4

Customizing model shape 37.5

Customizing model labels 37.6

Displaying element and surface normals 37.7

Customizing the appearance of display bodies 37.8

Customizing camera movement 37.9

Controlling the display of model entities 37.10

Customizing general model display 37.11

38. Customizing viewport annotations

Customizing the legend 38.1

Customizing the title block 38.2

Customizing the state block 38.3

PART VI USING TOOLSETS

39. The Amplitude toolset

Understanding the role of the Amplitude toolset 39.1

Understanding the amplitude editors 39.2

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CONTENTS

40. The Datum toolset

Understanding the role of datum geometry 40.1

Using the Datum toolset 40.2

Why are datum coordinate systems so important? 40.3

Understanding a datum as a feature 40.4

An overview of datum creation techniques 40.5

41. The Edit Mesh toolset

What can I do with the Edit Mesh toolset? 41.1

What is the difference between editing an orphan mesh part, a meshed part, and a

meshed part instance in the assembly? 41.2

Meshing strategies and mesh editing techniques 41.3

42. The Feature Manipulation toolset

Using the Feature Manipulation toolset 42.1

Using the Model Tree to manage features 42.2

Tuning feature regeneration 42.3

43. The Filter toolset

Filtering history data 43.1

44. The Partition toolset

Understanding the role of partitions 44.1

Using the Partition toolset 44.2

Understanding partitions 44.3

An overview of partitioning techniques 44.4

45. The Query toolset

Understanding the role of the Query toolset 45.1

46. The Reference Point toolset

What is a reference point? 46.1

What is a reference point used for? 46.2

47. The Repair toolset

Using the Repair toolset 47.1

An overview of repair techniques 47.2

What is stitching? 47.3

A strategy for repairing geometry 47.4

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CONTENTS

48. The Set and Surface toolsets

Understanding the role of the Set and Surface toolsets 48.1

Understanding sets and surfaces 48.2

49. The Virtual Topology toolset

What is virtual topology? 49.1

What can I do with the Virtual Topology toolset? 49.2

What can I do with a part or a part instance containing virtual topology? 49.3

Why repair a part if I can use virtual topology? 49.4

An approach to creating virtual topology 49.5

PART VII CUSTOMIZING MODEL DISPLAY

50. Customizing geometry and mesh display

Overview of geometry and mesh display options 50.1

Choosing a render style 50.2

Controlling edge visibility 50.3

Controlling curve refinement 50.4

Defining mesh feature edges 50.5

Controlling datum display 50.6

Controlling reference point display 50.7

Customizing mesh display 50.8

Controlling model lighting 50.9

Controlling instance visibility 50.10

Controlling the display of attributes 50.11

Saving your display options settings 50.12

51. Using display groups to display subsets of your model

Understanding display groups 51.1

Managing display groups 51.2

52. Overlaying multiple plots

Understanding how to overlay plots 52.1

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CONTENTS

PART VIII USING PLUG-INS

53. The Plug-in toolset

What is a plug-in? 53.1

Where can I get plug-ins? 53.2

How can I get information about a plug-in? 53.3

A. Keyword support

B. Special graphical symbols

Symbols used to represent prescribed conditions B.1

Symbols used to represent interactions, constraints, and connectors B.2

Symbols used to represent special engineering features B.3

Symbols used in the Visualization module B.4

C. Element and output variable support

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Part I Interacting with ABAQUS/CAE

This manual is the main reference document for ABAQUS/CAE, including ABAQUS/Viewer.

ABAQUS/CAE

ABAQUS/CAE is a complete ABAQUS environment that provides a simple, consistent interface for

creating, submitting, monitoring, and evaluating results fromABAQUS/Standard andABAQUS/Explicit

simulations. ABAQUS/CAE is divided into modules, where each module denes a logical aspect of the

modeling process; for example, dening the geometry, dening material properties, and generating a

mesh. As you move from module to module, you build the model from which ABAQUS/CAE generates

an input le that you submit to the ABAQUS/Standard or ABAQUS/Explicit analysis product. The

analysis product performs the analysis, sends information to ABAQUS/CAE to allow you to monitor

the progress of the job, and generates an output database. Finally, you use the Visualization module of

ABAQUS/CAE (also licensed separately as ABAQUS/Viewer) to read the output database and view the

results of your analysis.

ABAQUS/Viewer

ABAQUS/Viewer provides graphical display of ABAQUS nite element models and results.

ABAQUS/Viewer is incorporated into ABAQUS/CAE as the Visualization module.

This part of the manual introduces you to the ABAQUS/CAE working environment. The following

topics are covered:

Chapter 1, Using this manual

Chapter 2, The basics of interacting with ABAQUS/CAE

Chapter 3, Understanding ABAQUS/CAE windows, dialog boxes, and toolboxes

Chapter 4, Managing viewports on the canvas

Chapter 5, Manipulating the view and controlling perspective

Chapter 6, Selecting objects within the viewport

Chapter 7, Conguring graphics display options

Chapter 8, Printing viewports

OVERVIEW OF THIS MANUAL

1. Using this manual

The printed form of this manual serves as companion to an online version. Detailed, step-by-step

instructions for using each of the ABAQUS/CAE functions are available only in the online version of

this manual and as context-sensitive help. For information on displaying the online information, see

Getting help, Section 2.6.

