254 Introduction to Finite Element Analysis Using MATLAB and Abaqus

Start Abaqus CAE. Click on Create Model

Database. On the main menu, click on File and
set Set Work Directory to choose your work-
ing directory. Click on Save As and name the
file BEAM_CST.cae. On the left-hand-side menu,
click on Part to begin creating the model. Name
the part Beam_CST, check 2D Planar, check
Deformable in the type. Choose Shell as the base
feature. Enter an approximate size of 100 mm and
click on Continue (Figure 9.14).

FIGURE 9.14 Creating the Beam_CST Part.

In the sketcher menu,

choose the Create-Lines
Rectangle icon to begin
drawing the geometry of
the beam. Click on Done
in the bottom-left corner
of the viewport window
(Figure 9.15).
FIGURE 9.15 Drawing using the create-lines rectangle icon.

2013 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

 Plane Problems 255

If we want to make
sure that we will have
nodes lying on the neu-
tral axis of the beam, it is
advisable to partition the
beam along the neutral
axis. On the main menu,
click on Tools then on
Partition. In the dia-
log box, check Face in
Type, and Use shortest
path between 2 points
in Method. Select the
FIGURE 9.16 Creating a partition.
two end points as shown
in Figure 9.16, and in
the prompt area, click on
Create partition.

Define a material named steel

with an elastic modulus of
200000 MPa and a Poissons
ratio of 0.3. Next, click on
Sections to create a section
named Beam_section. In the
Category check Solid, and
in the Type, check Homoge-
neous. Click on Continue. In
the Edit Section dialog box,
check Plane stress/strain
thickness and enter 5 mm as
the thickness. Click on OK FIGURE 9.17 Creating a plane stress section.
(Figure 9.17).

Expand the menu under Parts

and BEAM_CST and dou-
ble click on Section Assign-
ments. With the mouse select
the whole part. In the Edit
Section Assignments dialog
box, select Beam_section and
click on OK (Figure 9.18).

FIGURE 9.18 Editing section assignments.

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 256 Introduction to Finite Element Analysis Using MATLAB and Abaqus

In the model tree, double

click on Mesh under the
BEAM_CST. In the main
menu, under Mesh, click on
Mesh Controls. In the dia-
log box, check Tri for Ele-
ment shape and Structured
for Technique. Click on OK
(Figure 9.19).

FIGURE 9.19 Mesh controls.

In the main menu, under

Mesh, click on Element
Type. With the mouse select
all the part in the view-
port. In the dialog box, select
Standard for element library,
Linear for geometric order.
The description of the element
CPS3 A 3-node linear plane
stress triangle can be seen in
the dialog box. Click on OK
(Figure 9.20).

FIGURE 9.20 Selecting element type.

In the main menu, under Seed,

click on Part. In the dialog
box, enter 5 for Approximate
global size. Click on OK and
on Done (Figure 9.21).

FIGURE 9.21 Seeding part by size.

2013 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

 Plane Problems 257

In the main menu, under

Mesh, click on Part. In the
prompt area, click on Yes. In
the main menu, select View,
then Part Display Options.
In the Part Display Options,
under Mesh, check Show
node labels and Show ele-
ment labels. Click Apply.
The element and node labels
will appear in the viewport
(Figure 9.22). FIGURE 9.22 Mesh.

In the model tree, expand

the Assembly and double
click on Instances. Select
BEAM_CST for Parts and
click OK. In the model
tree, expand Steps and Ini-
tial and double click on BC.
Name the boundary condition
FIXED, select Symmetry/
Antisymmetry/Encastre for
the type, and click on
Continue. Keep the shift key
down, and with the mouse
select the right edge and click
on Done in the prompt area.
In the Edit Boundary Con-
dition check ENCASTRE, FIGURE 9.23 Imposing BC using geometry.
Click OK (Figure 9.23).

