SIMULIA Resource Center

Abaqus/Explicit offers a general capability for predicting the onset and evolution of damage in ductile metals. The Müschenborn-Sonne forming limit diagram (MSFLD) damage initiation criterion allows for the prediction of necking instability in sheet metal. When combined with appropriate damage evolution criteria, sheet metal rupture initiated by necking can be captured in an Abaqus/ Explicit simulation. In this Technology Brief, the MSFLD criterion is employed to investigate the failure of a B-pillar structure. Abaqus/Explicit results are shown to match well with experimental data provided by BMW.

Solution Briefs

Portable, hand-held electronic devices have become commonplace due to their small size and light weight. It is inevitable that such devices will occasionally experience the shock loading associated with being dropped. Accounting for this loading scenario in the design process, both analytically and experimentally, allows for the development of more durable products. The ability to simulate drop-type loading reliably reduces the dependency on experimental testing. Abaqus/Explicit has been used extensively to examine the behavior of electronic devices experiencing mechanical shock loading.

Solution Briefs

An understanding of functional responses in oral bone is a crucial component of dental biomechanics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of an osseointegrated implant as support for a free-end removable partial denture on the potential biological remodelling response during mastication.

Customer Papers

Spot-welded, thin-walled curved beams, which constitute the main structural members in many automobile and other ground vehicle body structures, play a significant role in absorbing energy during a collision. Due to their extensive use, it is important to study the collapse characteristics of these curved members. Abaqus/Explicit can be used effectively to simulate the quasi-static collapse of spot-welded structural members accurately.

Solution Briefs

Assessing the strength of soil slopes and investigating the means for increasing their safety against failure are crucial in construction projects involving large soil masses. Slope stability analyses have traditionally been performed using a limit state approach. However, any presence of reinforcement or local heterogeneity necessitates the use of numerical techniques such as finite element analysis. Abaqus/Standard can be used for modeling reinforced soils and can thus help geotechnical engineers in determining optimal reinforcement sizes and placement configurations. Abaqus/Explicit can be used for modeling the failure as well as the movement of dislodged soil masses.

Solution Briefs

Finite element modeling of prestressed concrete containment vessels (PCCVs) for nuclear power plants poses special challenges. PCCVs, which are heavily reinforced structures, are designed to deform beyond the cracking limits of the concrete. Abaqus has been used extensively for analyzing such structures in the nuclear utility industry and can be used to assess and improve the performance of these and other similar reinforced concrete structures.

Solution Briefs

In this Technology Brief, a new methodology for K&C simulation is demonstrated using Abaqus/Standard. This approach differentiates itself from that of traditional rigid body simulations by accounting for component flexibility as well as geometric and material nonlinearities. Results from a nonlinear analysis are shown to be considerably different from those of a rigid body analysis, indicating that component flexibility plays an important role in K&C testing.

Solution Briefs

Pullout resistance of driven foundation piles often increases with time in a process known as pile “setup.” The consolidation of the surrounding soil after the pile is driven plays a dominant role in the setup process. Finite element modeling of pile setup can help in obtaining reliable estimates of the increase in pile resistance, which would allow for reductions in pile lengths, pile sections, or sizes of the pile driving equipment. The coupled pore fluid and stress analysis capabilities of Abaqus/Standard can be used for modeling the pile setup phenomenon and can help in estimating the increase in pile pullout resistance with time.

Solution Briefs

Metal welding processes are employed in various industries. Gas welding techniques use the heat from a flame to melt the parts to be joined and a filler material simultaneously. Extreme thermal loading is applied to the parts being joined, and complex material responses are initiated. The steep, localized thermal gradients result in stress concentrations in the welding zone. Consequently, modeling and simulation of welding processes are often complex and challenging. In this technology brief the use of Abaqus for this class of problems is discussed and an example analysis is presented.

Solution Briefs

Coiled tubing is used in a variety of oil well operations including drilling, completions, and remedial activities. For each of these applications coiled tubing offers the benefits of reduced costs, speed, and reduced environmental impact. Coiled tubing possesses a limitation however, in that it may buckle in service. In this situation the tubing may be damaged, and operations may be delayed or disrupted. In this Technology Brief, we provide a methodology for evaluating the buckling behavior of coiled wellbore tube.

Solution Briefs

Experimental bird strike testing is part of the certification process for certain aircraft component designs. If a subset of the tests can be replaced with computational simulation, the cost of the prototype testing can be reduced. Further, bird strike resistance considerations can be included in the design process, thus increasing the probability that certification tests will be successful. In this Technology Brief we describe how Abaqus/Explicit has been used to assess the bird impact performance of a wing slat.

Solution Briefs

In this Technology Brief, a thermal fatigue analysis of a surface mount electronic assembly is conducted using the Abaqus/Standard low-cycle fatigue capability. With a cost efficient direct cyclic procedure, material models for the creep of regular and lead-free solder, and the ability to model the initiation and evolution of material damage, Abaqus/Standard can provide an accurate prediction of solder joint fatigue failure.

Solution Briefs