Feature Archive

ANSYS, Inc. Release 2021 R2

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Table of Contents
About This Archive ....................................................................................................................................... xi
1. Archived Features ................................................................................................................................... 1
1. Piping Models ................................................................................................................................... 3
1.1. What the Piping Commands Can Do for You ................................................................................ 3
1.2. Modeling Piping Systems with Piping Commands ....................................................................... 3
1.2.1. Specify the Jobname and Title ............................................................................................ 4
1.2.2. Set Up the Basic Piping Data ............................................................................................... 4
1.2.3. Define the Piping System's Geometry ................................................................................. 5
1.2.3.1. Review and Modify Your Piping Model ....................................................................... 6
1.3. Example Piping Model Input ....................................................................................................... 6
2. Subroutines ....................................................................................................................................... 9
2.1. Creep Subroutine UserCr ............................................................................................................ 9
2.2. Subroutine UserPL (Writing Your Own Plasticity Laws) ............................................................... 10
2.3. Subroutine usflex (Computes the flexibility factor for PIPE16 and PIPE18) ................................... 12
3. Restarting a Direct Coupled-Field Analysis .................................................................................... 15
3.1. Singleframe Restart ................................................................................................................... 15
3.1.1. Singleframe Restart Requirements .................................................................................... 15
3.1.2. Singleframe Restart Procedure ......................................................................................... 17
3.1.3. Restarting a Nonlinear Analysis From an Incompatible Database ....................................... 19
3.1.3.1. Re-establishing Boundary Conditions ....................................................................... 19
4. Partial-Solution Procedure ............................................................................................................. 21
4.1. Partial Inertia Relief Calculations ................................................................................................ 21
4.2. Comparison of Linear Perturbation and Partial-Solution Procedures ........................................... 22
5. Explicit Creep Procedure ................................................................................................................. 25
6. Fatigue ............................................................................................................................................ 27
6.1. How Fatigue Is Calculated ......................................................................................................... 27
6.2. Fatigue Terminology ................................................................................................................. 28
6.3. Evaluating Fatigue .................................................................................................................... 28
6.3.1. Enter POST1 and Resume Your Database ........................................................................... 28
6.3.2. Establish the Size, Fatigue Material Properties, and Locations ............................................. 29
6.3.3. Store Stresses and Assign Event Repetitions and Scale Factors ........................................... 30
6.3.3.1. Storing Stresses ....................................................................................................... 30
6.3.3.1.1. Manually Stored Stresses ................................................................................. 31
6.3.3.1.2. Nodal Stresses from Jobname.RST ............................................................... 31
6.3.3.1.3. Stresses at a Cross-Section .............................................................................. 32
6.3.3.2. Listing, Plotting, or Deleting Stored Stresses ............................................................. 32
6.3.3.3. Assigning Event Repetitions and Scale Factors .......................................................... 33
6.3.3.4. Guidelines for Obtaining Accurate Usage Factors ...................................................... 33
6.3.4. Activate the Fatigue Calculations ...................................................................................... 35
6.3.5. Review the Results ........................................................................................................... 35
6.3.6. Other Approaches to Range Counting .............................................................................. 36
6.3.7. Example: Fatigue Evaluation Input .................................................................................... 36
7. Cracking and Crushing Plots (SOLID65 and PLCRACK) ................................................................... 37
8. Stress-Intensity Factors (SIFS) Calculation via Displacement Extrapolation .................................. 39
8.1. Step 1: Define a Local Crack-Tip or Crack-Front Coordinate System ............................................. 39
8.2. Step 2: Define a Path Along the Crack Face ................................................................................. 39
8.3. Step 3: Calculate KI, KII, and KIII ................................................................................................... 40
2. Archived Commands ............................................................................................................................. 41
3. Archived Material Properties .............................................................................................................. 127

