Appendix B: Creating and Analyzing a Simple Model in

ABAQUS/CAE

The following section is a basic tutorial for the experienced ABAQUS user. It leads you
through the ABAQUS/CAE modeling process by visiting each of the modules and
showing you the basic steps to create and analyze a simple model. To illustrate each of
the steps, you will first create a model of a steel cantilever beam and load its top surface
(see Figure B–1).

Figure B–1 A loaded cantilever beam.

You will then analyze the beam and plot the resulting stresses and displacements. The
entire tutorial takes approximately 90 minutes to complete.

The following topics are covered:

• “Understanding ABAQUS/CAE modules,” Section B.1

• “Understanding the Model Tree,” Section B.2
• “Creating a part,” Section B.3
• “Creating a material,” Section B.4
• “Defining and assigning section properties,” Section B.5
• “Assembling the model,” Section B.6
• “Defining your analysis steps,” Section B.7
• “Applying a boundary condition and a load to the model,” Section B.8
• “Meshing the model,” Section B.9
• “Creating and submitting an analysis job,” Section B.10
• “Viewing the results of your analysis,” Section B.11
B.1 Understanding ABAQUS/CAE modules

ABAQUS/CAE is divided into modules, where each module defines an aspect of the
modeling process; for example, defining the geometry, defining material properties, and
generating a mesh. As you move from module to module, you build the model from
which ABAQUS/CAE generates an input file that you submit to ABAQUS/Standard or
ABAQUS/Explicit for analysis. For example, you use the Property module to define
material and section properties and the Step module to choose an analysis procedure. The
ABAQUS/CAE postprocessor is called the Visualization module and is also licensed as a
separate product called ABAQUS/Viewer.

You enter a module by selecting it from the Module list under the toolbar, as shown in
Figure 2–3.

Figure B–2 Selecting a module.

For the cantilever beam tutorial, you will enter the following ABAQUS/CAE modules
and perform the following tasks:

Part

Sketch a two-dimensional profile and create a part representing the cantilever beam.

Property

Define the material properties and other section properties of the beam.

Assembly

Assemble the model and create sets.

Step
Configure the analysis procedure and output requests.

Load

Apply loads and boundary conditions to the beam.

Mesh

Mesh the beam.

Job

Create a job and submit it for analysis.

Visualization

View the results of the analysis.

Although the Module list under the toolbar lists the modules in a logical sequence, you
can move back and forth between modules at will. However, certain obvious restrictions
apply; for example, you cannot assign section properties to geometry that has not yet
been created.

A completed model contains everything that ABAQUS/CAE needs to generate an input

file and start the analysis. ABAQUS/CAE uses a model database to store your models.
When you start ABAQUS/CAE, the Start Session dialog box allows you to create a new,
empty model database in memory. After you start ABAQUS/CAE, you can save your
model database to a disk by selecting File Save from the main menu bar; to retrieve it
from a disk, select File Open.

For a complete listing of which module generates a particular keyword, see “ABAQUS
keyword browser table,” Section A.1 of the ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual.

For information on related topics, click any of the following items:

• Part II, “Working with ABAQUS/CAE model databases, models, and files,” of
the ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual”
• “What is a module?,” Section 2.3 of the ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual
B.2 Understanding the Model Tree

The Model Tree provides a visual description of the hierarchy of items in a model. Figure
B–3 shows a typical Model Tree.

Figure B–3 Model Tree.

Items in the Model Tree are represented by small icons; for example, the Steps
icon, . In addition, parentheses next to an item indicate that the item is a
container, and the number in the parentheses indicates the number of items in the
container. You can click on the “ ” and “” signs in the Model Tree to expand and
collapse a container. The right and left arrow keys perform the same operation.

The arrangement of the containers and items in the Model Tree reflects the order in
which you are expected to create your model. As noted earlier, a similar logic governs the
order of modules in the module menu—you create parts before you create the assembly,
and you create steps before you create loads. This arrangement is fixed—you cannot
move items in the Model Tree.
The Model Tree provides most of the functionality of the main menu bar and the module
managers. For example, if you double-click on the Parts container, you can create a new
part (the equivalent of selecting Part Create from the main menu bar).

The instructions for the examples that follow will focus on using the Model Tree to
access the functionality of ABAQUS/CAE. Menu bar actions will be considered only
when necessary (e.g., when creating a finite element mesh or postprocessing results).

B.3 Creating a part

You can create parts that are native to ABAQUS/CAE, or you can import parts created by
other applications either as a geometric representation or as a finite element mesh.

