16.1.

2 Sequentially coupled thermal-stress analysis

Products: Abaqus/Standard Abaqus/CAE
References
Defining an analysis, Section 6.1.2
Heat transfer analysis procedures: overview, Section 6.5.1
Predefined fields for sequential coupling, Section 16.1.1
Creating and modifying output requests, Section 14.4.5 of the Abaqus/CAE User's Manual
Defining a temperature field, Section 16.11.9 of the Abaqus/CAE User's Manual
Overview
A sequentially coupled heat transfer analysis:
is used when the stress/deformation field in a structure depends on the temperature field in that
structure, but the temperature field can be found without knowledge of the stress/deformation
response; and
is usually performed by first conducting an uncoupled heat transfer analysis and then a
stress/deformation analysis.
A thermal-stress analysis in which the temperature field does not depend on the stress field is a common
example of a sequential multiphysics workflow and is one case of the more general workflow described in
Predefined fields for sequential coupling, Section 16.1.1. In such thermal-stress analyses, temperature is
calculated in an uncoupled heat transfer analysis (Uncoupled heat transfer analysis, Section 6.5.2) or in a
coupled thermal-electrical analysis (Coupled thermal-electrical analysis, Section 6.7.3).
Saving the nodal temperatures
Nodal temperatures are stored as a function of time in the heat transfer results (. f i l ) file or output
database (. odb) file by requesting output variable NT as nodal output to the results or output database file.
See Node output in Output to the data and results files, Section 4.1.2, and Node output in Output to
the output database, Section 4.1.3.
Transferring the heat transfer results to the stress analysis
The temperatures are read into the stress analysis as a predefined field; the temperature varies with position
and is usually time dependent. It is predefined because it is not changed by the stress analysis solution.
Such predefined fields are always read into Abaqus/Standard at the nodes. They are then interpolated to the
calculation points within elements as needed (see Interpolating data between meshes in Predefined
fields, Section 33.6.1). The temperature interpolation in the stress elements is usually approximate and one
order lower than the displacement interpolation to obtain a compatible variation of thermal and mechanical
strain. Any number of predefined fields can be read in, and material properties can be defined to depend on
them.
For more information, see Transferring temperatures as temperature fields in Predefined fields for
sequential coupling, Section 16.1.1.
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Initial conditions
Appropriate initial conditions for the thermal and stress analysis problems are described in the heat transfer
and stress analysis sectionsfor example, see Heat transfer analysis procedures: overview, Section 6.5.1;
Coupled thermal-electrical analysis, Section 6.7.3; Static stress analysis procedures: overview, Section
6.2.1; and Dynamic analysis procedures: overview, Section 6.3.1. See also Initial conditions in
Abaqus/Standard and Abaqus/Explicit, Section 33.2.1.
Boundary conditions
Appropriate boundary conditions for the thermal and stress analysis problems are described in the heat
transfer and stress analysis sectionsfor example, see Heat transfer analysis procedures: overview,
Section 6.5.1; Coupled thermal-electrical analysis, Section 6.7.3; Static stress analysis procedures:
overview, Section 6.2.1; and Dynamic analysis procedures: overview, Section 6.3.1. See also Boundary
conditions in Abaqus/Standard and Abaqus/Explicit, Section 33.3.1.
Loads
Appropriate loading for the thermal and stress analysis problems is described in the heat transfer and stress
analysis sectionsfor example, see Heat transfer analysis procedures: overview, Section 6.5.1; Coupled
thermal-electrical analysis, Section 6.7.3; Static stress analysis procedures: overview, Section 6.2.1; and
Dynamic analysis procedures: overview, Section 6.3.1. See also Applying loads: overview, Section
33.4.1.
Predefined fields
In addition to the temperatures read in from the heat transfer analysis, user-defined field variables can be
specified; these values only affect field-variable-dependent material properties, if any. See Predefined
fields, Section 33.6.1.
Material options
The materials in the thermal analysis must have thermal properties such as conductivity defined (see
Thermal properties: overview, Section 26.2.1). Any mechanical properties such as elasticity will be
ignored in the thermal analysis, but they must be defined for the stress analysis procedure. See Part V,
Materials, for details on the material models available in Abaqus/Standard.
Thermal strain will arise in the stress analysis if thermal expansion (Thermal expansion, Section 26.1.2)
is included in the material property definition.
Elements
Any of the heat transfer elements in Abaqus/Standard can be used in the thermal analysis. In the stress
analysis the corresponding continuum or structural elements must be chosen. For example, if heat transfer
shell element type DS4 is defined by nodes 100, 101, 102, and 103 in the heat transfer analysis, three-
dimensional shell element type S4R or S4R5 must be defined by these nodes in the stress analysis
procedure. For continuum elements heat transfer results from a mesh using first-order elements can be
transferred to a stress analysis with a mesh using second-order elements (see Using second-order stress
elements with first-order heat transfer elements (the midside node capability) in Predefined fields,
Section 33.6.1).
Output
The nodal temperatures must be written to the heat transfer analysis results or output database file by
requesting the output variable NT (see Output to the data and results files, Section 4.1.2). These
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temperatures will be read into the stress analysis procedure.
Appropriate output variables are described in the heat transfer and stress analysis sections. All of the output
variables are outlined in Abaqus/Standard output variable identifiers, Section 4.2.1.
Input file template
A typical sequentially coupled thermal-stress analysis consists of two Abaqus/Standard runs: a heat transfer
analysis and a subsequent stress analysis.
The following template shows the input for the heat transfer analysis heat . i np:
*HEADI NG

*ELEMENT, TYPE=DC2D4
(Choose the heat transfer element type)

*STEP
*HEAT TRANSFER

Apply thermal loads and boundary conditions

** Wr i t e al l nodal t emper at ur es t o t he r esul t s or

** out put dat abase f i l e, heat . f i l / heat . odb
*NODE FI LE, NSET=NALL
NT
*OUTPUT, FI ELD
*NODE OUTPUT, NSET=NALL
NT
*END STEP
The following template shows the input for the subsequent static structural analysis:
*HEADI NG

*ELEMENT, TYPE=CPE4R
(Choose the continuum element type compatible with the heat transfer element type used)

*STEP
*STATI C

Apply structural loads and boundary conditions

*TEMPERATURE, FI LE=heat
Read in all nodal temperatures from the results or output database file, heat . f i l / heat . odb

*END STEP
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