Abaqus/CAE Tutorial:
Large Deformation Analysis of Beam-Plate in Bending
By Hyonny Kim
Created September 2004
Updated July 2010
In this tutorial, youll learn
how to:
Create a 3D Model
using shell elements
Conduct a
geometrically nonlinear
analysis (using
Nlgeom* option)
Plot different FEA
output with respect to
each other (e.g., force
vs. displacement)
Beam Specifications
Dimensions: 10 x 1.0 x 0.1 in
Material: Steel
Loading: P=100lb (200 total)
* Note: the use of the Nlgeom option can
result in a considerable increase in
computation cost. Use this option only
when it is necessary. When using Nlgeom,
it is generally advised to first run your
model with Nlgeom turned off so as to debug any problems.
Part, Property, and Assembly Modules
Start ABAQUS/CAE
Enter the Part Module
under Create Part:
Enter a part name, e.g., beam
3D
Deformable
Shell
Planar
Approximate Size 20
draw 10 in. x 1 in. rectangle
by specifying corner
coordinates (0,0) and (10,1).
In the Property Module
specify steel: E = 30e6, =
0.3
when Creating Section,
select Shell, click Continue
then enter Shell Thickness
value of 0.1
assign the section to the
beam
In the Assembly Module,
instance the beam with an
independent mesh
Step Module-Activate Nlgeom and Specify History Output
Go to the Step Module
Click Create Step
select Static, General then Continue
under the Basic tab, be sure Time
Period of 1 is set, and that Nlgeom is
on
Go to Menu Bar -> Tools -> Set -> Create
enter a name, e.g., RHS, click
Continue
pick the right hand side edge of the
beam, it will turn red, click Done
Click Create History Output*
give name (use default), be sure
Step-1 is chosen, Continue
under the Domain, choose Set, and
be sure that RHS is chosen
from list below, activate:
U, Translations and rotations
CF, Concentrated forces and
moments
click OK
* This operation defines
history output to be included
in the .ODB file when the
analysis is run. This
information will be used to
plot applied load versus
displacement at this location
Load & Mesh Module, Submit Job
In the Load Module
apply Concentrated Force to
the right hand corners of the
beam.
enter a value of 100 in the CF3 box
(forces act in 3-direction)
set all six d.o.f. at the left hand
edge to be zero
view the beam in isometric
view by clicking Menu Bar, View,
Toolbars, Views then selecting
Apply Iso View
In the Mesh Module
set a Mesh Seed Size of 1.0*
specify the use of quadratic,
6DOF per node shell elements,
S8R
mesh the beam
In the Job Module
submit the job, click on Results
or go to the Visualization Module
when the analysis has completed
Advanced Post-Processing Load vs. Deflection
In the Visualization
Module, you
should get the
following
displacement
profile
Note that when
Nlgeom is turned
on, the
displacement
scale factor
during postprocessing is set
to a value of 1.0,
so the
displacements
shown on the
screen are NOT
exaggerated.
Gathering History Output
Click the Create XY Data button
Select ODB history output, Continue
In the list that follows, select all three of the
following so that they are highlighted
(hold CTRL key):
Point Loads: CF3 at Node 11
Point Loads: CF3 at Node 22
Spatial displacement: U3 at Node 11
Notes:
1. you may have to resize the window
to be able to read the entire line
2. use SHIFT and CTRL keys while you click to
select multiple items
click the Plot button, and youll see the
forces and displacements plotted versus
a Time axis this time axis is
nondimensional, and is actually a scale
factor of the loading (or prescribed
displacement) such that at time of 1.0,
the full load has been applied
click the Save As button and click OK to
use default names, click Dismiss
Plot Load vs. Displacement at Beam Tip
Click the Create XY Data button
Select Operate on XY data, Continue
Do the following:
1. Type in at the prompt: combine(
2. Add XYData-3 (U3 at Node 11) to the
expression
3. type in a comma: ,
4. Add XYData-1 (CF3 at Node 11) to the
expression
5. Type in a plus symbol: +
6. Add XYData-2 (CF3 at Node 22) to the
expression
7. Type a close parenthesis: )
8. Click Plot Expression at the bottom of
the window
Note: Combine is one of many
Operators that are available in
the list on the right side of the
window. You can click or type
any of these commands in.
