Abaqus/CAE (ver. 6.

12) Plate/Shell Tutorial

Problem Description
The aluminum arch (E = 70 GPa, = 0.3) shown below is completely clamped along the flat faces. The arch
supports a pressure of 100 MPa.

In this example, we also practice how to mesh a portion of geometry and how to avoid modeling
unnecessary segments!

2013 Hormoz Zareh

Portland State University, Mechanical Engineering

Analysis Steps
1. StartAbaqusandchoosetocreateanewmodeldatabase
2. InthemodeltreedoubleclickonthePartsnode(orrightclickonpartsandselectCreate)

3. IntheCreatePartdialogbox(shownabove)namethepartand
a. Select3D
b. SelectDeformable
c. SelectShell
d. SelectExtrusion
e. Setapproximatesize=100
f. ClickContinue
4. Createthegeometryshownbelow(notdiscussedhere).Unitsshownareinmm.

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Portland State University, Mechanical Engineering


a. ClickDone
b. SetDepth=10
c. ClickOK

5. DoubleclickontheMaterialsnodeinthemodeltree

a. Namethenewmaterialandgiveitadescription
b. ClickontheMechanicaltabElasticityElastic
c. DefineYoungsModulusandthePoissonsRatio(useSI(mm)units)
i. WARNING:TherearenopredefinedsystemofunitswithinAbaqus,sotheuseris
responsibleforensuringthatthecorrectvaluesarespecified
ii. Seethetableofconsistentunitsbelow

Quantity

SI

SI (mm)

Length

mm

Force

Mass

kg

Time

Stress

US Unit (ft) US Unit (inch)

ft

in

lbf

lbf

tonne (10 kg)

slug

lbf s2/in

Pa (N/m ) MPa (N/mm )

lbf/ft

psi (lbf/in2)

Energy

mJ (103 J)

ft lbf

in lbf

Density

kg/m3

tonne/mm3

slug/ft3

lbf s2/in4

d. ClickOK

2013 Hormoz Zareh

Portland State University, Mechanical Engineering

6. DoubleclickontheSectionsnodeinthemodeltree
a. Namethesectionshell_propertiesandselectShellforthecategoryandHomogeneousforthe
type
b. ClickContinue
c. Selectthematerialcreatedabove(aluminum)andsetthethicknessto1(mm).
d. Adjustthethicknessintegrationpointsifnecessary
i. ForSimpsonintegrationthenumberofpointsmustbeoddandbetween3and15
ii. ForGaussintegrationthenumberofpointsmustbebetween2and15
e. ClickOK(defaultSimpsonwasselected)

7. ExpandthePartsnodeinthemodeltree,expandthenodeofthepartjustcreated,anddoubleclickon
SectionAssignments
a. SelecttheentiregeometryintheviewportandpressDoneinthepromptarea
b. Selectthesectioncreatedabove(shell_properties).
c. Specifyshelloffsetifnecessary.Forthisexampleusethedefaultofmiddlesurface.
d. ClickOK

2013 Hormoz Zareh

Portland State University, Mechanical Engineering

8. InthetoolboxareaclickonthePartitionFace:Sketchicon
a. SelectallfacesandclickDone
b. Selectoneoftheflatfacesasthesketchplane
c. SpecifyThroughAllfortheprojectiondistance.Notethearrowshouldencompasstheentirepart.
d. SelectFlipifthearrowshowingtheprojectdirectionisincorrect,and/orpressOK
e. Selectoneoftheedgesontheendofthepartastheverticalsketchdirection
f. Createasketchthatwilldividethepartintoquarters.Forexample:drawaverticalline,selectthe
equaldistanceconstraint,pickthenodeattheupperright,pickthenodeattheupperleft,thenpick
thedrawnverticalline.Theconstraintwillmovethelinetothemidpoint.
g. SelectDone

2013 Hormoz Zareh

Portland State University, Mechanical Engineering

Youmayneedtorepeatthesketchingandpartitioningprocessafewtimesuntilallsurfaceshavebeen
partitionedasshownbelow.Forthecurvedsegment,youmaydefineadatumplanethatpassesthrough
themidsectionandthenusepartitionbydatumplanetoaccomplishthetask.

9. ExpandtheAssemblynodeinthemodeltreeandthendoubleclickonInstances
a. SelectDependentfortheinstancetype
b. ClickOK

10. Savethemodel
a. Thismodelwillbeusedasastartingplaceforfurthertutorials

2013 Hormoz Zareh

Portland State University, Mechanical Engineering

11. DoubleclickontheStepsnodeinthemodeltree
a. Namethestep,settheproceduretoGeneral,andselectStatic,General
b. Givethestepadescription

12. ExpandtheHistoryOutputRequestsnodeinthemodeltree,andthenrightclickonHOutput1(HOutput1
wasautomaticallygeneratedwhencreatingthestep)andselectDelete

2013 Hormoz Zareh

Portland State University, Mechanical Engineering

13. ExpandtheFieldOutputRequestsnodeinthemodeltree,andthendoubleclickonFOutput1(FOutput1
wasautomaticallygeneratedwhencreatingthestep)
a. UncheckthevariablesStrainsandContact

14. Becausethepartissymmetricalandtheflatsurfacesarefullyrestrainedonlyaquarterofthearchneedsto
bemodeled.
15. Becausetheflatsurfacesareassumedtobefullyrestrainedwedonotneedtoincludethem,andcaninstead
fixjusttheedge.
16. DoubleclickontheBCsnodeinthemodeltree
a. NametheboundaryconditionedFixedandselectSymmetry/Antisymmetry/Encastreforthetype

2013 Hormoz Zareh

Portland State University, Mechanical Engineering

b. SelecttheedgeshownbelowandclickDone

c. SelectENCASTREfortheboundaryconditionandclickOK

Note: Restraining the entire surface will be inefficient, requiring

unnecessary meshing of the portion of the geometry which will have
no influence on the stiffness properties, and thus the result of
simulation. Therefore, the restraint is applied to the shown edge to
reduce the problem size. Noting this, the geometry creation could
have been simplified right from the start!

