1. ABAQUS – Advanced use Element and Node Sets
Shear Locking in solid elements
Reduced Integration and Zero Energy Modes
Sign Convention
Integration Schemes
Shell Elements – pitfalls to avoid
Beam Elements
General Suggestions

2. ABAQUS CAE - Modules PART Create part using Sketcher SKETCH sketcher
ASSEMBLY Creation of instances and assembly.
PROPERTY Define Material, SECTION Properties and
ASSIGNS it.
STEP Analysis Steps
INTERACTION Interaction Properties, Constraints.
Contact between 2 surfaces,
LOAD Loads, Boundary Conditions and Fields.
MESH Choice of element
JOB Creates Job, associates job with a MODEL
VISUALIZATION Post processing

13. Sign Convention
Displacements and point loads are positive in the direction of the positive axes.
Normal Stresses – Tensile stress is +ve.
Shear stress – anticlockwise about element centre is +ve.
Direct strains – Tensile stress is +ve
Soils consolidation s’ = s + u

15. Stress Discontinuities
Stresses are calculated accurately at Gauss (Integration) points.
Displacements are continuous across element boundaries.
Stresses jump across element boundaries.

20. Shell Element - Normal
The direction of the +ve normal is defined by the nodal sequence and the Right hand rule.
The section points are numbered in the direction of the +ve normal. The section points identify the sections.