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iJs SIMULIA 0

3DEXPERIENCE

fe-safe 2022
TUTORIALS

©2022 Dassault Systèmes. All rights reserved. 3DEXPERIENCE®, the Compass icon, the 3DS logo, CATIA, BIOVIA, GEOVIA, SOLIDWORKS, 3DVIA, ENOVIA, EXALEAD, NETVIBES, CENTRIC PLM, 3DEXCITE, SIMULIA, DELMIA,
IFWE and MEDIDATA are commercial trademarks or registered trademarks of Dassault Systèmes, a French “société europèenne” (Versailles Commercial Register # B 322 306 440), or its subsidiaries in the United States
and/or other countries. All other trademarks are owned by their respective owners. Use of any Dassault Systèmes or its subsidiaries trademarks is subject to their express written approval.
fe-safe Tutorials

Table of Contents
101 Tutorial 101 : Importing ASCII data into fe-safe
102 Tutorial 102 : Peak picking histories
103 This tutorial has been intentionally removed
104 Tutorial 104 : Using fe-safe with I-DEAS universal .unv files
105 Tutorial 105 : Using fe-safe with Abaqus .fil files
106 Tutorial 106 : Using fe-safe with Abaqus .odb files
107 Tutorial 107 : Using fe-safe with NASTRAN .f06 files
108 Tutorial 108 : Using fe-safe with ANSYS .rst files
109 Tutorial 109 : Analysing the fatigue life of a weld
110 Tutorial 110 : Stress-based thermal fatigue analysis using multiple-temperature S-N data
111 Tutorial 111 : Modal Transient Fatigue Analysis
112 Tutorial 112 : Using fe-safe with NASTRAN .op2 files
113 Tutorial 113 : Analysis of an axially symmetric model using fe-safe/Rotate
114 Tutorial 114 : PSD Fatigue Analysis
115 Tutorial 115: Applying Theory of Critical Distance (TCD) Methods in fe-safe
116 Tutorial 116 : Random Vibration Fatigue in fe-safe

Copyright © 2022 Dassault Systemes Simulia Corp.

Vol. 1 Table of Contents
Trademarks
fe-safe, Abaqus, Isight, Tosca, the 3DS logo, and SIMULIA are commercial trademarks or registered trademarks of
Dassault Systèmes or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. Use of any Dassault Systèmes or
its subsidiaries trademarks is subject to their express written approval. Other company, product, and service
names may be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.
Legal Notices
fe-safe and this documentation may be used or reproduced only in accordance with the terms of the software
license agreement signed by the customer, or, absent such an agreement, the then current software license
agreement to which the documentation relates.
This documentation and the software described in this documentation are subject to change without prior notice.
Dassault Systèmes and its subsidiaries shall not be responsible for the consequences of any errors or omissions
that may appear in this documentation.
© Dassault Systèmes Simulia Corp, 2021.
Third-Party Copyright Notices
Certain portions of fe-safe contain elements subject to copyright owned by the entities listed below.
© Battelle
© Endurica LLC
© Amec Foster Wheeler Nuclear UK Limited
fe-safe Licensed Programs may include open source software components. Source code for these components is
available if required by the license.
The open source software components are grouped under the applicable licensing terms. Where required, links to
common license terms are included below.

IP Asset Name IP Asset Copyright Notice

Version
Under BSD 2-Clause
UnZip (from Info- 2.4 Copyright (c) 1990-2009 Info-ZIP. All rights
ZIP) reserved.
Under BSD 3-Clause
Qt Solutions 2.6 Copyright (c) 2014 Digia Plc and/or its
subsidiary(-ies)
All rights reserved.
Tutorial 101 : Importing ASCII data in fe-safe

101 Tutorial 101 : Importing ASCII data into fe-safe

To create an ASCII file, use a text editor. Create a two column ASCII file by entering the following
sequence of numbers:

0.0 1000.0
1000.0 -50.0
-700.0 300.0
700.1 800.0
600.1 900.0
500.0 950.0
400.0 1000.0
-1000.0 300.0
150.0 200.0

Save the file as test1.asc and exit.

Start fe-safe by selecting fe-safe from the Windows “Start” menu (Windows) or by running the script fe-
safe (UNIX).

Select an existing project, or create a new one from the welcome page

Select Open Data File from the Data Files section of the File menu and open the created data file
test1.asc. The two signals in the ASCII file will be added to the list of open data files as shown in
Figure 101-1.

Figure 101-1

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Tutorial 101 : Importing ASCII data in fe-safe

Select these two signals and then press the Stack Plot(s) button in the main toolbar. This will display
the plots in Figure 101-2 as shown below.

Figure 101-2

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Tutorial 102 : Peak picking histories

102 Tutorial 102 : Peak picking histories

After completing tutorial 101 you will now have 2 time histories stored in the data file test1.asc. These
can be rationalised using the multichannel peak-picking function as described in section 10.

Ensure that the data file test1.asc is loaded into the list of open data files as shown in Figure 102-1.

Figure 102-1

Select both of the data signals and from the Amplitude menu item select the Multi-channel Peak Valley
function. This will display the dialog as shown in Figure 102-2.

Figure 102-2

Select a Gate of 10 and enable the Add time information as an additional results signal check box and
press OK to start the peak picking process.

After the analysis is completed the peak picked data signals will be added to the Generated Results
section in the Loaded Data Files window as shown in Figure 102-3.

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Tutorial 102 : Peak picking histories

Figure 102-3

This will have reduced the 2 time histories to 6 points per signal. To view the data select the 3 new
signals and select View >> Stack Plot(s).

Figure 102-4

The X-axis shows the time basis for the new files, based on the originals. To compare the original to the
new file, select each history corresponding to signal #1 as shown in Figure 102-5.

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Tutorial 102 : Peak picking histories

Figure 102-5

Select View >> Stack Plot(s):

Figure 102-6

Finally, select View >> Numerical Listing:

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Tutorial 102 : Peak picking histories

Figure 102-7

As can be seen samples 4 and 5 from the original data signal was omitted as they were not peaks or
valleys on either of the data signals.