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Feature Archive

1. Multilinear Kinematic Hardening (TB,MKIN and TB,KINH) ........................................................... 129

1.1. Defining the Multilinear Kinematic Hardening Model ............................................................... 129
1.2. Material Model Combinations Using Multilinear Kinematic Hardening ..................................... 131
2. Multilinear Isotropic Hardening (TB,MISO) .................................................................................. 133
2.1. Defining the Multilinear Isotropic Hardening Model ................................................................. 133
2.2. Material Model Combinations Using Multilinear Isotropic Hardening ....................................... 133
3. Bilinear Isotropic Hardening (TB,BISO) ......................................................................................... 139
3.1. Understanding Bilinear Isotropic Hardening ............................................................................ 139
3.2. Defining the Bilinear Isotropic Hardening Model ...................................................................... 140
3.3. Material Model Combinations Using Bilinear Isotropic Hardening ............................................. 141
3.3.1. BISO and CHAB Example ................................................................................................. 141
3.3.2. GURSON and BISO Example ............................................................................................ 141
3.3.3. GURSON and CHAB and BISO Example ............................................................................ 142
3.3.4. RATE and BISO Example .................................................................................................. 142
3.3.5. BISO and CREEP Example ................................................................................................ 142
3.3.6. HILL and BISO Example ................................................................................................... 143
3.3.7. HILL and BISO and CHAB Example .................................................................................. 143
3.3.8. HILL and RATE and BISO Example .................................................................................... 143
3.3.9. HILL, CREEP and BISO Example ........................................................................................ 144
3.3.10. RATE and CHAB and BISO Example ................................................................................ 145
4. Bilinear Kinematic Hardening (TB,BKIN) ...................................................................................... 147
4.1. Understanding Bilinear Kinematic Hardening .......................................................................... 147
4.2. Defining the Bilinear Kinematic Hardening Model .................................................................... 148
4.3. Material Model Combinations Using Bilinear Kinematic Hardening ........................................... 149
4.3.1. BKIN and CREEP Example ................................................................................................ 149
4.3.2. HILL and BKIN Example ................................................................................................... 149
4.3.3. HILL and CREEP and BKIN Example ................................................................................. 149
5. Classic Drucker-Prager Plasticity (TB,DP) ..................................................................................... 151
5.1. Understanding Classic Drucker-Prager Plasticity ...................................................................... 151
5.1.1. Classic Drucker-Prager Plasticity Model Theory ................................................................ 151
5.2. Defining the Classic Drucker-Prager Plasticity Model ................................................................ 153
6. Explicit Creep Equations ............................................................................................................... 155
4. Archived Elements .............................................................................................................................. 165
.4. BEAM4: 3-D Elastic Beam ................................................................................................................. 167
.12. CONTAC12: 2-D Point-to-Point Contact .......................................................................................... 183
.16. PIPE16: Elastic Straight Pipe ........................................................................................................... 191
.18. PIPE18: Elastic Curved Pipe ............................................................................................................ 203
.42. PLANE42: 2-D Structural Solid ........................................................................................................ 213
.45. SOLID45: 3-D Structural Solid ......................................................................................................... 221
.52. CONTAC52: 3-D Point-to-Point Contact .......................................................................................... 231
.59. PIPE59: Immersed Pipe or Cable ..................................................................................................... 239
.63. SHELL63: Elastic Shell .................................................................................................................... 257
.65. SOLID65: 3-D Reinforced Concrete Solid ........................................................................................ 267
.79. FLUID79: 2-D Contained Fluid ........................................................................................................ 279
.80. FLUID80: 3-D Contained Fluid ........................................................................................................ 285
.81. FLUID81: Axisymmetric-Harmonic Contained Fluid ........................................................................ 291
.82. PLANE82: 2-D 8-Node Structural Solid ............................................................................................ 297
.92. SOLID92: 3-D 10-Node Tetrahedral Structural Solid ......................................................................... 305
.95. SOLID95: 3-D 20-Node Structural Solid ........................................................................................... 313
.171. CONTA171: 2-D 2-Node Surface-to-Surface Contact ..................................................................... 321
.173. CONTA173: 3-D 4-Node Surface-to-Surface Contact ..................................................................... 347

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 Feature Archive

.176. CONTA176: 3-D Line-to-Line Contact ............................................................................................ 375

