Introduction to ABAQUS/CAE

• ABAQUS/CAE is the “Complete ABAQUS Environment”

• It provides a simple, consistent interface for creating ABAQUS
models, interactively submitting and monitoring ABAQUS jobs,
and evaluating results from ABAQUS simulations.
• ABAQUS/CAE is divided into modules
• Each module defines a logical aspect of the modeling process.
• For example, defining geometry, defining material properties,
and generating a mesh.
• When the model is complete, ABAQUS/CAE generates an input
file that you submit to the ABAQUS analysis product.
• ABAQUS/Standard or ABAQUS/Explicit reads the input file
generated by ABAQUS/CAE, performs the analysis, sends
information to ABAQUS/CAE to allow you to monitor the
progress of the job, and generates an output database.
• Finally, you use the Visualization module to read the output
database and view the results of your analysis.

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 Starting ABAQUS/CAE

To start ABAQUS/CAE in windows:

Click: Start > Programs > abaqus 6.5-1 > abaqus cae

When ABAQUS/CAE begins, the Start Session dialog box appears

The Start Session dialog box.

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 The main window:

ABAQUS/CAE main window.

the window that appear after starting ABAQUS/CAE .

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 Components of the Main Window

Title bar:
It indicates the version of ABAQUS/CAE you are running and the
name of the current model database.

Menu bar
It contains all the available menus; the menus give access to all the
functionality in the product. Different menus appear in the menu bar
depending on which module you selected from the context bar.

Toolbar:
It provides quick access to items that are also available in the menus.

Context bar:
ABAQUS/CAE is divided into a set of modules, where each module
allows you to work on one aspect of your model; you choose a
module from the “Module” list. Other items in the context bar are a
function of the module you are working in.

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 • The order of the modules in the menu corresponds to a logical
sequence you may follow to create a model.
• In many circumstances, you must follow this natural progression
to complete a modeling task; for example, you must create parts
before you create an assembly.
• Although the order of the modules follows a logical sequence,
ABAQUS/CAE allows you to select any module at any time,
regardless of the state of your model.
• However, certain obvious restrictions apply; for example, you
cannot assign section properties, such as cross-sectional
dimensions of an I-beam, to geometry that has not yet been
created.
• A completed model contains everything that ABAQUS needs to
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 as” from the main menu bar; to
retrieve a model database from a disk, select “File > Open” .

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Toolbox area:
When you enter a module, the toolbox area displays tools that are
appropriate for that module. The toolbox allows quick access to the
module functions, which are also available from the menu bar.

Canvas and drawing area:

The canvas can be thought of as an infinite screen or bulletin board
on which you post items such as viewports, text, and arrow
annotations. The drawing area is the visible portion of the canvas.

Viewport:
Viewports are windows on the canvas in which ABAQUS/CAE
displays your model.

Prompt area:
It displays instructions for you to follow during a procedure; for
example, it asks you to select the geometry as you create a set.

Message area:
ABAQUS/CAE prints status information and warnings in this area.

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 Selecting a module:

• The following list of the modules available within ABAQUS/CAE

describes the modeling tasks you can perform in each module.

Part:
The Part module allows you to create individual parts by sketching
their geometry directly in ABAQUS/CAE or by importing their
geometry from other geometric modeling programs.

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Property:

In the Property module you create section and material definitions

and assign them to regions of parts.

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Assembly:

When you create a part, it exists in its own coordinate system,

independent of other parts in the model.

You use the Assembly module to create instances of your parts and
to position the instances relative to each other in a global coordinate
system, thus creating an assembly.

An ABAQUS model contains only one assembly.

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Step:

You use the Step module to create and configure analysis steps and
associated output requests.

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Interaction:

In the Interaction module you specify mechanical and thermal

interactions between regions of a model or between a region of a
model and its surroundings.

An example of an interaction is contact between two surfaces.

Interactions are step-dependent objects, which means that you must

specify the analysis steps in which they are active.

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Load:

• The Load module allows you to specify loads, boundary

conditions,.

• Loads and boundary conditions are step-dependent objects,

which means that you must specify the analysis steps in which
they are active.

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Mesh:

The Mesh module contains tools that allow you to generate a finite
element mesh on an assembly created within ABAQUS/CAE .

Various levels of automation and control are available so that you can
create a mesh that meets the needs of your analysis.

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Job:

Once you have finished all of the tasks involved in defining a model,
you use the Job module to interactively submit a job for analysis and
monitor its progress.

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Visualization:

• The Visualization module provides graphical display of finite

element models and results.
• It obtains model and result information from the output
database;
• you can control what information is written to the output
database by modifying output requests in the Step module.

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Sketch:

• Sketches are two-dimensional profiles that are used to help form

the geometry defining an ABAQUS/CAE native part.
• You use the Sketch module to create a sketch that defines a
planar part, a beam, or a partition or to create a sketch that
might be extruded, swept, or revolved to form a three-
dimensional part.

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Model Tree :
The Model Tree provides you with a graphical overview of your model
and the objects that it contains, such as parts, materials, steps, loads,
and output requests. In addition, the Model Tree provides a
convenient, centralized tool for moving between modules and for
managing objects. If your model database contains more than one
model, you can use the Model Tree to move between models. When
you become familiar with the Model Tree, you will find that you can
quickly perform most of the actions that are found in the main menu
bar, the module toolboxes, and the various managers.

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Model Tree:

The Model Tree provides a visual description of the hierarchy of items

in a model. Figure 2–4 shows a typical Model Tree.

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