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Tutorial 104 : Using fe-safe with I-DEAS universal (UNV) files

104 Tutorial 104 : Using fe-safe with I-DEAS universal .unv files

104.1 Introduction
The tutorials in this section demonstrate the use of fe-safe with I-DEAS universal (.unv) files, using a
Brown-Miller strain-based fatigue algorithm to evaluate the fatigue life of a uniaxial FE stress solution.

The use of I-DEAS .unv files in fe-safe is discussed in detail in Appendix G.

The sample files used for this tutorial are located in the directory <DataDir>\Ideas.

NOTE: The nomenclature used throughout this tutorial when referring to files and directories is as
described in Appendix B.

104.2 Preparation
Start the program by selecting fe-safe from the Windows “Start” menu (Windows) or by running the
script fe-safe (Linux).

Select an existing project, or create a new one from the welcome page

Ensure that the following basic settings are correctly configured. If fe-safe is being run for the first time
then it is possible to skip this preparatory section.

Reset any existing analysis options to their defaults in the Clear Data and Settings dialogue [Tools >>
Clear Data and Settings...], shown in Figure 104-1, below, by selecting the Select all option and clicking
OK.

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Figure 104-1

I-DEAS UNV interface options

The I-DEAS / Master Series UNV Interface Options dialogue [FEA Fatigue >> I-DEAS / Masterseries UNV
Interface Options...] should be configured as shown in Figure 104-2, below.

Figure 104-2

The sample UNV file contains stress data at element nodes but this option will not be used as pre-
scanning will be used.

104.3 Opening the sample FE model

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The sample model for this tutorial is one quarter of a notched shaft as shown in Figure 104-3.

Figure 104-3

To open the model, select Open Finite Element Model... from the FEA Solutions section of the File menu.
From the file selection dialog, select the sample file shaft_sae.unv from the directory
<DataDir>\Ideas. A Pre-Scan File dialogue will be displayed as shown in Figure 104-4, select Yes.

Figure 104-4

As fe-safe pre-scans the model, information about the file is written to the file:
<ProjectDir>\Model\scan
This information is also displayed in the Message Log window.

When the pre-scan of the file is complete, the Select Datasets to Read dialogue will be displayed as
shown in Figure 104-5. The file shaft_sae.unv contains only two datasets of elemental stresses, both of
which are required for the tutorial and will be checked. Select OK to load these checked datasets.

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Figure 104-5

As fe-safe loads the model, information about the file and the data it contains is written to the file:
<ProjectDir>\Model\reader.log.
This information is also displayed in the Message Log window.

When the model has finished loading, the Loaded FEA Models Properties dialogue box appears, as
shown in Figure 104-6.

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Figure 104-6

If the dialogue box does not appear automatically, then it can be displayed by right-clicking on the
icon in the Current FE Models window and selecting Properties.

Figure 104-7

Ensure that the units are as shown in Figure 104-6, then click OK.
A dialogue will show prompting to edit element groups loaded from the model, as shown in Figure
104-8, click No.

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Figure 104-8

A summary of the open model appears in the Current FE Models window, showing the loaded datasets
and element group information – see Figure 104-9.

Figure 104-9

Note: if the window does not appear exactly as shown in Figure 104-9, then expand the tree view to
show more details.

The process of loading an FE model into fe-safe involves extracting pertinent data from the FE model,
and writing it to the working FED folder (see Appendix E). Therefore, the Current FE Models window is a
summary of the contents of the working FED folder. In this case there are two stress datasets each
containing elemental data with 1426 elements in each dataset. The source of the dataset (the filename
of the source FE model, the step, increment and timestamp) are also shown. fe-safe only extracts group
information of the same type as the loaded datasets. In this example, the datasets are elemental, so only

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elemental groups are shown.

When a new model is loaded, the output filename automatically defaults to:
<ResultsDir>\{source_file_name}Results.{source_file_extension}

which in this example is:

<ResultsDir>\shaft_saeResults.unv
The output filename can be modified either by manually editing the Output File field in the Fatigue from
FEA dialogue, or by clicking the adjacent browse button: .

104.4 Exercise
Objective:

To perform a Brown-Miller strain-based fatigue analysis to evaluate the fatigue life of a uniaxial FE
stress solution. The fatigue load case consists of an elastically calculated unit load FEA stress solution
(i.e. a stress dataset) and some load history data. The unit load and the load history are combined using
a scale-and-combine method, as described in section 13.

Analysis process:

The fatigue life for each node is calculated as follows:

 the stress tensors are multiplied by the time history of the applied loading, to produce a time
history of each of the 6 components of the stress tensor;

 the time histories of the in-plane principal stresses are calculated;

 the time histories of the three principal strains are calculated from the stresses;

 a multi-axial cyclic plasticity model is used to convert the elastic stress-strain histories into elastic
plastic stress-strain histories;

 a ‘critical plane’ method is used to identify the most damaging plane by calculating the damage on
planes at 10° intervals between 0° and 180° in the surface of the component;

 for each of the critical planes, strains are resolved onto the three shear planes (1-2, 2-3 and 1-3);

 the time history of the damage parameter (which in this case, using the Brown-Miller algorithm, is
the shear and normal strain) is cycle counted;

 individual fatigue cycles are identified using a ‘Rainflow’ cycle algorithm, the fatigue damage for
each cycle is calculated and the total damage is summed;

 the plane with the shortest life defines the plane of crack initiation, and this life is written to the
output file.

During this calculation, fe-safe may modify the endurance limit amplitude. If all cycles (on a plane) are
below the endurance limit amplitude, there is no calculated fatigue damage on this plane. If any cycle is
damaging, the endurance limit amplitude is reduced to 25% of the constant amplitude value, and the
damage curve extended to this new endurance limit.