5. Archived Theory .................................................................................................................................. 395
1. Archived Theory Element Library ................................................................................................. 397
1.1. BEAM4 - 3-D Elastic Beam ........................................................................................................ 397
1.1.1. Stiffness and Mass Matrices ............................................................................................ 397
1.1.2. Gyroscopic Damping Matrix ........................................................................................... 400
1.1.3. Pressure and Temperature Load Vector ........................................................................... 400
1.1.4. Local to Global Conversion ............................................................................................. 400
1.1.5. Stress Calculations .......................................................................................................... 402
1.2. CONTAC12 - 2-D Point-to-Point Contact ................................................................................... 403
1.2.1. Element Matrices ............................................................................................................ 403
1.2.2. Orientation of the Element ............................................................................................. 405
1.2.3. Rigid Coulomb Friction ................................................................................................... 405
1.3. PIPE16 - Elastic Straight Pipe .................................................................................................... 406
1.3.1. Assumptions and Restrictions ......................................................................................... 406
1.3.2. Stiffness Matrix ............................................................................................................... 406
1.3.3. Mass Matrix .................................................................................................................... 407
1.3.4. Gyroscopic Damping Matrix ........................................................................................... 408
1.3.5. Load Vector .................................................................................................................... 409
1.3.6. Stress Calculation ........................................................................................................... 410
1.4. PIPE18 - Elastic Curved Pipe ..................................................................................................... 415
1.4.1. Other Applicable Sections .............................................................................................. 415
1.4.2. Stiffness Matrix ............................................................................................................... 415
1.4.3. Mass Matrix .................................................................................................................... 418
1.4.4. Load Vector .................................................................................................................... 418
1.4.5. Stress Calculations .......................................................................................................... 419
1.5. PLANE42 - 2-D Structural Solid ................................................................................................ 419
1.5.1. Other Applicable Sections .............................................................................................. 420
1.6. SOLID45 - 3-D Structural Solid ................................................................................................. 420
1.6.1. Other Applicable Sections .............................................................................................. 421
1.7. CONTAC52 - 3-D Point-to-Point Contact ................................................................................... 421
1.7.1. Other Applicable Sections .............................................................................................. 421
1.7.2. Element Matrices ............................................................................................................ 421
1.7.3. Orientation of Element ................................................................................................... 422
1.8. PIPE59 - Immersed Pipe or Cable ............................................................................................. 423
1.8.1. Overview of the Element ................................................................................................ 424
1.8.2. Location of the Element .................................................................................................. 424
1.8.3. Stiffness Matrix ............................................................................................................... 425
1.8.4. Mass Matrix .................................................................................................................... 425
1.8.5. Load Vector .................................................................................................................... 426
1.8.6. Hydrostatic Effects .......................................................................................................... 426
1.8.7. Hydrodynamic Effects ..................................................................................................... 428
1.8.8. Stress Output ................................................................................................................. 428
1.9. SHELL63 - Elastic Shell ............................................................................................................. 429
1.9.1. Other Applicable Sections .............................................................................................. 431
1.9.2. Foundation Stiffness ....................................................................................................... 431
1.9.3. In-Plane Rotational Stiffness ........................................................................................... 431
1.9.4. Warping ......................................................................................................................... 431
1.9.5. Options for Non-Uniform Material ................................................................................... 432
1.9.6. Extrapolation of Results to the Nodes ............................................................................. 434
1.10. SOLID65 - 3-D Reinforced Concrete Solid ............................................................................... 434

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Feature Archive

1.10.1. Assumptions and Restrictions ....................................................................................... 434