This chapter provides information about the contents of this manual and the typographical

conventions used. The following topics are covered:

Overview of this manual, Section 1.1

Typographical conventions, Section 1.2

Basic mouse actions, Section 1.3

1.1 Overview of this manual

This manual is a reference guide to using ABAQUS/CAE (including ABAQUS/Viewer, a subset

of ABAQUS/CAE that contains only the Visualization module). In general, any references to the

Visualization module throughout this manual apply equally to ABAQUS/Viewer.

The ABAQUS/CAE user interface is very intuitive and allows you to begin working without a great

deal of preparation. However, you may nd it useful to read through the tutorials at the end of the

Getting Started with ABAQUS manual before using the product for the rst time. Only Appendix D,

Viewing the Output from Your Analysis, of Getting Started with ABAQUS applies if you are running

ABAQUS/Viewer.

This manual is divided into the following parts:

Part I, Interacting with ABAQUS/CAE, contains general information on the user interface

Part II, Working with ABAQUS/CAE model databases, models, and les, contains information

on the various les created by and used with ABAQUS/CAE

Part III, Creating and analyzing a model using the ABAQUS/CAE modules, discusses each of

the ABAQUS/CAE modules in detail, except the Visualization module

Part IV, Engineering features and modeling techniques, discusses how to dene special

engineering features in an ABAQUS/CAE model and discusses modeling techniques that span

multiple ABAQUS/CAE modules.

Part V, Viewing results, discusses the Visualization module (ABAQUS/Viewer) in detail

Part VI, Using toolsets, contains information on the toolsets in all ABAQUS/CAEmodules except

the Visualization module (discussed in Part V, Viewing results)

Part VII, Customizing model display, contains customization information

Part VIII, Using plug-ins, discusses how you can use plug-ins and the Plug-in toolset to extend

the capabilities of ABAQUS/CAE.

11

BASIC MOUSE ACTIONS

Appendix A, Keyword support, provides tables that you can use to determine which ABAQUS/CAE

module embodies the functionality of a particular ABAQUS keyword, as well as whether a particular

keyword is supported. Appendix B, Special graphical symbols, explains how to interpret the special

graphical symbols used by ABAQUS/CAE. Appendix C, Element and output variable support, lists

the ABAQUS output variables that are not supported by the Visualization module.

1.2 Typographical conventions

This manual adheres to a set of typographical conventions so that you can recognize actions and items.

The following list illustrates each of the conventions:

Text you enter from the keyboard or that ABAQUS/CAE outputs: crankshaft_steel,1.35E10

Labels of items on the screen: Views Toolbox

Keyboard actions: [Shift]

Keystroke combinations (two keys that must be pressed simultaneously): [Alt]+F

Compound keyboard/mouse actions: [Shift]+Click

Text indicating that the user has a choice: odb_le, Optionsplot mode

Menu selections and tabs within dialog boxes:

ViewGraphics OptionsHardware

1.3 Basic mouse actions

Figure 11 shows the mouse button orientation for a left-handed and a right-handed 3-button mouse.

right-handedmouse

left-handedmouse

12

3

12

3

Figure 11 Mouse buttons.

12

BASIC MOUSE ACTIONS

The following terms describe actions you perform using the mouse:

Click

Press and quickly release the mouse button. Unless otherwise specied, the instruction click

means that you should click mouse button 1.

Drag

Press and hold down mouse button 1 while moving the mouse.

Point

Move the mouse until the cursor is over the desired item.

Select

Point to an item and then click mouse button 1.

[Shift]+Click

Press and hold the [Shift] key, click mouse button 1, and then release the [Shift] key.

[Ctrl]+Click

Press and hold the [Ctrl] key, click mouse button 1, and then release the [Ctrl] key.

ABAQUS/CAE is designed for use with a 3-buttonmouse. Accordingly, this manual refers tomouse

buttons 1, 2, and 3 as shown in Figure 11. However, you can use ABAQUS/CAEwith a 2-button mouse

as follows:

The two mouse buttons are equivalent to mouse buttons 1 and 3 on a 3-button mouse.

Pressing both mouse buttons simultaneously is equivalent to pressing mouse button 2 on a 3-button

mouse.

Tip: You are instructed to click mouse button 2 in procedures throughout this manual. Make

sure that you congure mouse button 2 (or the wheel button) to act as a middle button click.

13

STARTING AND EXITING ABAQUS/CAE

2. The basics of interacting with ABAQUS/CAE

Before you can begin creating and analyzing a model or interpreting analysis results, it is helpful to

become familiar with the basics of interacting with ABAQUS/CAE. This chapter introduces you to the

user interface. The following topics are covered:

Starting and exiting ABAQUS/CAE, Section 2.1

Overview of the main window, Section 2.2

What is a module?, Section 2.3

What is a toolset?, Section 2.4

Using the mouse with ABAQUS/CAE, Section 2.5

Getting help, Section 2.6

2.1 Starting and exiting ABAQUS/CAE

This section explains how to start and how to exit ABAQUS/CAE.