The critical plane method is described and illustrated in detail in the Fatigue Theory Reference Manual.

Method:

Step 1: Define the loading:

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The fatigue loading will consist of a unit load stress dataset, combined with a loading history containing
five data points:
3.2
-2.2
2.2
1.3
-3.2

To define the loading:

 select the Loading Settings tab from the Fatigue from FEA dialogue to switch to the loading tree;

 select Clear all loadings and click Yes from the tree context menu (right mouse click on the tree) to
clear the existing loading definition;

 create a loading history file by copying the above text into a text editor;

 ensure that the last line is followed by a carriage-return/line-feed character (see Appendix E);

 save the file as t104_ex1.txt;

 open the file in fe-safe using File >> Data Files >> Open Data File... – this adds the file to the
Loaded Data Files window;

 in the Loaded Data Files window, highlight the first channel of data, labelled #1 (next to the channel
icon );

 in the Current FE Models window, highlight the first dataset, labelled Dataset 1: (1.0) S : FORWARD
BEND, MODEL_SOLUTION_SOLVE, LOAD SET 1, (next to the stress dataset icon, );

 select Add... >> A LOAD * dataset;

 A prompt will ask if a new block should be created, click Yes

Figure 104-10

The defined loading appears in the loading details list box, as shown below:

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Figure 104-11

Note: if the window does not appear exactly as shown in Figure 104-11, then expand the tree view to
show more details.

 select the Analysis Settings tab from the Fatigue from FEA dialogue to switch to the main settings.

Step 2: Define the subgroup option:

For this tutorial all elements in the model should be used for analysis, not only those on its surface:
 double-click the Subgroup column header to open the Subgroup Selection dialogue for all groups:

Figure 104-12

 select Whole group;

 click OK.

Step 3: Define the surface finish:

It is assumed that the whole component has a mirror-polished surface finish, (i.e. a Kt factor of 1). To
define this surface finish for the whole component (i.e. all element groups):
 double-click the Surface column header to open the Surface Finish Definition dialogue for all
groups:

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Figure 104-13

 select Select Surface Finish from list;

 select the surface finish database file uni7670-1988-Steel.sfprop from the Definition File drop-
down list;
 from the drop-down Surface finish list, select Mirror Polished – Ra <= 0.25µm;
 click OK.

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Step 4: Define the material:

The component material is SAE 950C (Manten). The material record SAE_950C-Manten from the material
database local.dbase will be defined for the whole component.
Opened material databases are displayed in the Material Databases window as shown in Figure 104-14,
below.

Figure 104-14

If the database local.dbase is not currently loaded in the Material Databases window, select File >>
Materials >> Open Materials Database... and select local.dbase from the directory <UserDir>. Notice
in Figure 104-14 that the database local.dbase is the user’s local copy from the <UserDir> directory.
The other two databases shown are from the <DatabaseDir> directory.
Expand the tree view to show the materials contained in local.dbase. The contents of the database can
be filtered to show only materials of a particular type, by selecting one of the filter icons . To ensure
that all materials in the database are displayed double-click on the All filter icon .
The parameters for a material can be displayed by extending the material name.
To define SAE_950C-Manten for the whole component:
 highlight the material SAE_950C-Manten in the local.dbase database;
 double-click the Material column header - a Change Material? confirmation dialogue box appears;

Figure 104-15

 click YES;
 the material name should appear for all groups in the Material column.

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Step 5: Define the analysis algorithm:

The material database identifies a default analysis algorithm for each material. The default analysis
algorithm is normally selected automatically. To confirm that the default algorithm will be used for the
whole model (i.e. all element groups):
 double-click the Algorithm column header to open the in Group Algorithm Selection dialogue box
for all groups;

Figure 104-16

 select the Analyse with material’s default algorithm option;

 click OK.

For SAE 950C (Manten) the default algorithm is Brown-Miller Biaxial Strain Life using Morrow mean-
stress correction.

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Step 6: Define the in-plane residual stress:

For this exercise it is assumed that there are no in-plane residual stresses. To set the residual stress to
0 (zero) for the whole component (i.e. all element groups):
 double-click the In-plane residual stress column header to open the In-plane Residual Stress
dialogue for all groups:

Figure 104-17

 enter a residual stress of 0 (zero), and click OK.

Step 7: Define the output file:

When the FE model was loaded, the output filename automatically defaulted to:
<ResultsDir>\shaft_saeResults.unv
The output filename can be modified either by manually editing the Output File field in the Fatigue from
FEA dialogue, or by clicking the adjacent browse button: .

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Step 8: Run the analysis:

fe-safe should now be configured to run the analysis.
Press the Analyse! button. A summary of analysis parameters is displayed:

Figure 104-18

Check that the analysis is configured as shown in Figure 104-18, and then click Continue.

As the analysis is being performed, the following information is written to the analysis log file. The
analysis log file has the same file name as the output file, except that the extension is .log. So, for this
analysis, the analysis log file is:
<ResultsDir>\shaft_saeResults.log
This information is also displayed in the Message Log window and includes:

Summary
=======
Worst Life-Repeats : 3463.065
at Element 677.10
Analysis time : 0:00:08

Step 9: Reviewing the results

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The analysis log shows that the worst-case life for the whole model is:
3463 repeats of the fatigue loading cycle, at element 677, node 10.

Note:
fe-safe adopts the conventional method of expressing the endurance limit, as the number of reversals,
or half cycles ( 2 N f ), whereas fatigue lives are expressed in terms of cycles ( N f ). In fe-safe, the
design life and the calculated fatigue life always refer to the number of repeats of the complete defined
fatigue loading cycle. An optional conversion factor can be used to convert the fatigue life in repeats to
fatigue life with respect to some other quantity, for example hours or miles (see section 13.2).

Step 10: Viewing the fatigue life contours:

The results from this exercise were written to the UNV file:
<ResultsDir>/shaft_saeResults.unv
The exported fatigue lives should look similar to Figure 104-19, below, the viewer colour scheme may
need to be set to "Reversed Rainbow" and any averaging of values at nodes should be disabled.