You will start the cantilever beam tutorial by creating a three-dimensional, deformable
solid body. You do this by sketching the two-dimensional profile of the beam (a
rectangle) and extruding it. ABAQUS/CAE automatically enters the Sketcher when you
create a part.

ABAQUS/CAE often displays a short message in the prompt area indicating what it
expects you to do next, as shown in Figure B–4.

Figure B–4 Messages and instructions are displayed in the prompt area.

Click the Cancel button to cancel the current task. Click the Previous button to cancel
the current step in the task and return to the previous step.

To create the cantilever beam:

1. If you did not already start ABAQUS/CAE, type abaqus cae. If you are viewing
this tutorial online, resize your windows so that you can follow the tutorial and
see the ABAQUS/CAE main window.
2. From the Start Session dialog box that appears, select Create Model Database.
If you are already in an ABAQUS/CAE session, select File New from the main
menu bar.

ABAQUS/CAE enters the Part module. The Model Tree appears in the left side of
the main window. Between the Model Tree and the canvas is the Part module
toolbox. A toolbox contains a set of icons that allow expert users to bypass the
 menus in the main menu bar. For many tools, as you select an item from the main
menu bar or the Model Tree, the corresponding tool is highlighted in the module
toolbox so you can learn its location.

3. In the Model Tree, double-click the Parts container to create a new part.

The Create Part dialog box appears. ABAQUS/CAE also displays text in the
prompt area near the bottom of the window to guide you through the procedure.

You use the Create Part dialog box to name the part; to choose its modeling
space, type, and base feature; and to set the approximate size. You can edit and
rename a part after you create it; you can also change its modeling space and type
but not its base feature.

4. Name the part Beam. Accept the default settings of a three-dimensional,

deformable body and a solid, extruded base feature. In the Approximate size text
field, type 300.
5. Click Continue to exit the Create Part dialog box.

ABAQUS/CAE automatically enters the Sketcher. The Sketcher toolbox appears

in the left side of the main window, and the Sketcher grid appears in the viewport.
The Sketcher contains a set of basic tools that allow you to sketch the two-
dimensional profile of your part. ABAQUS/CAE enters the Sketcher whenever
you create or edit a part. To finish using a Sketcher tool, click mouse button 2 in
the viewport or select a new tool.

Tip: Like all tools in ABAQUS/CAE, if you simply position the cursor over a
tool in the Sketcher toolbox for a short time, a small window appears that gives a
brief description of the tool.

The following aspects of the Sketcher help you sketch the desired geometry:

• The Sketcher grid helps you position the cursor and align objects in the
viewport.
• Dashed lines indicate the X- and Y-axes of the sketch and intersect at the
origin of the sketch.
• A triad in the lower-left corner of the viewport indicates the relationship
between the sketch plane and the orientation of the part.
• When you select a sketching tool, ABAQUS/CAE displays the X- and Y-
coordinates of the cursor in the upper-left corner of the viewport.
6. To sketch the profile of the cantilever beam, you need to select the rectangle
drawing tool .

The rectangle drawing tool appears in the Sketcher toolbox with a white
background indicating that you selected it. ABAQUS/CAE displays prompts in
the prompt area to guide you through the procedure.
 7. In the viewport, sketch the rectangle using the following steps:
a. Notice that as you move the cursor around the viewport, ABAQUS/CAE displays
the cursor's X- and Y-coordinates in the upper-left corner.
b. Click one corner of the rectangle at coordinates (–100, 10).
c. Move the cursor to the opposite corner (100, –10) so that the rectangle is forty
grid squares long and four grid squares high as shown in Figure B–5.

Figure B–5 Sketch of the rectangle.

d. Click mouse button 1 to create the rectangle.

e. Click mouse button 2 anywhere in the viewport to finish using the rectangle tool.

Note: If you are a Windows user with a 2-button mouse, press both
mouse buttons simultaneously whenever you are asked to press mouse
button 2.

8. If you make a mistake while using the Sketcher, you can delete lines in your
sketch, as explained in the following procedure:
. From the Sketcher toolbox, click the Delete tool, .
a. From the sketch, click a line to select it.

ABAQUS/CAE highlights the selected line in red.

b. Click mouse button 2 in the viewport to delete the selected line.

c. Repeat steps b and c as often as necessary.
d. Click mouse button 2 in the viewport to finish using the Delete tool.
9. From the prompt area (near the bottom of the main window), click Done to exit
the Sketcher.

Note: If you don't see the Done button in the prompt area, continue to click
mouse button 2 in the viewport until it appears.

10. Because you are creating an extruded part, ABAQUS/CAE displays the Edit Base
Extrusion dialog box for you to select the depth. Optional parameters to modify
the extrusion shape are also available. In the Depth field, erase the default value
of 30 and type a value of 25.0. Click OK to accept this value.
 ABAQUS/CAE displays an isometric view of the new part, as shown in Figure
B–6.

Figure B–6 Isometric view of the beam.

To help you orient the cantilever beam during the modeling process,
ABAQUS/CAE displays a triad in the lower-left corner indicating the orientation
of the X-, Y-, and Z-axes.

11. Before you continue the tutorial, save your model in a model database file.
. From the main menu bar, select File Save. The Save Model Database As
dialog box appears.
a. Type a name for the new model database in the Selection field, and click OK.
You do not need to include the file extension; ABAQUS/CAE automatically
appends .cae to the file name.

ABAQUS/CAE stores the model database in a new file and returns to the
Part module. The title bar of the ABAQUS/CAE window displays the path
and name of the model database. You should always save your model
database at regular intervals (for example, each time you switch modules).

For information on related topics, click any of the following items:

• Chapter 11, “The Part module,” of the ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual”

 • Chapter 19, “The Sketch module,” of the ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual”
• “Customizing the Sketcher,” Section 19.8 of the ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual
• “Editing a feature,” Section 42.4.1 of the ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual

B.4 Creating a material

For the cantilever beam tutorial you will create a single linear elastic material with
Young's modulus of 209 × 103 MPa and Poisson's ratio of 0.3.

To define a material:

1. In the Model Tree, double-click the Materials container to create a new material.

ABAQUS/CAE switches to the Property module, and the Edit Material dialog
box appears.

2. Name the material Steel. Use the menu bar under the browser area of the
material editor to reveal menus containing all the available material options. Some
of the menu items contain submenus; for example, Figure 2–9 shows the options
available under the Mechanical Elasticity menu item. When you select a
material option, the appropriate data entry form appears below the menu.

Figure B–7 Submenus available under the Mechanical menu.

3. From the material editor's menu bar, select Mechanical Elasticity Elastic.

ABAQUS/CAE displays the Elastic data form.

4. Type a value of 209.E3 for Young's modulus and a value of 0.3 for Poisson's
ratio in the respective fields, as shown in Figure B–8. Use [Tab] to move between
cells.

Figure B–8 Entering data values for the elastic material properties.
 5. Click OK to exit the material editor.

For information on related topics, click the following item:

• “Creating materials,” Section 12.4.1 of the ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual

B.5 Defining and assigning section properties

You define the properties of a part through sections. After you create the section, you can
use one of the following two methods to assign the section to the part in the current
viewport:

• You can simply select the region from the part and assign the section to the
selected region.
• You can use the Set toolset to create a homogeneous set containing the region and
assign the section to the set.

For the cantilever beam tutorial you will create a single homogeneous solid section that
you will assign to the beam by selecting the beam from the viewport. The solid section
will contain a reference to the material Steel that you just created.

B.5.1 Defining a homogeneous solid section

A homogeneous solid section is the simplest section type that you can define; it includes
only a material reference and a plane stress/plane strain thickness.

To define the homogeneous solid section:

1. In the Model Tree, double-click the Sections container to create a section.

The Create Section dialog box appears.

2. In the Create Section dialog box:

a. Name the section BeamSection.
b. In the Category list, accept Solid as the default category selection.
 c. In the Type list, accept Homogeneous as the default type selection.
d. Click Continue.

The Edit Section dialog box appears.

3. In the dialog box:

a. Accept the default selection of Steel for the Material associated with the
section.
b. Accept the default value of 1 for the Plane stress/strain thickness.
c. Click OK.

For information on related topics, click the following item:

• “Creating and editing sections,” Section 12.8 of the ABAQUS/CAE User's

Manual

B.5.2 Assigning the section to the cantilever beam

The section BeamSection must be assigned to the part.

To assign the section to the cantilever beam:

1. In the Model Tree, expand the branch for the part named Beam by clicking the
“ ” symbol to expand the Parts container and then clicking the “ ” symbol to
expand the Beam item.
2. Double-click Section Assignments in the list of part attributes that appears.

ABAQUS/CAE displays prompts in the prompt area to guide you through the
procedure.

3. Click anywhere on the beam to select the region to which the section will be
applied.

ABAQUS/CAE highlights the entire beam.

4. Click mouse button 2 in the viewport or click Done in the prompt area to accept
the selected geometry.

The Edit Section Assignment dialog box appears containing a list of existing
sections.

5. Accept the default selection of BeamSection as the section, and click OK.
 ABAQUS/CAE assigns the solid section to the beam, colors the entire beam aqua
to indicate that the region has a section assignment, and closes the Edit Section
Assignment dialog box.