1.10.2. Description .................................................................................................................. 435
1.10.3. Linear Behavior - General .............................................................................................. 435
1.10.4. Linear Behavior - Concrete ............................................................................................ 435
1.10.5. Linear Behavior - Reinforcement ................................................................................... 436
1.10.6. Nonlinear Behavior - Concrete ...................................................................................... 438
1.10.7. Modeling of a Crack ...................................................................................................... 438
1.10.8. Modeling of Crushing ................................................................................................... 441
1.11. FLUID79 - 2-D Contained Fluid ............................................................................................... 441
1.11.1. Other Applicable Sections ............................................................................................ 441
1.12. FLUID80 - 3-D Contained Fluid ............................................................................................... 442
1.12.1. Other Applicable Sections ............................................................................................ 442
1.12.2. Assumptions and Restrictions ....................................................................................... 442
1.12.3. Material Properties ....................................................................................................... 442
1.12.4. Free Surface Effects ...................................................................................................... 444
1.12.5. Other Assumptions and Limitations .............................................................................. 445
1.13. FLUID81 - Axisymmetric-Harmonic Contained Fluid ............................................................... 446
1.13.1. Other Applicable Sections ............................................................................................ 447
1.13.2. Assumptions and Restrictions ....................................................................................... 447
1.13.3. Load Vector Correction ................................................................................................. 447
1.14. PLANE82 - 2-D 8-Node Structural Solid .................................................................................. 447
1.14.1. Other Applicable Sections ............................................................................................ 448
1.14.2. Assumptions and Restrictions ....................................................................................... 448
1.15. SOLID92 - 3-D 10-Node Tetrahedral Structural Solid ............................................................... 448
1.15.1. Other Applicable Sections ............................................................................................ 448
1.16. SOLID95 - 3-D 20-Node Structural Solid ................................................................................. 449
1.16.1. Other Applicable Sections ............................................................................................ 449
1.17. CONTA171 - 2-D 2-Node Surface-to-Surface Contact .............................................................. 450
1.17.1. Other Applicable Sections ............................................................................................ 450
1.18. CONTA173 - 3-D 4-Node Surface-to-Surface Contact .............................................................. 450
1.18.1. Other Applicable Sections ............................................................................................ 450
1.19. CONTA176 - 3-D Line-to-Line Contact .................................................................................... 451
1.19.1. Other Applicable Sections ............................................................................................ 451
1.19.2. Contact Kinematics ...................................................................................................... 451
1.19.3. Contact Models ............................................................................................................ 452
1.19.4. Contact Forces ............................................................................................................. 453
2. Concrete (with SOLID65) ............................................................................................................... 455
2.1. The Domain (Compression - Compression - Compression) ........................................................ 457
2.2. The Domain (Tension - Compression - Compression) ................................................................ 459
2.3. The Domain (Tension - Tension - Compression) ........................................................................ 459
2.4. The Domain (Tension - Tension - Tension) ................................................................................ 460
3. Creep ............................................................................................................................................. 463
3.1. Definition and Limitations ....................................................................................................... 463
3.2. Calculation of Creep ................................................................................................................ 464
3.3. Time-Step Size ........................................................................................................................ 465
4. Hydrodynamic Loads on Line Elements ........................................................................................ 467
4.1. Wave Theory ........................................................................................................................... 467
5. POST1 - Fatigue Module ................................................................................................................ 473
6. POST1 - Crack Analysis (KCALC) .................................................................................................... 475