Figure 104-19: Log of Fatigue Lives

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Step 11: Viewing the worst critical plane

In the Fatigue from FEA dialogue box press the Exports … button. In the Contours tab check the Critical
planes (worst block) box, click OK and run the analysis again.
The exported critical plane should look similar to Figure 104-20, below:

Figure 104-20: Critical plane normals at worst element scaled by log1e7 – logNf

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Tutorial 105 : Using fe-safe with Abaqus .fil files

105 Tutorial 105 : Using fe-safe with Abaqus .fil files

105.1 Introduction
This tutorial demonstrates the use of fe-safe with Abaqus .fil files.

The use of Abaqus .fil files in fe-safe is discussed in detail in Appendix G.

The tutorial includes opening the FE model and configuring multi-axial analyses of two superimposed
fatigue load cases and of a dataset sequence, including Factors of Strength (FOS) evaluation.

The sample files used for this tutorial are located in the directory <DataDir>\Abaqus. ASCII and binary
versions of the sample files are available. The ASCII FIL file format is portable between platforms. The
binary FIL file format is not portable between platforms.

This tutorial uses the ASCII version of the sample FIL file.

NOTE: The nomenclature used throughout this tutorial when referring to files and directories is as
described in Appendix B.

105.2 Preparation
Start the program by selecting fe-safe from the Windows “Start” menu (Windows) or by running the
script fe-safe (Linux).

Select an existing project, or create a new one from the welcome page

Ensure that the following basic settings are correctly configured. If fe-safe is being run for the first time
then it is possible to skip this preparatory section.

Reset any existing analysis options to their defaults in the Clear Data and Settings dialogue [Tools >>
Clear Data and Settings...], shown in Figure 105-1 below, by selecting the Check all option and clicking
OK.

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Figure 105-1

Abaqus FIL interface options

The Abaqus FIL interface Options dialogue [FEA Fatigue >> Abaqus FIL interface Options...] should be
configured as shown in
Figure 105-2, below.

Figure 105-2

The sample FIL file contains two different types of stress data: nodal-averaged data and stresses at
element nodes. This tutorial uses data for stresses at element nodes. As the model will be pre-scanned
selection of the data type is done in the Select Datasets to Read dialogue described below.

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The FIL interface can import and export data from ASCII and binary FIL files. The sample file for this
tutorial is in ASCII format. It is recommended that the Auto Detect format option be used.
The type of variable that fe-safe uses to export lives and FOS results to is configured in the Export
Lives/FOS to FIL section of the dialogue, found by clicking on the Export tab.. The preferred export
variable is UVARM, since this is a variable that most viewers can interpret. If the UVARM variable is
specified, both the fatigue life, or log10 (fatigue life), and the FOS are exported to the same step. If any
other variable is used, a new step is added for each fe-safe export variable.
Patran users should click the Patran As Viewer button. This button automatically changes the following
settings:
 the export variable is set to TEMP [variable 2], because Patran does not support the UVARM variable;
 the Export logarithmic lives to results file option, Analysis Options dialogue, Export tab, is
automatically selected, since Patran will not handle large values (e.g. 1015), that may exist if the
fatigue life is exported rather than log10(fatigue life).

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105.3 Opening the sample FE model

The model for this tutorial is a plate with a keyhole, as shown in Figure 105-3:

Figure 105-3

To open the model select Open Finite Element Model... from the File menu. This will display the file
selection dialogue. Select the sample file keyhole.fil from the directory <DataDir>\Abaqus. A Pre-
Scan File dialogue will be displayed as shown in Figure 105-4, select Yes.

Figure 105-4

As fe-safe pre-scans the model, information about the file is written to the file:
<ProjectDir>\Model\scan
This information is also displayed in the Message Log window.

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When the pre-scan of the file is complete, the Select Datasets to Read dialogue will be displayed as
shown in Figure 105-5. The file keyhole.fil contains only two datasets of elemental stresses, both of
which are required for the tutorial and will be checked. Select OK to load these checked datasets.

Figure 105-5

As fe-safe loads the model, information about the file and the data it contains is appended to the file:
<ProjectDir>\Model\reader.log.
This information is also displayed in the Message Log window.

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When the model has finished loading, the Loaded FEA Models Properties dialogue box appears, as
shown in Figure 105-6.

Figure 105-6

If the dialogue box does not appear automatically, then it can be displayed by right-clicking on the
icon in the Current FE Models window and selecting Properties.

Figure 105-7
Ensure that the units are as shown in Figure 105-6, then click OK.

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A dialogue will show prompting to edit element groups loaded from the model, as shown in Figure
105-8, click No.

Figure 105-8

A summary of the open model appears in the Current FE Models window, showing the loaded datasets
and element group information – see Figure 105-9.

Figure 105-9

Note: if the window does not appear exactly as shown in Figure 105-9, then expand the tree view to
show more details.

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The process of loading an FE model into fe-safe involves extracting pertinent data from the FE model,
and writing it to the working FED folder (see Appendix E). Therefore, the Current FE Models window is a
summary of the contents of the working FED folder. In this case there are two stress datasets each
containing elemental data with 502 elements in each dataset. The source of the dataset (the filename of
the source FE model, the step, increment and timestamp) are also shown.
fe-safe only extracts group information of the same type as the loaded datasets. In this example, the
datasets are elemental, so only elemental groups are shown.

When a new model is loaded, the output filename automatically defaults to:
<ResultsDir>\{source_file_name}Results.{source_file_extension}

which in this example is:

<ResultsDir>\keyholeResults.fil

The output filename can be modified either by manually editing the Output File field in the Fatigue from
FEA dialogue, or by clicking the adjacent browse button: .