2.1.1 Starting ABAQUS/CAE (or ABAQUS/Viewer)

When you create a model and analyze it, ABAQUS/CAE generates a set of les containing the

denition of your model, the analysis input, and the results of the analysis. In addition, ABAQUS/CAE

and ABAQUS/Viewer generate replay les that reect all your interactions with the application.

Consequently, before you run either product, you should move to a directory where you have permission

to create les.

You execute ABAQUS/CAE (or ABAQUS/Viewer) by running the abaqus execution procedure

and specifying the cae (or viewer) parameter:

abaqus cae or viewer [database=database-le] [replay=replay-le] [recover=journal-le]

[script=script-le] [noGUI=noGUI-le] [noenvstartup]

[noSavedOptions] [noStartupDialog] [custom=script-le]

You can include the following options on the command line:

database

This option species the name of the model database le or output database le to open. You

can open either type of le in ABAQUS/CAE; you can open only output database les in

ABAQUS/Viewer. To specify a model database le, include either the .cae le extension or nole extension in your le name. To specify an output database le when running ABAQUS/CAE,

21


include the .odb le extension in your le name. If you are running ABAQUS/Viewer, you canomit the .odb le extension.

replay

This option species the name of the le from which ABAQUS/CAE commands are to be replayed.

The commands in replay-le will execute immediately upon startup of ABAQUS/CAE. For more

information, see Replaying an ABAQUS/CAE session, Section 9.5.1.

recover

This option species the name of the le from which a model database is to be rebuilt;

it is not available if you are running ABAQUS/Viewer. The commands in journal-le

(model_database_name.jnl) will execute immediately upon startup of ABAQUS/CAE. Formore information, see Recreating a saved model database, Section 9.5.2, and Recreating an

unsaved model database, Section 9.5.3.

script

This option species the name of the le containing Python conguration commands to be run at

application startup. Commands in this le are run after any conguration commands that have been

set in the environment le.

Arguments can be passed into the le by entering -- on the command line, followed by thearguments separated by one ormore spaces. These arguments will be ignored by the ABAQUS/CAE

execution procedure, but they will be accessible within the script.

noGUI

This option species the name of a le containing Python scripts (.py le extension) to be runwithout the graphical user interface (GUI). This option is useful for automating pre- or post-analysis

processing tasks without the added expense of running a display. Since no interface is provided,

the scripts cannot include any user interaction. ABAQUS/CAE runs the commands in the le and

exits upon their completion.

Arguments can be passed into the le by entering -- on the command line, followed by thearguments separated by one ormore spaces. These arguments will be ignored by the ABAQUS/CAE

execution procedure, but they will be accessible within the Python script.

noenvstartup

This option species that all conguration commands in the environment les should not be run at

application startup. This option can be used in conjunction with the startup command to suppress

all conguration commands except for those in the startup le.

noSavedOptions

This option species that ABAQUS/CAE should not apply the display options settings stored in

abaqus_v6.gpr (for example, the render style and the display of datum planes). For moreinformation, see Saving your display options settings, Section 50.12.

22


noStartupDialog

This option species that the Start Session dialog box for ABAQUS/CAE or ABAQUS/Viewer

should not be displayed.

custom

This option species the name of the le containing ABAQUS GUI Toolkit commands. This option

executes an application that is a customized version of ABAQUS/CAE or ABAQUS/Viewer. For

more information, see Chapter 1, Introduction, of the ABAQUS GUI Toolkit Users Manual.

ABAQUS/CAE begins. If you do not include the database, replay, recover, or noStartupDialog

options, the Start Session dialog box appears. Choose one of the following session startup options:

Create Model Database

Use this option (not available if you are running ABAQUS/Viewer) to begin a new analysis

(equivalent to choosing FileNew from the main menu bar).

Open Database

Use this option to open a previously saved model database or output database le (equivalent to

choosing FileOpen from the main menu bar).

Run Script

Use this option to run a le containing ABAQUS/CAE commands (equivalent to choosing

FileRun Script from the main menu bar). For more information, see Creating and running

your own scripts, Section 9.5.4.

Start Tutorial

Use this option to begin an introductory tutorial from the online documentation (equivalent to

choosing HelpGetting Started from the main menu bar).

2.1.2 Exiting an ABAQUS/CAE session

You can exit the ABAQUS/CAE session at any time by selecting FileExit from the main menu bar.

If you made any changes to the current model database, ABAQUS/CAE asks if you want to save the

changes before exiting the session. ABAQUS/CAE then closes the current model or output database and

all windows and exits the session.

ABAQUS/CAE saves many of your display settings; for example, the size of the main window

and the size and location of dialog boxes. For more information, see Saving your ABAQUS/CAE GUI

settings, Section 3.6. In addition, ABAQUS/CAE automatically creates a le called abaqus.rpythat records your operations during the session; you can use this le to reproduce your operations. For

more information on reproducing operations and on recovering interrupted sessions, see Recreating an

unsaved model database, Section 9.5.3.

