Source model preparation
For Simulia® Abaqus users

Simulia® Abaqus can be used to create a numerical FEA model, which can be exported into the INP format to get a suitable source model for ProTOp. The INP output generated by Simulia® Abaqus supports:

• multiple load cases and
• fictive surface loads

Multiple load cases can be defined by defining multiple load steps. Note that ProTOp will import each load step as a separate load case for the optimization procedure.

Source model preparation outline

To prepare a ProTOp usable FEA model with Simulia® Abaqus, the procedure is roughly the same as preparing a usual FEA simulation model. More precisely, the following steps should done:

• Create or import a CAD model (generate geometric single part model and partitions)
• Define model properties (define materials and sections and assign sections to partitions)
• Define steps (one step is one load case)
• Define loads and support boundary conditions
• Mesh the model (use 4 or 10 node tetrahedron or 8 node hexahedron elements)
• Create a job (write an INP file)

When Simulia® Abaqus is used to get the source model, pay attention to the limitations of the corresponding importer.

Limitations of the importer

The following options are supported by ProTOp when importing from INP file created by Simulia® Abaqus.

Part

• 3D Deformable Solid

Property

• Material
  • Linear Elastic Isotropic
  • Density, Uniform Distribution
• Section
  • Homogeneous Solid
• Section Assignment
  • Multi regions

Assembly

• Single instance

Step

• Static, General (Nlgeom: Off)
  • Multi step (each step is considered to be a separate load case)

Interaction

• No

Load

• Load
  • Concentrated force
  • Pressure
  • Surface traction (General traction, no Shear traction)
  • Body force
  • Rotational body force (Centrifugal and Rotary acceleration)
  • Gravity
• Boundary Condition
  • Symmetry/Antisymmetry/Encastre
  • Displacement
• Predefined Field
  • Temperature

Mesh

• 3D Stress Family
  • Hex
    • 8-node linear brick C3D8
  • Tet
    • 4-node linear tetrahedron C3D4
    • 10-node quadratic tetrahedron C3D10

Job

• Create a job and write the INP input file.