Configuring ABAQUS

ABAQUS version 6.14 is supported.

After installing ABAQUS, you must configure the ANSYS_INSTALL_DIR\v242\aisol\WBAddins\AbaqusAddin\config.xml file in order to postprocess results. Edit the config.xml file with a text editor, and specify the version of ABAQUS you have installed:

<AbaqusVersion version="6.14-3">

If more than one version of ABAQUS is installed on your machine, the paths to the version configured for use with Workbench must appear first in your PATH environment variable.

Assuming ABAQUS is installed at C:\SIMULIA\Abaqus, for ABAQUS 6.14-3, the PATH environment variable must contain:

  • C:\SIMULIA\Abaqus\Commands

  • C:\SIMULIA\Abaqus\6.14-3\code\bin

  • C:\SIMULIA\Abaqus\6.14-3\tools\SMApy\python2.7\Lib

If the ABAQUS version installed does not match the version specified in the config.xml file, Mechanical returns an error when trying to postprocess the ODB result file.

 

The ABAQUS Result Storage Configuration File

The exact results stored by the ABAQUS solver can be controlled using an XML configuration file. This file uses ABAQUS Program Controlled codes to define which results to write to the results file. Results are classified by result type and category. The configuration file is located at ANSYS_INSTALL_DIR\v242\aisol\WBAddins\AbaqusAddin\AbaqusArchiveSettings.xml.

The configuration file is read when Mechanical is launched. If changes are made to the file while Mechanical is running, Mechanical must be restarted to reflect the changes.

The XML root element in this file is <AbaqusArchiveSettings version="1">. The child nodes of this root element represent analysis types. The only valid child node is <Analysis>, and this child node has the following attribute:

name (type string)

The analysis type:

  • struct

  • eigen

  • thermal

The <Analysis> node can have a child node of <Output>, which has the following attribute:

type (type string)

The option type, used to order codes in the solver input file:

  • nodal

  • elemental

  • contact

  • energy

  • radiation

The <Output> node has child nodes of <Codes> which have the following attributes:

value (type string)

List of ABAQUS codes separated by spaces. Usually a list of integers, positive or negative.

position (type string)

For elemental results, if a result exists with a matching position, it is used. Otherwise results without position are used.

category (type string)

Optional, used for options enable or disabled by the user.

  • stress

  • strain

  • thermal

  • contact

When a solve is executed and the solver input file is created, Mechanical finds the correct <Analysis> node in the configuration file to determine the SAI codes to write to the input file. This check is performed by finding the analysis type and whether the analysis is linear or nonlinear. The following table describes the mapping:

Workbench Analysis Type<Analysis> Node Used
Static Structural (ABAQUS)struct
Transient Structural (ABAQUS)struct
Modal (ABAQUS)eigen
Steady-State Thermal (ABAQUS)thermal
Transient Thermal (ABAQUS)thermal
 

The ABAQUS Postprocessing Configuration File

In order to postprocess all results from the ABAQUS solver in the Workbench interface, an XML file is used to map the results between ABAQUS and Workbench. The XML file defines all of the Workbench result codes with associated data, and lists the corresponding Samcef codes. The configuration file is located at ANSYS_INSTALL_DIR\v242\aisol\WBAddins\AbaqusAddin\VkiAbaqusResultCodes.xml.

The configuration file is read when Mechanical starts postprocessing ABAQUS data. If changes are made to the file while Mechanical is running, Mechanical must be restarted to reflect the changes.

The following is an example result as expressed in the XML configuration:

<Result result_name="U" result_id="101" data_type="nodal" out_unit="length" style="vector"
   num_comp="5" comp_labels="XYZLABELS" description="Deformations(XYZs)">
      <Solver name="Abaqus">
           <Code name="U" />
      </Solver>
      <vki vki_root_name="D" />
</Result>

The listing provides the following information:

  • The Workbench code "U" identified by Mechanical by the ID 101 is a nodal result and is interpreted as a length.

  • The result is represented in the vector style, has 5 components and is part of the XYZLABELS group.

  • The result corresponds to vki result "D", which comes from ABAQUS code "U".