105.4 Exercise 1 : Multiaxial analysis using scale-and-combine loading

Objective:

To perform a multiaxial analysis of two superimposed fatigue load cases. Each load case consists of an
elastically calculated unit load FEA stress solution (i.e. a stress dataset) and some load history data. The
unit load and the load history are combined using a scale-and-combine method, as described in
section 13.

Analysis process:

The fatigue life for each node is calculated as follows:

 the stress tensors are multiplied by the time history of the applied loading, to produce a time
history of each of the 6 components of the stress tensor;

 the time histories of the in-plane principal stresses are calculated;

 the time histories of the three principal strains are calculated from the stresses;

 a multiaxial cyclic plasticity model is used to convert the elastic stress-strain histories into elastic
plastic stress-strain histories;

 a ‘critical plane’ method is used to identify the most damaging plane by calculating the damage on
planes at 10° intervals between 0° and 180° in the surface of the component;

 for each of the critical planes, strains are resolved onto the three shear planes (1-2, 2-3 and 1-3);

 the time history of the damage parameter (which in this case, using the Brown-Miller algorithm, is
the shear and normal strain) is cycle counted;

 individual fatigue cycles are identified using a ‘Rainflow’ cycle algorithm, the fatigue damage for
each cycle is calculated and the total damage is summed;

 the plane with the shortest life defines the plane of crack initiation, and this life is written to the
output file.

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damage curve extended to this new endurance limit.

The critical plane method is described and illustrated in detail in the Fatigue Theory Reference Manual,
section 7.5.

Method:

Step 1: Define the loading:

For this exercise two fatigue load cases will be superimposed. Each load case will consist of an
elastically calculated unit load stress dataset and some load history data, as follows:

 the first dataset (Dataset 1: (1.1) S : Unit Y Load) will be combined with channel 1 of the data file
test_mcg2.amc;

 the second dataset (Dataset 2: (2.1) S : Unit X Load) will be combined with channel 2 of the data file
test_mcg2.amc.

To open the loading history data, select Open Data File from the File menu. Use the file selection
dialogue to select the sample file test_mcg2.amc from the <DataDir> directory. The data file is
summarised in the Loaded Data Files window. The sample file contains two channels of load data,
identified in the tree view by the channel icon, .

Figure 105-10

To combine the unit load stress dataset with the loading history for the first case:

 in the Current FE Models window, highlight the first dataset, labelled Dataset 1: (1.1) S : Unit Y Load,
(next to the stress dataset icon, );

 in the Loaded Data Files window, highlight the first channel of data, labelled fe-safe tutorial scaler
#1, (next to the channel icon );

 select the Loading Settings tab from the Fatigue from FEA dialogue to switch to the loading tree;
 select Clear all loadings from the context-sensitive menu (right mouse click) to clear the existing
loading definition;

 select Add... >> A LOAD * dataset.

 A prompt will ask if a new block should be created, click Yes

To combine the unit load stress dataset with the loading history for the second case:

 in the Current FE Models window, highlight the second dataset, labelled Dataset 2: (2.1) S : Unit X
Load, (next to the stress dataset icon, );

 in the Loaded Data Files window, highlight the second channel of data, labelled fe-safe tutorial
scaler #2, (next to the channel icon );

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 select Add... >> A LOAD * dataset;

The defined loading appears in the loading details list box, as shown below:

Figure 105-11

Note: if the window does not appear exactly as shown in Figure 105-11, then expand the tree view to
show more details.

 select the Analysis Settings tab from the Fatigue from FEA dialogue to switch to the main settings.

Step 2: Define the subgroup option:

Figure 105-12

 select Whole group;

 click OK.

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Step 3: Define the surface finish:

Figure 105-13

 select Select Surface Finish from list;

 select the surface finish file uni7670-1988-Steel.sfprop from the Definition File drop-down list;
 from the drop-down Surface finish list, select Mirror Polished – Ra <= 0.25µm;
 click OK.

Step 4: Define the material:

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Figure 105-14

If the database local.dbase is not currently loaded in the Material Databases window, select File >>
Open Materials Database... and select local.dbase from the directory <UserDir>. Notice in Figure
105-14 that the database local.dbase is the user’s local copy from the <UserDir> directory. The
other two databases shown are from the <DatabaseDir> directory.
Expand the tree view to show the materials contained in local.dbase. The contents of the database can
be filtered to show only materials of a particular type, by selecting one of the filter icons . To ensure
that all materials in the database are displayed double-click on the All filter icon .
The parameters for a material can be displayed by expanding the material name.
To define SAE_950C-Manten for the whole component:
 highlight the material SAE_950C-Manten in the local.dbase database;
 double-click the Material column header - a Change Material? confirmation dialogue box appears;

Figure 105-15
 click YES;
 the material name should appear for all groups in the Material column.

Step 5: Define the analysis algorithm:

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Figure 105-16

 select the Analyse with material’s default algorithm option;

 click OK.

For SAE 950C (Manten) the default algorithm is Brown-Miller Biaxial Strain Life using Morrow mean-
stress correction.

Step 6: Define the in-plane residual stress:

Figure 105-17

 enter a residual stress of 0 (zero), and click OK.

Step 7: Define the output file:

When the FE model was loaded, the output filename automatically defaulted to:
<ResultsDir>\keyholeResults.csv
Before running the analysis, change the output filename to:

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<ResultsDir>\keyholeResults_ex01.fil
The output filename can be modified either by manually editing the Output File field in the Fatigue from
FEA dialogue, or by clicking the adjacent browse button: .

Step 8: Run the analysis:

fe-safe should now be configured to run the analysis.
Press the Analyse! button. A summary of analysis parameters is displayed:

Figure 105-18

Check that the analysis is configured as shown in Figure 105-18, and then click Continue.

As the analysis is being performed, the following information is written to the analysis log file. The
analysis log file has the same file name as the output file, except that the extension is .log. So, for this
analysis, the analysis log file is:
<ResultsDir>\keyholeResults_ex01.log
This information is also displayed in the Message Log window and includes.

Summary
=======
Worst Life-Repeats : 30603.336
at Element 144.2
Analysis time : 0:00:03

Step 9: Reviewing the results

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The analysis log shows that the worst-case life for the whole model is:
30603 repeats of the fatigue loading cycle, at element 144, node 2.

Step 10: Viewing the fatigue life contours:

A copy of the original .fil file was created, onto which a new step containing the fatigue results was
appended. The type of variable that the results are exported to will depend on the configuration in the
Abaqus FIL Interface Options dialogue.
In the last step of the file <ResultsDir>/keyholeResults_ex01.fil, the results for the exported
variable should look similar to Figure 105-19, the viewer colour scheme may need to be set to
"Reversed Rainbow" and any averaging of values at nodes should be disabled.

Figure 105-19: Log of Fatigue Lives.

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Additional notes for Exercise 1:

1. In this exercise, the two fatigue load cases are superimposed. Therefore, it does not matter in
which order the loads are defined. For example:
Loading Loading is 1 Repeats
DS#1 * test_mcg2.amc:1
DS#2 * test_mcg2.amc:2
is the same as:
Loading Loading is 1 Repeats
DS#2 * test_mcg2.amc:2
DS#1 * test_mcg2.amc:1

2. In this example, the load history is very short, consisting of only five data points. For short load
histories it is often more convenient to define the loading using a ‘user-defined’ load history,
rather than reading a load history from a data file (see section 13.8.2). This is achieved using
the A user-defined LOAD * dataset option.

To re-define the loading for this exercise using user-defined load histories:

 select the Loading Settings tab from the Fatigue from FEA dialogue to switch to the loading
tree;

 select Clear all loadings and click Yes from the context-sensitive menu (right mouse click)
to clear the existing loading definition;

 in the Loaded Data Files window, expand the filename test_mcg2.amc, so that both
channels of data are displayed;

 highlight both channels of data (to select multiple channels highlight the first channel by
clicking on it with the left mouse button, then hold down the CTRL key on the keyboard
while clicking on any additional files);

 display a numerical listing of the two data channels by selecting View >> Numerical Listing

(or just click the icon):

Figure 105-20

 highlight the first unit stress dataset (labelled Dataset 1: (1.1) S : Unit Y Load) in the Current
FE Models window;

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 select Add... >> A user-defined LOAD * dataset to display the Dataset Embedded Load
History dialogue, and copy the five data points from the first column of the numerical listing
display (scaler #1) into the Loading Scale box:

Figure 105-21

 click OK;

 highlight the second unit stress dataset (labelled Dataset 2: (2.1) S : Unit X Load) in the
Current FE Models window;

 define a load sequence for the second case, as described above, using the data from the
second column of the numerical listing display (scaler #2).

The new loading definition appears in the Loading Details area of the Fatigue from FEA dialogue,
as shown in Figure 105-22, below.

Figure 105-22

Note: if the window does not appear exactly as shown in Figure 105-22, then expand the tree
view to show more details.

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3. The load definition (LDF) file can be used to define simple and complex loading scenarios.
Section 13 includes a full description of the LDF file, including syntax.

The loading for this exercise can be seen by saving the loading to a load definition file:

 select File >> Loadings >> Save Current FEA Loadings As...;

 save the file as ex01_s-c.ldf and click Save;

 open the file in a text editor to display the contents (comments may vary):

# .ldf file created by fe-safe [mswin]

INIT
END

# Block number 1
BLOCK
lh=0.0099465 -0.00696255 0.00696255 0.0039786 -0.0099465 , ds=1
lh=-0.000369029 0.00221417 0.00590447 0.00738059 0.00221417 , ds=2
END

4. In this exercise the surface finish was defined by selecting a surface type (in this case “mirror-
polished”) from a surface finish database. If the actual surface finish factor, Kt, for the
component is known (for “mirror-polished”, the Kt factor has a value of 1) then it can be
specified as a value. To define a user-defined value for Kt, select Define Kt as a value, in the
Surface Finish Definition dialogue box:

Figure 105-23

5. The results data can be exported to an alternative file format at the end of the analysis, by
changing the extension of the output file (Fatigue from FEA >> Output File) to a recognised
type.

For example:

 to export to an ASCII CSV results file, change the extension to .txt, .csv or .asc (this is

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useful for viewing a table of results in an editor or spreadsheet).

Alternatively, after the analysis is complete, and the FIL file has been created, the results data
can be written to another output file in addition to the original output FIL file, using the Save
FEA Fatigue Results As... option in the File menu. This option displays the Save FEA Fatigue
Results As... dialogue box, as shown in Figure 105-24, below:

Figure 105-24

The FER (.fer) file (see Appendix E) is an intermediate file containing the results of the analysis.

This new output file type is determined by the extension of the file entered in the Output File
box. A copy of the original output FIL file can be created if the extension .fil is used.

6. To analyse individual elements or nodes, list the required items in the Exports and Outputs
dialogue, and select the Only analyse listed items dialogue. Additional outputs and diagnostics
options can also be specified. Diagnostics and additional outputs are discussed in detail in
section 22.

7. To save the current analysis configuration, select Save FEA Fatigue Definition File..., and enter a
filename ending with the extension .stlx. The analysis can be reloaded at a later date by
restoring the keyword file, using Open FEA Fatigue Definition File....

105.5 Exercise 2 : Multiaxial analysis of a data sets sequence, including Factor Of Strength evaluation
Objective:

To perform a multiaxial analysis of a series of events – in this case a sequence of two elastically
calculated FEA stress solution (i.e. stress datasets).

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The analysis will also include an evaluation of the Factor of Strength (FOS). This is the factor by which
the loading must be scaled to achieve a specified design life. The FOS method is described in detail in
section 17.