Note the following key point:

• When you assign a section to a region of a part, the region takes on the material
properties associated with the section.

For information on related topics, click any of the following items:

• “Creating and editing sections,” Section 12.8 of the ABAQUS/CAE User's

Manual
• “Assigning a section,” Section 12.9.1 of the ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual

B.6 Assembling the model

Each part that you create is oriented in its own coordinate system and is independent of
the other parts in the model. Although a model may contain many parts, it contains only
one assembly. You define the geometry of the assembly by creating instances of a part
and then positioning the instances relative to each other in a global coordinate system. An
instance may be independent or dependent. Independent part instances are meshed
individually while the mesh of a dependent part instance is associated the mesh of the
original part. This issue is discussed further in “Working with part instances,” Section
13.3 of the ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual.

For the cantilever beam tutorial you will create a single instance of your cantilever beam.
ABAQUS/CAE positions the instance so that the origin of the sketch that defined the
rectangular profile of the beam overlays the origin of the assembly's default coordinate
system.

To assemble the model:

1. In the Model Tree, expand the Assembly container. Then double-click Instances
in the list that appears.

ABAQUS/CAE switches to the Assembly module, and the Create Instance

dialog box appears.

2. In the dialog box, select Beam and click OK.

 ABAQUS/CAE creates an instance of the cantilever beam and displays it using an
isometric orientation. In this example the single instance of the beam defines the
assembly. A second triad in the viewport indicates the origin and orientation of
the global coordinate system.

3. In the toolbar near the top of the window, click the rotate view manipulation tool,
.

When you move the mouse back into the viewport, a circle appears.

4. Drag the mouse in the viewport to rotate the model and examine it from all sides.
You can also pick a center of rotation by clicking Select in the prompt area; your
selected center of rotation is retained for the current object and viewport. Click
Use Default to return to the default (center of viewport) rotation method.

Click mouse button 2 to exit rotate mode.

5. Several other tools (pan , magnify , zoom , and auto-fit ) are also
available in the toolbar to help you examine your model. Experiment with each of
these tools until you are comfortable with them. Use the context-sensitive help
system to obtain any additional information you require about these tools.

For information on related topics, click the following item:

• Chapter 13, “The Assembly module,” of the ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual”

B.7 Defining your analysis steps

Now that you have created your part, you can define your analysis steps. For the
cantilever beam tutorial the analysis will consist of two steps:

• An initial step, in which you will apply a boundary condition that constrains one
end of the cantilever beam.
• A general, static analysis step, in which you will apply a pressure load to the top
face of the beam.

ABAQUS/CAE generates the initial step automatically, but you must create the analysis
step yourself. You may also request output for any steps in the analysis.
B.7.1 Creating an analysis step

Create a general, static step that follows the initial step of the analysis.

To create a general, static analysis step:

1. In the Model Tree, double-click the Steps container to create a step.

ABAQUS/CAE switches to the Step module. The Create Step dialog box appears
with a list of all the general procedures and a default step name of Step-1.
General procedures are those that can be used to analyze linear or nonlinear
response.

2. Name the step Beamload.

3. From the list of available general procedures in the Create Step dialog box, select
Static, General if it is not already selected and click Continue.

The Edit Step dialog box appears with the default settings for a general, static
step.

4. The Basic tab is selected by default. In the Description field, type Load the top
of the beam.
5. Click the Incrementation tab, and accept the default time incrementation settings.
6. Click the Other tab to see its contents; you can accept the default values provided
for the step.
7. Click OK to create the step and to exit the Edit Step dialog box.

For information on related topics, click any of the following items:

• Chapter 14, “The Step module,” of the ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual”

• “Understanding steps,” Section 14.3 of the ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual

B.7.2 Requesting data output

When you submit your job for analysis, ABAQUS/Standard or ABAQUS/Explicit writes
the results of the analysis to the output database. For each step you create, you can use
the Field Output Requests Manager and the History Output Requests Manager to do
the following:

• Select the region of the model for which ABAQUS will generate data.
• Select the variables that ABAQUS will write to the output database.
 • Select the section points of beams or shells for which ABAQUS will generate
data.
• Change the frequency at which ABAQUS will write data to the output database.

When you create a step, ABAQUS/CAE generates a default output request for the step.
See “Which variables are in the output database?,” Section D.2, for more information on
field and history output.

For the cantilever beam tutorial, you will simply examine the output requests and accept
the default configuration.

To examine your output requests:

1. In the Model Tree, click mouse button 3 on the Field Output Requests container
and select Manager from the menu that appears.

ABAQUS/CAE displays the Field Output Requests Manager. This manager

displays an alphabetical list of existing output requests along the left side of the
dialog box. The names of all the steps in the analysis appear along the top of the
dialog box in the order of execution. The table formed by these two lists displays
the status of each output request in each step.

2. Review the default output request that ABAQUS/CAE generates for the Static,
General step you created and named Beamload.

Click the cell in the table labeled Created; that cell becomes highlighted, and the
following information related to the cell appears in the legend at the bottom of the
manager:

• The type of analysis procedure carried out in the step in that column.
• The list of output request variables.
• The output request status.
3. On the right side of the Field Output Requests Manager, click Edit to view
more detailed information about the output request.

The field output editor appears. In the Output Variables region of the dialog box,
a text box lists all the variables that will be output. If you change an output
request, you can always return to the default settings by clicking Preselected
defaults above the text box.

4. Click the arrows next to each output variable category to see exactly which
variables will be output. The check boxes next to each category title allow you to
see at a glance whether all variables in that category will be output. A black check
mark on a white background indicates that all variables will be output, while a
dark gray check mark on a light gray background indicates that only some
variables will be output.
 Based on the selections shown at the bottom of the dialog box, data will be
generated at every default section point in the model and will be written to the
output database after every increment during the analysis.

5. Click Cancel to close the field output editor, since you do not wish to make any
changes to the default choice.
6. Click Dismiss to close the Field Output Requests Manager.

Note: What is the difference between the Dismiss and Cancel buttons? Dismiss
buttons appear in dialog boxes that contain data that you cannot modify. For
example, the Field Output Requests Manager allows you to view output
requests, but you must use the field output editor to modify those requests.
Clicking the Dismiss button simply closes the Field Output Requests Manager.
Conversely, Cancel buttons appear in dialog boxes that allow you to make
changes. Clicking Cancel closes the dialog box without saving your changes.

7. Review the history output requests in a similar manner by clicking mouse button
3 on the History Output Requests container in the Model Tree and then opening
the history output editor.

For information on related topics, click any of the following items:

• Chapter 14, “The Step module,” of the ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual”

• “Understanding output requests,” Section 14.4 of the ABAQUS/CAE User's
Manual

B.8 Applying a boundary condition and a load to the model

Prescribed conditions, such as loads and boundary conditions, are step-dependent, which
means that you must specify the step or steps in which they become active. Now that you
have defined the steps in the analysis, you can define the following prescribed conditions:

• A boundary condition that constrains one end of the cantilever beam in the X-, Y-,
and Z-directions; the boundary condition is applied during the initial step.
• A load that you apply to the top face of the beam; the load is applied during the
general analysis step.
B.8.1 Applying a boundary condition to one end of the cantilever
beam

Create a boundary condition that constrains the cantilever beam to be built-in at one end
of the beam.

To apply boundary conditions to one end of the cantilever beam:

1. In the Model Tree, double-click the BCs container.

ABAQUS/CAE switches to the Load module, and the Create Boundary

Condition dialog box appears.

2. In the Create Boundary Condition dialog box:

a. Name the boundary condition Fixed.
b. From the list of steps, select Initial as the step in which the boundary
condition will be activated.
c. In the Category list, accept Mechanical as the default category selection.
d. In the Types for Selected Step list, accept
Symmetry/Antisymmetry/Encastre as the default type selection, and
click Continue.

ABAQUS/CAE displays prompts in the prompt area to guide you through

the procedure.

3. You will fix the face at the left end of the cantilever beam; the desired face is
shown in Figure B–9.

Figure B–9 Selecting the region on which to apply a boundary condition.

 By default, when you position the cursor over a region that overlaps more than
one face ABAQUS/CAE highlights the face that is “closest” to the screen. To
select the face at the left end of the cantilever beam without changing your view
of the beam, you need to turn off this default behavior and cycle through the valid
selections. Do the following:

a. From the prompt area, click the selection options tool .

b. From the Options dialog box that appears, toggle off the closest object
tool .
c. Position the cursor over the desired face.

When you stop moving the cursor, ABAQUS/CAE highlights all faces
that overlap at the cursor position. Ellipsis marks (...) appear to the right of
the cursor arrow to indicate that the current selection is ambiguous.

d. Click mouse button 1 to accept the highlighted faces.

ABAQUS/CAE displays Next, Previous, and OK buttons in the prompt

area.

e. Click Next and Previous until the desired face is highlighted.

f. Click OK to confirm your choice.
4. Click mouse button 2 in the viewport or click Done in the prompt area to indicate
that you have finished selecting. The selection options return to their default
behavior.

The Edit Boundary Condition dialog box appears.