The XML Result object can have the following attributes:

result_name (type string)

The Workbench name of the result. Standard Mechanical names are reserved.

result_id (type integer)

The Workbench ID of the result. Standard Mechanical IDs are reserved; you should start numbering solver-specific results at 100000. You should not choose a number larger than 1000000 because those numbers are internally reserved.

data_type (type string enumerate)

The result type:

  • nodal

  • elem_nodal

  • elemental

out_unit (type string enumerate)

The unit type of the result:

  • no_units

  • acceleration

  • angle

  • angular_velocity

  • area

  • capacitance

  • charge

  • charge_density

  • conductivity

  • current

  • current_density

  • density

  • displacement

  • electric_conductivity

  • electric_field

  • electric_flux_density

  • electric_resistivity

  • energy

  • film_coeff

  • force

  • force_intensity

  • frequency

  • heat_flux

  • heat_generation

  • heat_rate

  • inductance

  • inverse_stress

  • length

  • magnetic_field_intensity

  • magnetic_flux

  • magnetic_flux_density

  • mass

  • moment

  • moment_inertia

  • permeability

  • permittivity

  • poisson

  • power

  • pressure

  • relative_permeability

  • relative_permittivity

  • section_modulus

  • specific_heat

  • specific_weight

  • shear_strain

  • stiffness

  • strain

  • stress

  • strength

  • thermal_expansion

  • temperature

  • time

  • velocity

  • voltage

  • volume

  • gasket_stiffness

  • moment_inertia_mass

  • psd_acceleration

  • psd_acceleration_grav

  • psd_displacement

  • psd_velocity

  • rotational_damping

  • rotational_stiffness

  • translational_damping

  • angular_acceleration

  • seedbeck_coefficient

  • decay_constant

  • fracture_energy

  • shock_velocity

  • energy_density_mass

  • electric_conductance_per_unit_area

  • psd_stress

  • psd_strain

  • psd_force

  • psd_moment

  • psd_pressure

  • force_per_angular_unit

  • impulse

  • impulse_per_angular_unit

  • temperature_difference

  • material_impedance

  • rs_acceleration

  • rs_acceleration_grav

  • rs_displacement

  • rs_velocity

  • warping_factor

  • thermal_conductance

  • inverse_length

  • inverse_angle

  • thermal_capacitance

  • normalized_value

  • mass_flow_rate

  • unitless

  • stress_intensity_factor

  • sqrt_length

  • energy_per_volume

  • thermal_gradient

style (type string enumerate)

The style of the value:

  • scalar

  • vector

  • tensor

  • tensor_strain

  • euler_angles

  • coordinate

  • shear_moment_diagram

num_comp (type integer)

Number of components, between 1 and the length of comp_labels.

comp_labels (type string enumerate)

The component labels:

  • XYZLABELS

  • STRESSLABELS

  • CONTACTLABELS

  • BEAMLABELS

  • GASKETLABELS

  • NLLABELS

  • MISCLABELS

  • SENGLABELS

  • SPRINGLABELS

  • BEAM188LABELS

  • RADIOSITYLABELS

  • EULERLABELS

  • BEAMRXLABELS

  • THERMALMASSLABELS

  • SHELLMBPLABELS

  • SLASHPNUMLABELS

  • CINTLABELS

  • PRIN_S_LABELS

  • PDMG_LABELS

  • PFC_LABELS

  • CDM_LABELS

  • CONTDEBONDLABELS

  • BEARINGLABELS

  • BLANKLABELS

is_membrane (type boolean)

If this attribute is present and marked true, the result is only added if the model has a membrane.

is_six_dof (type boolean)

Optional, applies for only "R" and "M" type Mechanical results.

description (type string)

Free text.

The <Solver> node references the solver used by the attribute name. All child <Code> nodes are the codes associated to the Workbench result for this solver. A code is an alphanumerical string referred by attribute name. It is possible to define several codes for the same solver.

The <vki> node is another way to match the solver result. This node has the following attributes:

vki_root_name (type string)

The vki root name as described in the documentation/API.

vki_aux_name (type string)

Only required if vki_root_name is set to UNKNOWN. Matches the vki result in case of unknown vki type.

Note:  If solver-specific data and vki data are fulfilled for a specific result, Mechanical will first try to match the vki code. If it is not found, it will try to match the solver-specific code. For example, when reading a result file, the vki dataset E_ELAST is found, with solver-specific data EE. Mechanical looks for a Workbench result having vki root name E_ELAST. If not found, it looks for a Workbench result having Abaqus code EE.

Limitations

  • If the XML of the configuration file is missing or not well-formed, no results are available.

  • If a result has invalid syntax (missing XML components, invalid attributes), it is not available.

  • Mechanical must be restarted if any changes are made to the result configuration file during operation.

The following results don't appear in the XML file, as they have behavior which is not compatible:

  • SERR - not associated to VKI or ABAQUS, is available if S and SVOLU are also available.

  • NDIR, EDIR - not associated to VKI or ABAQUS, is available if the model contains shells.