In the model tree, double

click on Steps. Name the step
Apply_loads. Set the proce-
dure to General and select
Static, General. Click on
Continue. Give the step a
description and click OK. In
the model tree, under steps,
and under Apply_loads, click
on Loads. Name the load
Point_Load and select Con-
centrated Force as the type.
Click on Continue. Using the
mouse click on the middle of
the left edge, and click on
Done in the prompt area. In
the Edit Load dialog box,
enter 1000 for CF2. Click
OK (Figure 9.24). FIGURE 9.24 Imposing a concentrated force using geometry.

2013 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

 258 Introduction to Finite Element Analysis Using MATLAB and Abaqus

In the model tree, expand the Field Output Requests and then double click on F-Output-1.
F-Output-1 is the default and is automatically generated when creating the step. Uncheck the
variables Contact and select any other variable you wish to add to the field output. Click on OK.
Under Analysis, right click on Jobs and then click on Create.
In the Create Job dialog box, name the job BEAM_CST and click on Continue. In the Edit Job
dialog box, enter a description for the job. Check Full analysis, select to run the job in Background,
and check to start it immediately. Click OK. Expand the tree under Jobs, right click on BEAM_CST.
Then, click on Submit. If you get the following message BEAM_CST completed successfully in
the bottom window, then your job is free of errors and was executed properly (Figure 9.25). Notice
that Abaqus has generated an input file for the job BEAM_CST.inp, which you can open with your
preferred text editor.
Under the top menu, in the Module scroll to Visualization, and click to load Abaqus Viewer.
On the main menu, under File, click Open, navigate to your working directory, and open the file
BEAM_CST.odb. It should have the same name as the job you submitted. Click on the Common
options icon to display the Common Plot options dialog box. Under labels, check Show Element
labels and Show Node labels to display elements and nodes numbering. Click on the icon Plot
Contours on both shapes to display the deformed shape of the beam. Under the main menu, select U
and U2 to plot the vertical displacement. It can be seen that the displacement of the left edge is equal
to 0.965 mm, which is almost similar with the analytical solution and the results obtained with the
MATLAB code (Figure 9.26). In the menu bar, click on Report and Field Output. In the Report
Field Output dialog box, for Position select Unique nodal, check U1, and U2 under U: Spatial

FIGURE 9.25 Analyzing a job in Abaqus CAE.

FIGURE 9.26 Plotting displacements on deformed and undeformed shapes.

2013 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

 Plane Problems 259

displacement. Then click on click on Set up. Click on Select to navigate to your working directory.
Name the file BEAM_CST.rpt. Uncheck Append to file and click OK. Use your favorite text editor
and open the file BEAM_CST.rpt, which should be the same as the one listed next.

********************************************************************************
Field Output Report, written Wed May 11 01:15:14 2011

Source 1
---------

ODB: C:/Abaqus_FILES/BEAM_CST.odb
Step: Apply_loads
Frame: Increment 1: Step Time = 1.000

Loc 1 : Nodal values from source 1

Output sorted by column "Node Label".

Field Output reported at nodes for part: BEAM_CST-1

Node U.U1 U.U2

Label @Loc 1 @Loc 1
-------------------------------------------
1 -215.7E-06 -96.56E-03
2 -26.59E-36 85.37E-36
3 -2.141E-33 -262.8E-36
4 -22.10E-03 -95.95E-03
5 22.02E-03 -95.90E-03
6 2.269E-33 -954.4E-36
7 -77.91E-06 -84.47E-03
8 -70.86E-06 -72.89E-03
9 -68.46E-06 -61.63E-03
10 -63.12E-06 -50.84E-03
11 -55.86E-06 -40.66E-03
12 -47.25E-06 -31.25E-03
13 -36.83E-06 -22.76E-03
14 -22.80E-06 -15.36E-03
15 -2.085E-06 -9.187E-03
16 25.90E-06 -4.408E-03
17 35.64E-06 -1.232E-03
18 -1.641E-33 27.34E-36
19 -3.622E-03 -2.115E-03
20 -6.811E-03 -5.371E-03
21 -9.712E-03 -10.08E-03
22 -12.32E-03 -16.16E-03
23 -14.64E-03 -23.47E-03
24 -16.65E-03 -31.86E-03
25 -18.35E-03 -41.18E-03
26 -19.75E-03 -51.26E-03
27 -20.84E-03 -61.97E-03
28 -21.61E-03 -73.14E-03
29 -22.02E-03 -84.56E-03
30 -10.99E-03 -96.03E-03
31 10.85E-03 -96.00E-03
32 21.87E-03 -84.45E-03
33 21.44E-03 -73.01E-03
34 20.68E-03 -61.85E-03
35 19.62E-03 -51.15E-03
36 18.24E-03 -41.06E-03
37 16.55E-03 -31.75E-03
38 14.56E-03 -23.35E-03
39 12.25E-03 -16.03E-03
40 9.620E-03 -9.948E-03
41 6.673E-03 -5.248E-03
42 3.418E-03 -2.033E-03
43 1.539E-33 104.5E-36