23

OVERVIEW OF THE MAIN WINDOW

2.2 Overview of the main window

This section provides an overview of the main window and explains how to operate and manipulate the

elements of the window during a session.

2.2.1 Components of the main window

You interact with ABAQUS/CAE through the main window, and the appearance of the window changes

as you work through the modeling process. Figure 21 shows the components that appear in the main

window.

Toolboxarea

Canvas and drawing area

Viewport Promptarea

Title bar Menu bar Toolbar Context bar

Model Tree Message area orcommand line interface

Figure 21 Components of the main window.

24


The components are:

Title bar

The title bar indicates the version of ABAQUS/CAE you are running and the name of the current

model database.

Menu bar

The menu bar contains all the available menus; the menus give access to all the functionality in the

product. Different menus appear in the menu bar depending on which module you selected from

the context bar. For more information, see Components of the main menu bar, Section 2.2.2.

Toolbar

The toolbar provides quick access to items that are also available in the menus. For more

information, see Components of the toolbar, Section 2.2.3.

Context bar

ABAQUS/CAE is divided into a set of modules, where each module allows you to work on one

aspect of your model; theModule list in the context bar allows you to move between these modules.

Other items in the context bar are a function of the module you are working in. For example, the

context bar allows you to retrieve an existing part while creating the geometry of the model or to

change the output database associated with the current viewport. Similarly, in the Mesh module you

can choose whether to display the assembly or a particular part. For more information, see The

context bar, Section 2.2.4.

Model Tree

The Model Tree provides you with a graphical overview of your model and the objects that it

contains, such as parts, materials, steps, loads, and output requests. In addition, the Model Tree

provides a convenient, centralized tool for moving between modules and for managing objects. If

your model database contains more than one model, you can use the Model Tree to move between

models. When you become familiar with the Model Tree, you will nd that you can quickly perform

most of the actions that are found in the main menu bar, the module toolboxes, and the various

managers. For more information, see Working with the Model Tree, Section 3.5.

Toolbox area

When you enter a module, the toolbox area displays tools in the toolbox that are appropriate for that

module. The toolbox allows quick access to many of the module functions that are also available

from the menu bar. For more information, see Understanding and using toolboxes, Section 3.3.

Canvas and drawing area

The canvas can be thought of as an innite screen or bulletin board on which you post viewports;

for more information, see Chapter 4, Managing viewports on the canvas. The drawing area is the

visible portion of the canvas.

25


Viewport

Viewports are windows on the canvas in which ABAQUS/CAE displays your model. For more

information, see Chapter 4, Managing viewports on the canvas.

Prompt area

The prompt area displays instructions for you to follow during a procedure; for example, it asks you

to select the geometry as you create a set. In the Visualization module a set of buttons is displayed

in the prompt area that allow you to move between the steps and the frames of your analysis. For

more information, see Using the prompt area during procedures, Section 3.1.

Message area

ABAQUS/CAE prints status information and warnings in the message area. To resize the message

area, drag the top edge; to see information that has scrolled out of the message area, use the scroll

bar on the right side. The message area is displayed by default, but it uses the same space occupied

by the command line interface. If you have recently used the command line interface, you must

click in the bottom left corner of the main window to activate the message area.

Note: If new messages are added while the command line interface is active, ABAQUS/CAE

changes the background color surrounding the message area icon to red. When you display the

message area, the background reverts to its normal color.

Command line interface

You can use the command line interface to type Python commands and evaluate mathematical

expressions using the Python interpreter that is built into ABAQUS/CAE. The interface includes

primary (>>>) and secondary (...) prompts to indicate when you must indent commands tocomply with Python syntax.

The command line interface is hidden by default, but it uses the same space occupied by the

message area. Click in the bottom left corner of the main window to switch from the message

area to the command line interface.

2.2.2 Components of the main menu bar

When you start a session, the menus listed below appear on the main menu bar. ABAQUS/CAE displays

additional menu options and provides access to toolsets depending on the current module in use.

File

The items in the File menu allow you to create, open, and save model databases; open and close

output databases; import and export les; run scripts; manage macros; print viewports; and exit

ABAQUS/CAE. Formore information, see Using the File menu, Section 9.6, in the online version

of this manual.

26


Model

The items in theModelmenu allow you to open, copy, rename, and delete the models in the current

model database. For more information, see Managing models, Section 9.8, in the online version

of this manual.

Viewport

The items in the Viewport menu allow you to create or manipulate viewports and viewport

annotations. For more information, see Chapter 4, Managing viewports on the canvas.

View

The items in the View menu allow you to manipulate views, customize certain aspects of the

appearance of your model or plots, control display performance, and turn off the display of the

Model Tree. Some of the operations available in the view manipulation menu are also available in

the toolbar. For more information, see:

Working with the Model Tree, Section 3.5

Chapter 5, Manipulating the view and controlling perspective

Chapter 7, Conguring graphics display options

Chapter 37, Customizing plot display

Chapter 50, Customizing geometry and mesh display

Plug-ins

The items in the Plug-insmenu allow you to access the plug-ins distributed with ABAQUS/CAE or

plug-ins that you have downloaded or created. For more information, see Chapter 53, The Plug-in

toolset.