Analysis process:

The Strength Factor (FOS) for each node is calculated as follows:

 the calculated life is compared with the design life:

- if the calculated life is lower than the design life, the elastic stresses at the node are scaled by a
factor less than 1.0;

- if the calculated life is greater than the design life, the elastic stresses at the node are scaled by
a factor greater than 1.0.

 the elastic stress history is recalculated using the re-scaled nodal stresses;

 for local strain analysis, the cyclic plasticity model is used to recalculate the time history of elastic-
plastic stress-strains - the fatigue life is then recalculated;

 in the critical plane analysis, the critical plane orientation is re-calculated;

 the process is repeated with different scale factors until:

(i) the calculated life is within 5% of the design life or

(ii) the step change of 0.01 or 0.1 in the FOS value causes the design life to be bracketed, or

(iii) the FOS exceeds the max factor (default 2.0) or is less than the min factor (default 0.5).

Method:

Step 1: Define the loading:

The series of events being analysed in this exercise consists of a sequence of two elastically calculated
FEA stress solution (i.e. stress datasets) scaled by a defined scale factor.

The definition of the sequence will be as follows:

 the first dataset (Dataset 1: (1.1) S : Unit Y Load) multiplied by a scale factor of 0.01,

followed by:

 the second dataset (Dataset 2: (2.1) S : Unit X Load) multiplied by a scale factor of 0.01.

The loading for this loading sequence can be defined in a single loading block:

 select Loading Settings tab from the Fatigue from FEA dialogue to switch to the loading tree;

 select Clear all loadings and click Yes from the tree context menu (right mouse click on the tree) to
clear the existing loading definition;

 highlight the first unit stress dataset in the Current FE Models window;

 select Add... >> Dataset;

 highlight the second unit stress dataset in the Current FE Models window;

 select Add... >> Dataset;

 highlight the dataset item in the loading tree of the Fatigue from FEA dialogue;

 select Scale from the tree context menu (right mouse click on the tree) and enter the value 0.01;

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 press enter to accept the value.

If saved as a .ldf it would look like:

# .ldf file created by fe-safe [mswin]

INIT
END

# Block number 1
BLOCK
ds=1, scale=0.01
ds=2, scale=0.01
END

The new loading definition appears in the Loading Details area of the Fatigue from FEA dialogue, as
shown in Figure 105-25.

Figure 105-25

 select the Analysis Settings tab from the Fatigue from FEA dialogue to switch to the main settings.

Step 2: Define the subgroup option:

As in Exercise 1, all elements in the model should be used for analysis - see 105.4 (Exercise 1), Step 2.

Step 3: Define the surface finish:

As in Exercise 1, the component is assumed to have a mirror-polished surface finish, (i.e. a Kt factor
of 1) - see 105.4 (Exercise 1), Step 3.

Step 4: Define the material:

As in Exercise 1, the component is assumed to be made from SAE 950C (Manten) – see 105.4
(Exercise 1), Step 4.

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Step 5: Define the analysis algorithm:

As in Exercise 1, the default analysis algorithm for the material will be used, which for SAE 950C
(Manten) is Brown-Miller Biaxial Strain Life using Morrow mean-stress correction.

Step 6: Define the in-plane residual stress:

As in Exercise 1, it is assumed that there are no in-plane residual stresses - see 105.4 (Exercise 1),
Step 6.

Step 7: Configuring the Factor of Strength (FOS) analysis:

To configure the Factor of Strength (FOS) analysis:

 click on the Factor of Strength... button in the Fatigue from FEA window to open the Factors of
Strength Calculations dialogue box:

Figure 105-26

 select the Perform Factor of Strength (FOS) Calculations? option to enable the FOS analysis.;

 select Infinite design life (use material’s Endurance Limit) – this uses the constant amplitude
endurance limit for the component material, which for SAE 950C (Manten) is: 2.0 × 107 reversals;
Note: fe-safe adopts the conventional method of expressing the endurance limit, as the number of
reversals, or half cycles ( 2 N f ), whereas fatigue lives are expressed in terms of cycles ( N f ).

 click OK;

 specify the FOS band limits in the Analysis Options dialogue [FEA Fatigue >> Analysis Options...]
Safety Factors tab as shown in Figure 105-27, to determine the limits and precision of the FOS
analysis:

- between the ‘fine’ limits, the FOS is calculated to a resolution of approximately 0.01 repeats;

- between maximum and minimum, the FOS is calculated to a resolution of approximately 0.1
repeats;

- if the evaluated FOS is greater than 2, then a FOS of 2 is exported for the node;

- if the evaluated FOS is less than 0.5, then a FOS of 0.5 is exported for the node.

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Figure 105-27

Step 8: Define the output file:

Before running the analysis, change the output filename to:
<ResultsDir>\keyholeResults_ex02.fil
The output filename can be modified either by manually editing the Output File field in the Fatigue from
FEA dialogue, or by clicking the adjacent browse button: .

Step 9: Run the analysis:

fe-safe should now be configured to run the analysis.
Press the Analyse button. A summary of analysis parameters is displayed:

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Figure 105-28

Check that the analysis is configured as shown in Figure 105-28, and then click Continue.

As the analysis is being performed, the following information is written to the analysis log file. The
analysis log file has the same file name as the output file, except that the extension is .log. So, for this
analysis, the analysis log file is:
<ResultsDir>\keyholeResults_ex02.log
This information is also displayed in the Message Log window and includes the following:

Summary
=======
Worst Life-Repeats : 555040.5
at Element 67.2
Worst FOS@Life=Infinite : 0.669
at Element 65.2
Analysis time : 0:00:05

Step 10: Reviewing the results

The analysis log shows that the worst-case life for the whole model is:
555040 repeats of the loading, at element 67, node 2.

The worst-case Factor of Strength (FOS) for the analysis is:

0.669 at element 65, node 2.

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In the configuration of the Factor of Strength analysis, the design life specified was the ‘Infinite design
life’, which is assumed to be the materials constant amplitude endurance limit, which for SAE 950C
(Manten) is: 2.0 × 107 reversals.
The worst-case fatigue lives are of the order 5.8 × 105 repeats of the fatigue loading cycle, which is less
than the design life (1 × 107 repeats of the loading). This is why the worst-case strength factor (the
factor by which the loading must be scaled to achieve the design life) is somewhat less than 1. The FOS
method is described in detail in section 17.

Step 11: Viewing the fatigue life contour:

A copy of the original .fil file was created, onto which a new step containing the fatigue results was
appended. The type of variable that the results are exported to will depend on the configuration in the
Abaqus FIL Interface Options dialogue.
In this exercise, two fatigue results sets are exported – the fatigue life and the strength factor (FOS). If
the UVARM export variable is used, then the two sets of results get written as two separate variables in
one step. For all other variable types, the two sets of results get written to two separate steps.
The results from this exercise were written to the file:
<ResultsDir>/keyholeResults_ex02.fil.

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The first set of exported fatigue results in the file contains the fatigue lives, which should look similar to
Figure 105-29, the viewer colour scheme may need to be set to "Reversed Rainbow" and any averaging
of values at nodes should be disabled.

Figure 105-29

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The second set of exported fatigue results in the file contains the strength factors (FOS), which should
look similar to Figure 105-30, the viewer colour scheme may need to be set to "Reversed Rainbow" and
any averaging of values at nodes should be disabled.

Figure 105-30

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106 Tutorial 106 : Using fe-safe with Abaqus .odb files

106.1 Introduction
This tutorial demonstrates the use of fe-safe with Abaqus .odb files.

The use of Abaqus .odb files in fe-safe is discussed in detail in Appendix G.

The tutorial includes opening the FE model and configuring multi-axial analyses of two superimposed
fatigue load cases and of a dataset sequence, including Factors of Strength (FOS) evaluation.
The sample files used for this tutorial are located in the directory <DataDir>\Abaqus. The ODB file
format is portable between platforms.

NOTE: The nomenclature used throughout this tutorial when referring to files and directories is as
described in Appendix B, section 202.2.

106.2 Preparation
Start the program by selecting fe-safe from the Windows “Start” menu (Windows) or by running the
script fe-safe (Linux) – (see section 5.2).

Select an existing project, or create a new one from the welcome page

Ensure that the following basic settings are correctly configured. If fe-safe is being run for the first time
then it is possible to skip this preparatory section.

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Reset any existing analysis options to their defaults in the Clear Data and Settings dialogue [Tools >>
Clear Data and Settings...], shown in Figure 106-1, below, by selecting the Check all option and clicking
OK.

Figure 106-1

106.3 Opening the sample FE model

The model for this tutorial is a plate with a keyhole, as shown in Figure 106-2:

Figure 106-2

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To open the model, select Open Finite Element Model... from the FEA Solutions section of the File menu.
This will display the file selection dialogue. Select the sample file keyhole_xxx.odb from the directory
<DataDir>\Abaqus.xxx

A Pre-Scan File dialogue will be displayed as shown in Figure 106-3, select Yes.

Figure 106-3

As fe-safe loads the model, information about the file and the data it contains is written to the file:
<ProjectDir>\Model\scan
This information is also displayed in the Message Log window.
When the pre-scan of the file is complete, the Select Datasets to Read dialogue will be displayed as
shown in Figure 106-4. The file keyhole_xxx.odb contains four datasets of elemental stresses. The
strain and temperature datasets as well as stress datasets for the initial increment do not need to be
loaded. Check only the Stresses and Last increment only boxes, click Apply to Dataset List to apply the
selection and select OK to load the remaining stress datasets.

Figure 106-4

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Tutorial 106 : Using fe-safe with Abaqus .odb files

As fe-safe loads the model, information about the file and the data it contains is appended to the file:
<ProjectDir>\Model\reader.log.
This information is also displayed in the Message Log window.

When the model has finished loading, the Loaded FEA Models Properties dialogue box appears, as
shown in Figure 106-5.

Figure 106-5

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Vol. 1 Section 106 Issue: 22.1 Date: 02.08.21
Tutorial 106 : Using fe-safe with Abaqus .odb files

If the dialogue box does not appear automatically, then it can be displayed by right-clicking on the
icon in the Current FE Models window and selecting Properties.

Figure 106-6

Ensure that the units are as shown in Figure 106-5, then click OK.

A dialogue will show prompting to edit element groups loaded from the model, as shown in Figure
106-7, click No.

Figure 106-7

Copyright © 2021 Dassault Systemes Simulia Corp. Volume 1 Tutorial 106-5

Vol.. 1 Section 106 Issue: 22.1 Date: 02.08.21
Tutorial 106 : Using fe-safe with Abaqus .odb files

A summary of the open model appears in the Current FE Models window, showing the loaded datasets
and element group information – see Figure 106-8.

Figure 106-8

Note: if the window does not appear exactly as shown in Figure 106.3-6, then expand the tree view to
show more details.
The process of loading an FE model into fe-safe involves extracting pertinent data from the FE model,
and writing it to the working FED folder (see Appendix E). Therefore, the Current FE Models window is a
summary of the contents of the working FED folder. In this case there are two stress datasets each
containing elemental data with 502 elements in each dataset. The source of the dataset (the filename of
the source FE model, the step, increment and timestamp) are also shown
fe-safe also extracts group information of the same type as the loaded datasets. In this example, the
datasets are elemental, so only elemental groups are shown.
When a new model is loaded, the output filename automatically defaults to:
<ResultsDir>\{source_file_name}Results.{source_file_extension}

which in this example is:

<ResultsDir>\keyhole_xxxResults.odb

The output filename can be modified either by manually editing the Output File field in the Fatigue from
FEA dialogue, or by clicking the adjacent browse button: .

Volume 1 Tutorial 106-6 Copyright © 2021 Dassault Systemes Simulia Corp.

Vol. 1 Section 106 Issue: 22.1 Date: 02.08.21
Tutorial 106 : Using fe-safe with Abaqus .odb files

106.4 Exercise 1 : Multiaxial analysis using scale-and-combine loading