17. DoubleclickontheBCsnodeinthemodeltree
a. NametheboundaryconditionedZsymmandselect
Symmetry/Antisymmetry/Encastreforthetype

b. SelecttheedgeshownbelowandclickDone

2013 Hormoz Zareh

Portland State University, Mechanical Engineering

c. SelectZSYMMfortheboundarycondition

d. RepeatfortheotheredgeandselectXsymmtoapplyxdirsymmetrycondition.

18. DoubleclickontheLoadsnodeinthemodeltree
a. NametheloadPressureandselectPressureasthetype

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Portland State University, Mechanical Engineering


b. Selectthequarterofthearchsurfacewiththeboundaryconditionsappliedtoit
c. Selectthecolorcorrespondingtothetopsurfacewherethepressureisapplied
d. Forthemagnitudeenter100

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Portland State University, Mechanical Engineering

19. InthemodeltreedoubleclickonMeshfortheArchpart,andinthetoolboxareaclickontheAssign
ElementTypeicon
a. Selecttheportionofthegeometryassociatedwiththeboundaryconditionsandload
b. SelectStandardforelementtype
c. SelectLinearforgeometricorder
d. SelectShellforfamily
e. Notethatthenameoftheelement(S4R)anditsdescriptionaregivenbelowtheelementcontrols
f. SelectOK

20. InthetoolboxareaclickontheAssignMeshControlsicon
a. Selecttheportionofthegeometry
associatedwiththeboundary
conditionsandload
b. ChangetheelementshapetoQuad

21. InthetoolboxareaclickontheSeedEdgesicon
a. Selecttheshorteredgesoftheportionofthegeometryassociatedwiththe
boundaryconditionsandload
i. SelectByNumbermethodandSpecify5elements

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Portland State University, Mechanical Engineering

b. Repeatstepa.forthelongercurvededgesoftheportionofthegeometryassociatedwiththe
boundaryconditionsandload
ii. Specify10elements

c. SelectDone

22. InthetoolboxareaclickontheMeshRegionicon

d. Selecttheportionofthegeometryassociatedwiththeboundaryconditionsandload
e. SelectDone

Note:Structuredmeshingcouldhavebeenusedinthiscase,resultinginidenticalmeshdistribution!

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Portland State University, Mechanical Engineering

23. InthemodeltreedoubleclickontheJobnode
a. Namethejobarch_linear_static
b. Givethejobadescription

24. Inthemodeltreerightclickonthejobjustcreated(arch_linear_static)andselectSubmit
f. Ignorethemessageaboutunmeshedportionsofthegeometry,clickyestocontinue.
g. WhileAbaqusissolvingtheproblemrightclickonthejobsubmitted(arch_linear_static),andselect
Monitor

h. IntheMonitorwindowcheckthattherearenoerrorsorwarnings
iii. Ifthereareerrors,investigatethecause(s)beforeresolving
iv. Iftherearewarnings,determineifthewarningsarerelevant,somewarningscanbesafely
ignored

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Portland State University, Mechanical Engineering

25. Inthemodeltreerightclickonthesubmittedandsuccessfullycompletedjob(arch_linear_static),andselect
Results

26. InthemenubarclickonViewportViewportAnnotationsOptions
a. UnchecktheShowcompassoption
b. ThelocationsofviewportitemscanbespecifiedonthecorrespondingtabintheViewport
AnnotationsOptions

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Portland State University, Mechanical Engineering

27. Displaythedeformedcontourofthe(Von)Misesstressoverlaidwiththeundeformedgeometry
a. Inthetoolboxareaclickonthefollowingicons
i. PlotContoursonDeformedShape
ii. AllowMultiplePlotStates
iii. PlotUndeformedShape

28. InthetoolboxareaclickontheCommonPlot
Optionsicon
a. SettheDeformationScaleFactorto10
b. ClickOK

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Portland State University, Mechanical Engineering

29. Todeterminethestressvalues,clickontheprobevaluesicon
a. SettheprobetoNodes
b. Intheviewportmouseovertheelementofinterest
c. NotethatAbaqusreportsstressvaluesfromtheintegrationpoints,whichmaydifferslightlyfromthe
valuesdeterminedbyprojectingvaluesfromsurroundingintegrationpointstothenodes
i. Theminimumandmaximumstressvaluescontainedinthelegendarefromthestresses
projectedtothenodes
d. ClickonanelementtostoreitintheSelectedProbeValuesportionofthedialoguebox

30. Thefieldoutputtoolbarcanbeusedtochangetheoutputdisplayed
a. Themiddledropdowntabselectsthefieldoutputofinterest.
b. Therightdropdownisusedtoselectthevariantorcomponent.

2013 Hormoz Zareh

17

Portland State University, Mechanical Engineering