Help

The items in the Helpmenu allow you to request context-sensitive help and to search or browse the

documentation. For more information, see Getting help, Section 2.6.

2.2.3 Components of the toolbar

The toolbar contains a convenient set of tools for managing your les and viewing your model. Items

in the toolbar are shortcuts to functions that are also available from the main menu bar. The toolbar is

shown in the following gure:

Database manipulationand printing View manipulation View and display options Query

Display groups

Help

27


To obtain a short description of a tool, place the cursor over that tool for a moment; a small box

containing a description, or tooltip, will appear. The tools are divided into the following groups:

Database manipulation and printing

The database manipulation tools allow you to create, open, and save model databases; to open output

databases; and to print viewports. For more information, see Part II, Working with ABAQUS/CAE

model databases, models, and les, and Chapter 8, Printing viewports.

View manipulation

The view manipulation tools allow you to specify different views of the model or plot. For

example, you can pan, rotate, or zoom the model or plot using these tools. For more information,

see Chapter 5, Manipulating the view and controlling perspective.

View and display options

The view and display option tools allow you to customize the appearance of your model. For

example, you can specify whether wireframe, hidden line, lled (available in the Visualization

module only), or shaded render style will be used and whether perspective will be applied. You

can also switch between displaying the geometry of an ABAQUS/CAE native part and the meshed

representation (if it exists) of the same part. For more information, see Choosing a render

style, Section 37.2.1; Controlling perspective, Section 5.4; and Displaying a native mesh,

Section 17.3.7.

Query

Use the query tool to obtain information about the geometry and features of your model, to

probe model and XY plots for output data, and to perform stress linearization on your results. For

more information, see Chapter 45, The Query toolset, Chapter 31, Querying and probing, and

Chapter 33, Calculating linearized stresses.

28


Display groups

The display group tools allow you to selectively plot one or more model or output database items.

For example, you can create a display group that contains only the elements belonging to specied

sets in your model. For more information, see Chapter 51, Using display groups to display subsets

of your model.

Help

Use the context-sensitive help tool to display detailed information about any tool, menu, dialog

box, or option in ABAQUS/CAE. For more information, see Getting help, Section 2.6.

2.2.4 The context bar

The context bar is located under the toolbar; you can use it to do the following:

Select the current module

The Module list on the context bar allows you to move between modules. (For more information,

see What is a module?, Section 2.3.)

Note: ABAQUS/Viewer contains only the Visualization module.

Select module-specific items

As you move between modules, ABAQUS/CAE displays additional items on the context bar that

help you select the context of your current operations. For example, when you are in the Part module

or Mesh module, ABAQUS/CAE displays the Part list in the context bar. The Part list contains

every part in your model; you can use it to retrieve a particular part. The context bar also allows you

to move between models in the model database or to change the output database associated with the

current viewport. The additional items in the context bar are a function of the module in which you

are working.

The items displayed in the context bar always refer to the current viewport, which is indicated by a

dark gray title bar. For example, if you have different parts displayed in different viewports, the context

bar indicates the name of the part displayed in the current viewport.

2.2.5 Components of the viewport

Figure 22 shows the components of the viewport in the Visualization module.

29

WHAT IS A MODULE?

Legend Viewport title

View orientation triad State block Title block

Figure 22 Components of the viewport.

The viewport title and the border around the viewport are called the viewport decorations. The legend,

state block, title block, and view orientation triad are called the viewport annotations. The view

orientation triad is a set of three perpendicular axes that indicate the orientation of the model currently

being displayed. For more information, see Customizing the view triad, Section 5.3. The legend, state

block, and title block identify results you display using the Visualization module. For more information,

see Chapter 38, Customizing viewport annotations.

2.3 What is a module?

ABAQUS/CAE is divided into functional units called modules. Each module contains only those tools

that are relevant to a specic portion of the modeling task. For example, the Mesh module contains only

the tools needed to create nite element meshes, while the Job module contains only the tools used to

create, edit, submit, and monitor analysis jobs. ABAQUS/Viewer is a subset of ABAQUS/CAE that

contains only the Visualization module.

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WHAT IS A MODULE?

You can select a module from the Module list in the context bar. Alternatively. you can select a

module by switching to the context of a selected object in the Model Tree; for more information, see

An overview of the Model Tree, Section 3.5.1. The order of the modules in the menu and in the Model

Tree corresponds to the logical sequence you follow to create a model. In many circumstances you must

follow this natural progression to complete a modeling task; for example, you must create parts before

you create an assembly. Although the order of the modules follows a logical sequence, ABAQUS/CAE

allows you to select any module at any time, regardless of the state of your model.

The following list of the modules available within ABAQUS/CAE briey describes the modeling

tasks you can perform in each module. The order of the modules in the list corresponds to the order of

the modules in the context bars Module list and in the Model Tree:

Part

Create individual parts by sketching or importing their geometry. For more information, see

Chapter 11, The Part module.

Property

Create section and material denitions and assign them to regions of parts. For more information,

see Chapter 12, The Property module.

Assembly

Create and assemble part instances. For more information, see Chapter 13, TheAssemblymodule.

Step

Create and dene the analysis steps and associated output requests. For more information, see

Chapter 14, The Step module.

Interaction

Specify the interactions, such as contact, between regions of a model. For more information, see

Chapter 15, The Interaction module.

Load

Specify loads, boundary conditions, and elds. For more information, see Chapter 16, The Load

module.

Mesh

Create a nite element mesh. For more information, see Chapter 17, The Mesh module.

Job

Submit a job for analysis and monitor its progress. For more information, see Chapter 18, The Job

module.

Visualization

View analysis results. For more information, see Part V, Viewing results.

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WHAT IS A TOOLSET?

Sketch

Create two-dimensional sketches. For more information, see Chapter 19, The Sketch module.

Modules can be classied by the objects that are displayed in the viewport. Parts are displayed

when you are in the Part and Property modules; the assembly is displayed when you are in the Assembly,

Step, Interaction, Load, Mesh, and Job modules; and output database results are displayed when you are

in the Visualization module.

The contents of the main window change as you move between modules. Selecting a module from

the Module list on the context bar or by switching to the context of a selected object in the Model Tree

causes the context bar, module toolbox, and menu bar to change to reect the functionality of the current

module.

When you move between modules, ABAQUS/CAE associates the current viewport with the module

you select. You can have multiple viewports, and different viewports can be associated with different

modules. As you select a viewport and make it current, the module associated with the viewport becomes

the current module. For more information on moving between viewports, see Selecting viewports,

Section 4.3.2, in the online version of this manual.

2.4 What is a toolset?

When you enter most modules, a Toolsmenu appears in the main menu bar containing all of the toolsets

relevant to that module. A toolset is a functional unit that allows you to perform a specic modeling

task. The following toolsets are available in ABAQUS/CAE:

The Amplitude toolset allows you to dene arbitrary time or frequency variations of load,

displacement, and other prescribed variables. For more information, see Chapter 39, The

Amplitude toolset.

The Color Code toolset allows you to customize the edge and ll color of individual elements. For

more information, see Coloring individual elements, Section 37.4.

The Coordinate System toolset allows you to create local coordinate systems for use in

postprocessing. For more information, see Creating coordinate systems during postprocessing,

Section 24.6.

The Create Field Output toolset allows you to perform operations on the eld output available in an

output database. For more information, see Creating new eld output, Section 24.5.

The Datum toolset allows you to create datum points, axes, planes, and coordinate systems for a

variety of modeling tasks. For more information, see Chapter 40, The Datum toolset.

The Display Group toolset allows you to selectively plot one or more model or output database

items. For more information, see Chapter 51, Using display groups to display subsets of your

model.

The Edit Mesh toolset allows you to modify a mesh to improve mesh quality. For more information,

see Chapter 41, The Edit Mesh toolset.

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USING THE MOUSE WITH ABAQUS/CAE

The Feature Manipulation toolset allows you to modify and manage the existing features in your

model. For more information, see Chapter 42, The Feature Manipulation toolset.

The Filter toolset allows you to remove extraneous history output datanoiseduring the analysis

of a model without a loss of resolution in the desired data range. For more information, see

Chapter 43, The Filter toolset.

The Partition toolset allows you to divide a part or assembly into regions. For more information,

see Chapter 44, The Partition toolset.

The Path toolset allows you to specify a path through your model along which you can obtain and

view XY data. For more information, see Chapter 32, Viewing results along a path.

The Query toolset allows you to obtain general information about your model and to probe model

and XY plots for output data. For more information, see Chapter 45, The Query toolset.

The Reference Point toolset allows you to create reference points associated with a part or assembly.

For more information, see Chapter 46, The Reference Point toolset.

The Repair toolset allows you to repair invalid and imprecise imported parts. For more information,

see Chapter 47, The Repair toolset.

The Set toolset and the Surface toolset allow you to dene sets and surfaces from regions of a model.

For more information, see Chapter 48, The Set and Surface toolsets.

When you are meshing a part or a part instance, the Virtual Topology toolset toolset allows you

to ignore details, such as very small faces and edges. For more information, see Chapter 49, The

Virtual Topology toolset.

The XY Data toolset allows you to create and operate on XY data objects. For more information,

see Chapter 30, XY plotting.

In most cases the objects that you create with a toolset in one module are useful in other modules.

For example, you can use the Set toolset to create sets in the Assembly module and then apply boundary

conditions to those sets in the Load module. Most of the toolsets include manager menus and manager

dialog boxes that allow you to edit, copy, rename, and delete the objects you create with the toolset.

2.5 Using the mouse with ABAQUS/CAE

Many of the procedures in the ABAQUS/CAE documentation involve using one or more of the three

mouse buttons. The following list explains the importance of each mouse button when interacting with

ABAQUS/CAE:

Mouse button 1

You use mouse button 1 to select objects in the viewport, to expand pull-down menus, and to select

items from menus. The instructions click, select, and drag in the documentation refer to

mouse button 1.

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GETTING HELP

Mouse button 2

Clicking mouse button 2 in the viewport signies that you have nished the current task. For

example:

Selecting entities from the model: when you create a node set, you select the nodes to include

in the set. Clicking mouse button 2 indicates that your selection is complete and you are ready

to create the set.

Using a tool: click mouse button 2 to indicate that you have nished with a view manipulation

tool.

In addition, clicking mouse button 2 in the viewport is equivalent to clicking the highlighted button

in the prompt area. For example, if you tried to select nodes from your model and ABAQUS/CAE

displayed the following prompt, clicking mouse button 2 would have the same effect as clicking

OK:

Mouse button 3

Pressing and holding mouse button 3 in the viewport exposes a popup menu that contains shortcuts

to any of the buttons on the prompt area. For example, when you press mouse button 3 in a viewport

that contains a contour plot, the Visualization module displays the following menu:

The mouse button 3 shortcut is available only when ABAQUS/CAE displays buttons in the prompt

area.

2.6 Getting help

The ABAQUS/CAE online documentation is available through the Help menu on the main menu bar.

This section provides a brief description of the online documentation and explains how to use the Help

menu to nd information. (For additional information, refer to the online manual UsingABAQUSOnline

Documentation.)

214

GETTING HELP

Note:

On Windows platforms, the help system uses your default web browser to display the online

documentation.

On UNIX and Linux platforms, the help system searches the system path rst for Mozilla (including

Firefox) and uses that web browser if it is available. If Mozilla is not found, the help system checks

the system path for Netscape and uses that web browser if it is available. If neither browser is found

in the system path, an error is displayed.

The browser_type and browser_path variables can be set in the environment le to modify

this behavior. For more information, see System customization parameters, Section 4.1.4 of the

ABAQUS Installation and Licensing Guide.

2.6.1 Displaying context-sensitive help

You can use the help tool in the toolbar to display detailed help on any icon, menu, or dialog box that

you use in ABAQUS/CAE. When you click the help tool and then click an item in the ABAQUS/CAE

window, a help window appears containing the section from the online documentation that is relevant to

that item.

To display help on an item in the main window or in a dialog box:

1. From the right end of the toolbar, click the help tool .

Tip: You can also select HelpOn Context from the main menu bar.

The cursor changes to a question mark.

2. Position the cursor over the item about which you need help, and click mouse button 1.

A help window appears. The window contains the appropriate online documentation and links to

associated topics.

Alternatively, you can use the [F1] key to display help on a particular item. In most cases you can

gain access to context-sensitive help by using the Help menu, the help toolbar icon, or the [F1] key.

However, you must use [F1] if you are seeking information about menu items or dialog boxes that do not

allow access to the help tool.

To display help using the [F1] key:

1. Click the feature in the ABAQUS/CAE window that you want help with. If the feature is part of a

menu, do not release the mouse button.

2. Press [F1].

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GETTING HELP

A help window appears. The window contains the appropriate online documentation and links

to associated topics. If you selected a menu item without releasing the mouse button, that menu

disappears.

Note: ABAQUS/CAE also provides brief tooltips that describe the function of tools in toolboxes and

in the toolbar. To see a tooltip, position the cursor over a tool and leave it stationary for a short time.

2.6.2 Browsing and searching the online manuals

You can browse and search the entire online manual collection by selecting HelpSearch & Browse

Manuals. The collection window that appears contains a list of all the book titles in the online

documentation collection. To view a particular manual, simply click the title of interest; the manual will

appear in a new browser window. (For detailed information, see the online manual Using ABAQUS

Online Documentation.)

To display and search an online manual:

1. From the main menu bar, select HelpSearch & Browse Manuals.

The collection window appears in your web browser with a list of all the book titles in the online

documentation collection, grouped by category.

2. Click the book title of interest.

A book window containing the manual that you selected opens in a new browser window. The book

window contains four frames: the navigation frame (top frame), the expand/collapse frame (upper

left frame), the table of contents frame (lower left frame), and the text frame (right frame), as shown

in Figure 23.

3. Navigate through the manuals contents using any of the following techniques:

Expand/Collapse

Use the buttons in the expand/collapse frame to vary the level of detail displayed in the table

of contents frame. Click Expand to expand several levels in the table of contents of an online

book. Click Collapse to collapse all expanded sections in the table of contents.

Browsing

Use the and arrows in the text frame to navigate sequentially through the text. You

can also use the web browser functions to return to recently viewed pages.

Searching

Use the search panel located in the navigation frame to search for specic words or phrases. For

more information, see Chapter 2, Searching the HTML documentation, of Using ABAQUS

Online Documentation.

216

GETTING HELP

Figure 23 The book window.

Using hyperlinks

Use hyperlinks to move from one part of a book to another or from one book to another book.