 5. In the dialog box:
a. Toggle on ENCASTRE.
b. Click OK to create the boundary condition and to close the dialog box.

ABAQUS/CAE displays arrows at each corner and midpoint on the

selected face to indicate the constrained degrees of freedom. Single-
headed arrows represent a constraint that is applied to a translational
degree of freedom. Double-headed arrows represent a constraint that is
applied to a rotational degree of freedom. An ENCASTRE boundary
condition constrains all six degrees of freedom; however, in this model
ABAQUS/CAE ignores the rotational constraints indicated by the double-
headed arrows.

6. In the Model Tree, click mouse button 3 on the BCs container and select
Manager from the menu that appears.

ABAQUS/CAE displays the Boundary Condition Manager. The manager

indicates that the boundary condition is Created (activated) in the initial step and
is Propagated (continues to be active) in the general analysis step Beamload.

7. Click Dismiss to close the Boundary Condition Manager.

For information on related topics, click the following item:

• Chapter 16, “The Load module,” of the ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual”

B.8.2 Applying a load to the top of the cantilever beam

Now that you have fixed one end of the cantilever beam, you can apply a distributed load
to the top face of the beam. The load is applied during the general, static step you created
earlier.

To apply a load to the top of the cantilever beam:

1. In the Model Tree, double-click the Loads container.

The Create Load dialog box appears.

2. In the Create Load dialog box:

a. Name the load Pressure.
b. From the list of steps, select Beamload as the step in which the load will
be applied.
c. In the Category list, accept Mechanical as the default category selection.
d. In the Types for Selected Step list, select Pressure, and click Continue.
 ABAQUS/CAE displays prompts in the prompt area to guide you through
the procedure.

3. In the viewport, select the top face of the beam as the surface to which the load
will be applied. The desired face is shown by the gridded face in Figure B–10.

Figure B–10 Selecting the region on which to apply a pressure load.

4. Click mouse button 2 or click Done in the prompt area in the viewport to indicate
that you have finished selecting regions.

The Edit Load dialog box appears.

5. In the dialog box:

a. Enter a magnitude of 0.5 for the load.
b. Accept the default Amplitude selection—ABAQUS will ramp up the load
during the step.
c. Click OK to create the load and to close the dialog box.

ABAQUS/CAE displays downward-pointing arrows along the top face of

the beam to indicate the load applied in the negative 2-direction.

6. Examine the Load Manager and note that the new load is “Created” (activated)
in the general analysis step Beamload.
7. Click Dismiss to close the Load Manager.

For information on related topics, click any of the following items:

 • Chapter 16, “The Load module,” of the ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual”
• “What are step-dependent managers?,” Section 3.4.2 of the ABAQUS/CAE
User's Manual

B.9 Meshing the model

You will now generate the finite element mesh. You can choose the meshing technique
that ABAQUS/CAE will use to create the mesh, the element shape, and the element type.
ABAQUS/CAE uses a number of different meshing techniques. The default meshing
technique assigned to the model is indicated by the color of the model when you enter the
Mesh module; if ABAQUS/CAE displays the model in orange, it cannot be meshed
without assistance from you.

B.9.1 Assigning mesh controls

In this section you will use the Mesh Controls dialog box to examine the technique that
ABAQUS/CAE will use to mesh the model and the shape of the elements that
ABAQUS/CAE will generate.

To assign the mesh controls:

1. In the Model Tree, expand the Beam item underneath the Parts container and
double-click Mesh in the list that appears.

ABAQUS/CAE switches to the Mesh module. The Mesh module functionality is

available only through menu bar items or toolbox icons.

2. From the main menu bar, select Mesh Controls.

The Mesh Controls dialog box appears. ABAQUS/CAE colors the regions of
your model to indicate which technique it will use to mesh that region.
ABAQUS/CAE will use structured meshing to mesh your cantilever beam and
displays the beam in green.

3. In the dialog box, accept Hex as the default Element Shape selection.
4. Accept Structured as the default Technique selection.
5. Click OK to assign the mesh controls and to close the dialog box.

ABAQUS/CAE will use the structured meshing technique to create a mesh of

hexahedral-shaped elements.
B.9.2 Assigning an ABAQUS element type

In this section you will use the Element Type dialog box to assign a particular ABAQUS
element type to the model. Although you will assign the element type now, you could
also wait until after the mesh has been created.

To assign an ABAQUS element type:

1. From the main menu bar, select Mesh Element Type.

The Element Type dialog box appears.

2. In the dialog box, accept the following default selections that control the elements
that are available for selection:
• Standard is the default Element Library selection.
• Linear is the default Geometric Order.
• 3D Stress is the default Family of elements.
3. In the lower portion of the dialog box, examine the element shape options. A brief
description of the default element selection is available at the bottom of each
tabbed page.