2013 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

 260 Introduction to Finite Element Analysis Using MATLAB and Abaqus

44 -10.98E-03 -84.51E-03
45 -10.70E-03 -72.96E-03
46 -10.29E-03 -61.73E-03
47 -9.734E-03 -50.96E-03
48 -9.029E-03 -40.80E-03
49 -8.172E-03 -31.42E-03
50 -7.160E-03 -22.96E-03
51 -5.992E-03 -15.58E-03
52 -4.668E-03 -9.433E-03
53 -3.184E-03 -4.664E-03
54 -1.547E-03 -1.399E-03
55 1.601E-03 -1.416E-03
56 3.183E-03 -4.601E-03
57 4.635E-03 -9.356E-03
58 5.934E-03 -15.51E-03
59 7.081E-03 -22.89E-03
60 8.075E-03 -31.36E-03
61 8.916E-03 -40.75E-03
62 9.603E-03 -50.90E-03
63 10.14E-03 -61.67E-03
64 10.52E-03 -72.90E-03
65 10.77E-03 -84.42E-03

9.4.6.2 Keyword Edition

In this section, we will use a text editor to prepare an input file for the cantilever beam shown in
Figure 9.7. The file is named BEAM_CST_Keyword.inp and is listed next:

*Heading
Analysis of cantilever beam as a plane stress problem
*Preprint, echo=YES
**
**
** Node generation
**
**
*NODE
1, 0., 0.
5, 0., 20.
61, 60., 0.
65, 60., 20.
*NGEN,NSET=Left_Edge
1,5
*NGEN,NSET=Right_Edge
61,65
*NFILL
Left_Edge,Right_Edge,12,5
*NSET, NSET = Loaded_node
3
**
** Element generation
**
*ELEMENT,TYPE=CPS3
1, 1, 6, 7
*ELGEN, ELSET = ODD
1, 4, 1, 2, 12, 5, 8
**
*ELEMENT,TYPE=CPS3
2, 1, 7, 2
*ELGEN,ELSET = EVEN
2, 4, 1, 2, 12, 5, 8
*ELSET, ELSET = All_Elements
EVEN, ODD
*MATERIAL, NAME =STEEL
*ELASTIC
200000., 0.3

2013 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

 Plane Problems 261

*SOLID SECTION, ELSET = All_Elements, MATERIAL = STEEL

5.
**
** BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
**
**
*Boundary
Right_Edge, encastre
**
** STEP: Apply_Loads
**
*Step, name=Apply_Loads
*Static
1., 1., 1e-05, 1.
**
** LOADS
**
*Cload
Loaded_node, 2, -1000.
**
**
** OUTPUT REQUESTS
**
**
*Output, field, variable=PRESELECT
**
*Output, history, variable=PRESELECT
*End Step