2.6.3 Finding special sections of the online documentation

The following Help menu items allow you to display sections of the online documentation that you may

nd useful:

On Module

Select HelpOn Module to display the ABAQUS/CAE Users Manual opened to the beginning

of the chapter that describes the current module. If you have not yet entered a module, the manual

will be opened to a description of the module concept. In either case, you are then free to read

additional information as needed and to conduct text searches through the entire manual.

217

GETTING HELP

On Help

Select HelpOn Help to display the ABAQUS/CAE Users Manual opened to the section that

describes how to use the help system. You are also free to read additional information as needed

and to conduct text searches through the entire manual.

Getting Started

Select HelpGetting Started to display a section that provides basic information on how to work

in the ABAQUS/CAE window. This section also contains links to helpful tutorials in the Getting

Started with ABAQUS manual.

Release Notes

Select HelpRelease Notes to display the ABAQUS Release Notes. Release notes detail new

features of the software and provide a list of updates and enhancements.

Latest Information (on the web)

Select HelpLatest Information (on the web) to open a web page on the ABAQUS web site

that lists information that ABAQUS users will nd useful; for example, upgrade and systems

information along with errors in the ABAQUS documentation.

Geometry Importing Guide (on the web)

Select HelpGeometry Importing Guide (on the web) to open a web page on the ABAQUS

web site that contains a troubleshooting guide to geometry import.

On Version

Select HelpOn Version to determine which version of ABAQUS/CAE you are currently using.

ABAQUS also displays the version numbers of third-party software that is used by ABAQUS/CAE;

for example, Python and ACIS.

On License

Select HelpOn License to determine product license information. ABAQUS displays your site

identication and the name of your license server along with your license number and the total

number of licenses available from your site.

2.6.4 Finding information about keywords

The keyword browser is a scrollable table that contains the following information:

The purpose of each keyword.

The ABAQUS/CAEmodule or toolset that contains the functionality associated with each keyword.

To view the keyword browser, select HelpKeyword Browser from the main menu bar. For example,

you could use the keyword browser to verify that the *ELASTIC option allows you to specify elastic

218

GETTING HELP

material properties and that the Property module is the ABAQUS/CAE module associated with this

keyword.

The keyword browser also contains hyperlinks to relevant sections in the online documentation. You

can click a particular keyword in the table to display detailed information concerning the function of that

keyword. You can also click the name of a module or toolset in the table to view related documentation

in the ABAQUS/CAE Users Manual.

To display the keyword browser:

1. From the main menu bar, select HelpKeyword Browser.

The ABAQUS/CAE Users Manual is opened to a table of ABAQUS keywords and their associated

modules.

2. In the Keyword column, click the keyword of interest to view online documentation describing that

keyword.

3. In the Module column, click the module or toolset name of interest to view online documentation

concerning that module or toolset.

219

USING THE PROMPT AREA DURING PROCEDURES

3. Understanding ABAQUS/CAE windows, dialog boxes,

and toolboxes

This chapter explains how to interact with the various windows, dialog boxes, and toolboxes that appear

throughout the ABAQUS/CAE application. The following topics are covered:

Using the prompt area during procedures, Section 3.1

Interacting with dialog boxes, Section 3.2

Understanding and using toolboxes, Section 3.3

Managing objects, Section 3.4

Working with the Model Tree, Section 3.5

Saving your ABAQUS/CAE GUI settings, Section 3.6

3.1 Using the prompt area during procedures

This section explains how to make use of the procedural steps that ABAQUS/CAE displays in the prompt

area.

3.1.1 What is a procedure?

Many tasks within ABAQUS/CAE are broken into step-by-step procedures. For example, creating an

arc in the Sketcher is a three-step procedure:

1. Pick the center point for the arc.

2. Pick the start point.

3. Pick the end point.

ABAQUS/CAE displays each step of a procedure in the prompt area near the bottom of the main

window so that you do not need to remember all the steps and their order.

3.1.2 Following instructions and entering data in the prompt area

To use a procedure, simply follow the directions that appear in the prompt area near the bottom of the

main window, as shown here:

31

USING THE PROMPT AREA DURING PROCEDURES

The button marked X in the above gure is the Cancel button; click this button to cancel the entire

procedure at any time. The arrow to the left of the Cancel button is the Previous button; click it to abort

the current step of the procedure and return to the previous one. (The Previous button appears dimmed

during the rst step of any procedure.) If you prefer, you can place the cursor over the canvas and press

mouse button 3; then select Previous Step or Cancel Procedure from the menu that appears.

A Stop button appears in the prompt area during certain time-consuming operations, such as part

healing or meshing or the extraction of XY data from history for large models. You can click Stop to

interrupt and cancel the operation.

Many procedures require textual or numeric data; for example, when creating a llet using the

Sketch module, you must rst specify the llet radius. When textual or numeric data are required,

ABAQUS/CAE displays a text eld in the prompt area for you to ll in; usually the text box will already

contain a default value, as shown here:

Position your cursor over the viewport, and enter data into the text eld as follows:

To accept the default value, press either [Enter] or mouse button 2.

To replace the default value, simply begin typing; you need not click the text eld before typing.

The default value disappears as soon as you begin to t

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