Since the model is a three-dimensional solid, only three-dimensional solid

element types—hexahedral on the Hex tabbed page, triangular prism on the
Wedge page, and tetrahedral on the Tet page—are shown.

4. Click the Hex tab, and choose Incompatible modes from the list of Element
Controls.

A description of the element type C3D8I appears at the bottom of the dialog box.
ABAQUS/CAE will now associate C3D8I elements with the elements in the mesh.

5. Click OK to assign the element type and to close the dialog box.

For information on related topics, click any of the following items:

• “Controlling mesh characteristics,” Section 17.15 of the ABAQUS/CAE User's

Manual
• “Element library: overview,” Section 13.1.1 of the ABAQUS Analysis User's
Manual
B.9.3 Creating the mesh

Basic meshing is a two-stage operation: first you seed the edges of the part instance, and
then you mesh the part instance. You select the number of seeds based on the desired
element size or on the number of elements that you want along an edge, and
ABAQUS/CAE places the nodes of the mesh at the seeds whenever possible. For the
cantilever beam tutorial the default seeding will generate a mesh with square hexahedral
elements.

To mesh the model:

1. From the main menu bar, select Seed Part to seed the part instance.

The Global Seeds dialog box appears. The dialog box displays the default
element size that ABAQUS/CAE will use to seed the part instance. This default
element size is based on the size of the part instance.

2. In the dialog box, enter an approximate element size of 10.0, and click OK.

ABAQUS/CAE applies the seeds to the part instance, as shown in Figure B–11.
You can gain more control of the resulting mesh by seeding each edge of the part
instance individually.

Figure B–11 Seeding the mesh.

 3. From the main menu bar, select Mesh Part to mesh the part instance.
4. From the buttons in the prompt area, click Yes to confirm that you want to mesh
the part instance.

ABAQUS/CAE meshes the part instance and displays the resulting mesh, as
shown in Figure B–12.

Figure B–12 Meshing the part.

For information on related topics, click any of the following items:

• Chapter 17, “The Mesh module,” of the ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual”

• “Advanced meshing techniques,” Section 17.11 of the ABAQUS/CAE User's
Manual
• “Seeding a model,” Section 17.13 of the ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual

B.10 Creating and submitting an analysis job

Now that you have configured your analysis, you will create a job that is associated with
your model and to submit the job for analysis.

To create and submit an analysis job:

 1. In the Model Tree, double-click the Jobs container to create a job.

ABAQUS/CAE switches to the Job module, and the Create Job dialog box
appears with a list of the models in the model database.

2. Name the job Deform.

3. Click Continue to create the job.

The Edit Job dialog box appears.

4. In the Description field, type Cantilever beam tutorial.

5. Click the tabs to review the default settings in the job editor. Click OK to accept
all the default job settings and to close the dialog box.
6. In the Model Tree, click mouse button 3 on the job named Deform and select
Submit from the menu that appears to submit your job for analysis.

After you submit your job, information appears next to the job name indicating
the job's status. The status of the cantilever beam tutorial shows one of the
following:

• Submitted while the analysis input file is being generated.

• Running while ABAQUS analyzes the model.
• Completed when the analysis is complete, and the output has been written
to the output database.
• Aborted if ABAQUS/CAE finds a problem with the input file or the
analysis and aborts the analysis. In addition, ABAQUS/CAE reports the
problem in the message area.
7. When the job completes successfully, you are ready to view the results of the
analysis with the Visualization module. In the Model Tree, click mouse button 3
on the job named Deform and select Results to enter the Visualization module.

ABAQUS/CAE enters the Visualization module, opens the output database

created by the job, and displays a representation of the model.

B.11 Viewing the results of your analysis

You use the Visualization module to read the output database that ABAQUS/CAE
generated during the analysis and to view the results of the analysis. Because you named
the job Deform when you created the job, ABAQUS/CAE names the output database
Deform.odb.

When you open an output database, ABAQUS/CAE immediately displays a fast

representation of the model that is similar to an undeformed shape plot. For the tutorial
you will also view an undeformed, deformed, and contour plot of the loaded cantilever
beam.
To view the results of your analysis:

1. After you select Results in the Model Tree, ABAQUS/CAE enters the
Visualization module, opens Deform.odb, and displays a fast plot of the model, as
shown in Figure B–13.

Figure B–13 Fast plot of model.

The title block indicates the following:

• The job description.

• The output database from which ABAQUS/CAE read the data.
• The version of ABAQUS/Standard or ABAQUS/Explicit that was used to
generate the output database.
• The date the output database was generated.

The state block indicates the following:

• The step name and the step description.

• The increment within the step.
• The step time.
• When you are viewing a deformed plot, the deformed variable and the
deformation scale factor.
 By default, ABAQUS/CAE plots the last step and the last frame of your analysis.
Buttons that allow you to control which analysis results are plotted are available
in the prompt area.

2. From the main menu bar, select Plot Undeformed Shape to view an
undeformed shape plot.

The model's color changes to green to indicate that this is an undeformed shape
plot, not a fast plot.

3. From the main menu bar, select Plot Deformed Shape to view a deformed
shape plot.
4. Click the auto-fit tool so that the entire plot is rescaled to fit in the viewport,
as shown in Figure B–14.

Figure B–14 Deformed shape plot of model.

5. From the main menu bar, select Plot Contours to view a contour plot of the
von Mises stress, as shown in Figure B–15.

Figure B–15 Contour plot of Mises stress.

 6. Click the Contour Options button at the bottom-right corner of the prompt area
to change the appearance of the current plot.

The Contour Plot Options dialog box appears. You can use this dialog box to,
for example, turn on node and element labeling, change the deformation scale
factor of the underlying model, or adjust the contour intervals. (To change general
plot options, such as turning the legend off or on, select Viewport Viewport
Annotation Options from the main menu bar.)

7. Click Cancel to close the Contour Plot Options dialog box.

8. For a contour plot the default variable displayed depends on the analysis
procedure; in this case, the default variable is the von Mises stress. From the main
menu bar, select Result Field Output to examine the variables that are
available for display.

ABAQUS/CAE displays the Field Output dialog box; click the Primary
Variable tab to choose which variable to display and to select the invariant or
component of interest. By default, the Mises invariant of the Stress components
at integration points variable is selected.

9. Click Cancel to close the Field Output dialog box.

You have now finished this tutorial. Appendix C, “Using Additional Techniques to
Create and Analyze a Model in ABAQUS/CAE,” introduces additional techniques to
create and analyze a model; for example, you will create and assemble multiple part
instances and define contact. Appendix D, “Viewing the Output from Your Analysis,”
covers the capabilities of the Visualization module in more detail.
For information on related topics, click any of the following items:

• Part V, “Viewing results,” of the ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual”

• Chapter 25, “Plotting the undeformed shape,” of the ABAQUS/CAE User's
Manual”
• Chapter 26, “Plotting the deformed shape,” of the ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual”
• Chapter 27, “Contouring analysis results,” of the ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual”

B.12 Summary

• When you create a part, you name it and choose its type, modeling space, base
feature, and approximate size.
• ABAQUS/CAE automatically enters the Sketcher when you create or edit a part.
You use the Sketcher to draw the two-dimensional profiles of parts.
• Click and drag toolbox icons to reveal and select hidden icons.
• Click mouse button 2 in the viewport to indicate you have finished selecting items
or using a tool.
• You can create a material and define its properties and create a section and define
its category and type. Since the section refers to the material, the material must be
defined first.
• A model contains only one assembly. The assembly is composed of instances of
parts positioned in a global coordinate system.
• ABAQUS/CAE generates the initial step automatically, but you must create
analysis steps. You use the step editor to define each analysis step.
• When you create a step, ABAQUS/CAE generates a default output request for the
step. You use the Field Output Requests Manager and the History Output
Requests Manager to examine which categories of data will be output.
• You invoke the field and history output editors from the Field Output Requests
Manager and the History Output Requests Manager to select the variables that
ABAQUS/CAE will write to the output database during the analysis, as well as
the frequency at which they are written and the regions and section points from
which they are written.
• Prescribed conditions, such as loads and boundary conditions, are step-dependent
objects, which means that you must specify the step or steps in which they
become active.
• Managers are useful for reviewing and modifying the status of prescribed
conditions in each step.
• You create loads and define where the load is applied to the assembly in the Load
module.
• Although you can create a mesh at any point after creating the assembly, you
typically do it after configuring the rest of the model, since items such as loads,
boundary conditions, and steps depend on the underlying geometry, not the mesh.
• You can assign the element type either before or after you create the mesh. The
available element types depend on the geometry of your model.
• You use seeds to define the approximate position of nodes in your final mesh.
You select the number of seeds based on the element size or on the number of
elements that you want along an edge.
• You can use the Model Tree to submit jobs and to monitor the status of a job.
• In the Visualization module you read the output database generated by your
analysis and view the results. You can select the variable to display from the data
in the output database, and you can also select the increment being displayed.
• You can display the results in several modes—undeformed, deformed, and
contour. You can control the appearance of the display in each mode, independent
of other modes.