1. The input file always starts with the keyword *HEADING, which in this case is entered
as Analysis of cantilever beam as a plane stress problem.
2. Using *Preprint, echo=YES will allow to print an echo of the input file to the file with
an extension *.dat.
3. Using the keyword *Node, we define the four corner nodes 1, 5, 61, and 65 as shown in
Figure 9.27.
4. Using the keyword *NGEN we generate the nodes located on the left edge. In the data line,
we enter the number of the first end node 1, which has been previously defined, then the
number of the second end node 5, which also must have been previously defined, followed
by the increment in the numbers between each node along the line, which in this case is
the default 1. We then group the nodes in a set named Left_Edge.
5. Using the keyword *NGEN again, we generate the nodes located on the right edge and
group them in a set named Right_Edge.
6. Using the keyword *NFILL, we generate all the remaining nodes by filling in nodes
between two bounds. In the data line, we enter first the node sets Left_Edge and

10 65
5
8
7
1 kN
20 mm

3
2
2 7
1
1
6 61
60 mm

FIGURE 9.27 Generating a mesh manually in Abaqus.

2013 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

 262 Introduction to Finite Element Analysis Using MATLAB and Abaqus

Right_Edge followed by the number of intervals along each line between bounding nodes,
in this case 12, and the increment in node numbers from the node number at the first bound
set end, which in this case is 5 as shown in Figure 9.27.
7. Using the keyword *NSET, NSET = Loaded_node, we create a node set containing
node 3. This will be used to apply the concentrated load of 1000 N.
8. Using the keyword *ELEMENT and Type = CPS3, which stands for a continuum plane
stress three node triangle, we define elements 1 and 2 as well as their connectivity.
9. Using the keyword *ELGEN, we generate all the elements having an odd number which
we group in the set ODD. The keyword *ELGEN requires in its data line:
a. Master element number.
b. Number of elements to be defined in the first row generated, including the master
element.
c. Increment in node numbers of corresponding nodes from element to element in the row.
The default is 1.
d. Increment in element numbers in the row. The default is 1.
e. If necessary, copy this newly created master row to define a layer of elements.
f. Number of rows to be defined, including the master row. The default is 1.
g. Increment in node numbers of corresponding nodes from row to row.
h. Increment in element numbers of corresponding elements from row to row.
i. If necessary, copy this newly created master layer to define a block of elements (only
necessary for a 3D mesh).
j. Number of layers to be defined, including the master layer. The default is 1.
k. Increment in node numbers of corresponding nodes from layer to layer.
l. Increment in element numbers of corresponding elements from layer to layer.
10. Using the same procedure, we generate all the elements having an even number, which we
group in the set EVEN.
11. Next, we use the keyword *elset to group all the elements in an element set named
All_Elements consisting of element sets ODD and EVEN listed in the data line.
12. Using the keywords *Material and *elastic, we define a material named steel having an
elastic modulus of 200,000 MPa and a Poissons ratio of 0.3.
13. Using the keyword *solid section, we assign the material steel to all the elements, and in
the data line we enter the thickness of the domain, which in this case is 5 mm.
14. Using the created node sets, we impose the boundary conditions with the keyword
*Boundary. We fully fix the node set Right_Edge by using encastre.
15. Next using the keyword *step, we create a step named Apply_Loads. The keyword *static
indicates that it will be a general static analysis.
16. Using the keyword *cload, we apply a concentrated load of 1000 N in the direction 2 to
the node in node set Loaded_node.
17. Using the keywords *Output, field, variable=PRESELECT, and *Output, history,
variable=PRESELECT we request the default variables for both field and history outputs.
18. Finally, we end the step and the file with *End Step.

At the command line type Abaqus job=BEAM_CST_Keyword inter followed by Return. If you
get an error, open the file with extension *.dat to see what type of error. To load the visualization
model, type Abaqus Viewer at the command line.
On the main menu, under File, click Open, navigate to your working directory, and open the
file BEAM_CST_Keyword.odb. Click on the Common options icon to display the Common Plot
options dialog box. Under labels, check Show Element labels and Show Node labels to display
elements and nodes numbering. Click on the icon Plot Deformed Shape to display the deformed
shape of the beam. On the main menu, click on Results then on Field Output to open the Field
Output dialog box. Choose U Spatial displacements at nodes. For component, choose U2 to plot

2013 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

 Plane Problems 263

2013 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC