MEC4446

Composite Structures Due time and date: 10 pm 25 March 2016

Assignment One of Finite Element Analysis

Objectives:
Learn to use a commercial software to carry out FE analysis on an orthotropic
material. (Abaqus is one of the best FE packages in solid and structural
mechanics.)
Train your self-learning skill. (There will be no computer lab tutorial. Limited
help can be provided in weekly tutorial classes)

An orthotropic material is subjected to a uniaxial tension with the stress of 200 MPa. The material
properties are given as
E1 = 150GPa, E2 = 10GPa, E3 = 30GPa , G12 = 4GPa, G13 = 5GPa , G23 = 3GPa , v12 = 0.25,
v13 = 0.3, v 23 = 0.4 .
Study the Abaqus input file: orthotropic-uniaxial.inp to understand the sample problem of the same
material subjected to a uniaxial tensile stress of 100 MPa in the materials direction 3.

Answer the following questions for this assignment:

1. Abaqus provides two options to describe an orthotropic materials properties. One is
engineering constants as shown in the sample file. The other option is orthotropic.
Rewrite the input file to use the option orthotropic to input the material properties and
analyse the case of the material subjected to the uniaxial tensile stress of 200 MPa in the
materials direction 3. What are the strain components?
2. If the uniaxial tensile stress of 200 MPa is applied in the materials direction 2, change the
input file to run the analysis and find out the strain components.
3. If the uniaxial tensile stress of 200 MPa is applied in the materials direction 1, change the
input file to run the analysis and find out the strain components.
4. For the reasons of practice and comparison, if the material is isotropic with E = 150GPa
and v = 0.3 , determined the strain components if it is subjected to the uniaxial tensile stress
of 200 MPa.
Note: there are two ways to change the input file for questions 2 and 3:
1. Change the boundary and loading conditions
2. Change the materials orientation while keeping the boundary conditions and loading
direction.
To work on this assignment, I require you to use the second option to answer questions 2 and 3.

MEC4446

Composite Structures Due time and date: 10 pm 25 March 2016

You should use Abaqus to work on the four problems and submit the following
results for each of the analysis:
1. Use a sketch to illustrate the problem including both the materials local axes and the global
axes. To be consistent with this unit, use x, y and z represent the global axes and 1, 2, and 3
represent the materials local axes.
2. The answer of the strain components. Indicate the coordinate system that you used. Dont
copy and paste the strain values from .dat file. Instead, I require you to use the column
vector to express the strain components.
3. A copy of the input file that you used for the analysis.

Attached files for this assignment:

1. Intro-Abaqus.pdf: some very basic information about the software Abaqus.
2. orthotropic-uniaxial-2016.inp: an abaqus sample input file. You can use Wordpad to open,
read and edit this file. Note:
A line starting with a single * is an Abaqus keyword line
The line or lines following a keyword line without * form part of the command
with the previous keyword. They are called data lines for that keyword line
A line starting with more than one * is a comment, which will not affect the
analysis
3. Abaqus-steps.pdf: a step-by-step file to run an Abaqus job by using command. Note:

Abaqus offers another way to use the software via Abaqus/CAE. There is no need to
use Abaqus/CAE to finish this assignment.

4. _ELASTIC.pdf and 22.2.1_Linear elastic behavior.pdf

These two files provide the information on how to define orthotropic material
properties. As I mentioned, there are two options to do it.
These two files are obtained from online Abaqus documentation.
Steps to find these two files can be found in Abaqus-steps.pdf
5. _Orientation.pdf and 2.2.5_Orientation.pdf
These two files provide the information on how to define the materials coordinate
system with regard to the global coordinate system. This definition is required for the
analysis of any anisotropic materials, including composites.
These two files are obtained from online Abaqus documentation.