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List of Figures
7.1. Concrete Beam with Cracks ................................................................................................................... 37
8.1. Typical Crack Face Path Definitions ........................................................................................................ 39
5.1. Drucker-Prager and Mohr-Coulomb Yield Surfaces ............................................................................... 152
.4.1. BEAM4 Geometry ............................................................................................................................... 167
.4.2. BEAM4 Stress Output ......................................................................................................................... 171
.12.1. CONTAC12 Geometry ....................................................................................................................... 183
.12.2. CONTAC12 Force-Deflection Relationship ......................................................................................... 187
.16.1. PIPE16 Geometry ............................................................................................................................. 191
.16.2. PIPE16 Stress Output ........................................................................................................................ 196
.18.1. PIPE18 Geometry ............................................................................................................................. 203
.18.2. PIPE18 Stress Output ........................................................................................................................ 207
.42.1. PLANE42 Geometry .......................................................................................................................... 213
.42.2. PLANE42 Stress Output .................................................................................................................... 217
.45.1. SOLID45 Geometry ........................................................................................................................... 221
.45.2. SOLID45 Stress Output ..................................................................................................................... 226
.52.1. CONTAC52 Geometry ....................................................................................................................... 231
.52.2. CONTAC52 Force-Deflection Relationship ......................................................................................... 236
.59.1. PIPE59 Geometry ............................................................................................................................. 239
.59.2. PIPE59 Geometry ............................................................................................................................. 240
.59.3. PIPE59 Velocity Profiles for Wave-current Interactions ........................................................................ 247
.59.4. PIPE59 Stress Output ........................................................................................................................ 248
.63.1. SHELL63 Geometry .......................................................................................................................... 257
.63.2. SHELL63 Stress Output ..................................................................................................................... 263
.65.1. SOLID65 Geometry ........................................................................................................................... 267
.65.2. SOLID65 Stress Output ..................................................................................................................... 272
.79.1. FLUID79 Geometry ........................................................................................................................... 279
.80.1. FLUID80 Geometry ........................................................................................................................... 285
.81.1. FLUID81 Geometry ........................................................................................................................... 291
.82.1. PLANE82 Geometry .......................................................................................................................... 297
.82.2. PLANE82 Stress Output .................................................................................................................... 300
.92.1. SOLID92 Geometry ........................................................................................................................... 305
.92.2. SOLID92 Stress Output ..................................................................................................................... 308
.95.1. SOLID95 Geometry ........................................................................................................................... 313
.95.2. SOLID95 Stress Output ..................................................................................................................... 317
.171.1. CONTA171 Geometry ..................................................................................................................... 321
.173.1. CONTA173 Geometry ..................................................................................................................... 347
.176.1. CONTA176 Geometry ..................................................................................................................... 375
.176.2. Beam Sliding Inside a Hollow Beam ................................................................................................. 376
.176.3. Parallel Beams in Contact ................................................................................................................ 376
.176.4. Crossing Beams in Contact ............................................................................................................. 376
.176.5. Equivalent Circular Cross Section .................................................................................................... 377
1.1. Order of Degrees of Freedom .............................................................................................................. 398
1.2. Force-Deflection Relations for Standard Case ....................................................................................... 405
1.3. Force-Deflection Relations for Rigid Coulomb Option .......................................................................... 406
1.4. Thermal and Pressure Effects ............................................................................................................... 410
1.5. Elastic Pipe Direct Stress Output .......................................................................................................... 412
1.6. Elastic Pipe Shear Stress Output .......................................................................................................... 412
1.7. Stress Point Locations ......................................................................................................................... 414
1.8. Mohr Circles ........................................................................................................................................ 414

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Feature Archive

1.9. Plane Element ..................................................................................................................................... 415

1.10. Reinforcement Orientation ................................................................................................................ 437
1.11. Strength of Cracked Condition .......................................................................................................... 438
1.12. U-Tube with Fluid .............................................................................................................................. 444
1.13. Bending Without Resistance .............................................................................................................. 446
1.14. Beam Sliding Inside a Hollow Beam ................................................................................................... 451
1.15. Parallel Beams in Contact .................................................................................................................. 452
1.16. Crossing Beams in Contact ................................................................................................................ 452
2.1. 3-D Failure Surface in Principal Stress Space ......................................................................................... 457
2.2. A Profile of the Failure Surface ............................................................................................................. 459
2.3. Failure Surface in Principal Stress Space with Nearly Biaxial Stress ........................................................ 460
4.1. Velocity Profiles for Wave-Current Interactions ..................................................................................... 471
6.1. Local Coordinates Measured From a 3-D Crack Front ............................................................................ 476
6.2. The Three Basic Modes of Fracture ....................................................................................................... 476
6.3. Nodes Used for the Approximate Crack-Tip Displacements .................................................................. 477

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List of Tables
3.1. Restart Information for Nonlinear Analyses ............................................................................................ 16
4.1. Linear Perturbation vs. Partial-Solution Procedures ................................................................................ 22
1.1. Material Model Combination Possibilities ............................................................................................ 131
.4.1. BEAM4 Real Constants ........................................................................................................................ 170
.4.2. BEAM4 Element Output Definitions .................................................................................................... 172
.4.3. BEAM4 Item and Sequence Numbers (KEYOPT(9) = 0) ......................................................................... 173
.4.4. BEAM4 Item and Sequence Numbers (KEYOPT(9) = 1) ......................................................................... 174
.4.5. BEAM4 Item and Sequence Numbers (KEYOPT(9) = 3) ......................................................................... 175
.4.6. BEAM4 Item and Sequence Numbers (KEYOPT(9) = 5) ......................................................................... 176
.4.7. BEAM4 Item and Sequence Numbers (KEYOPT(9) = 7) ......................................................................... 178
.4.8. BEAM4 Item and Sequence Numbers (KEYOPT(9) = 9) ......................................................................... 179
.12.1. CONTAC12 Real Constants ................................................................................................................ 186
.12.2. CONTAC12 Element Output Definitions ............................................................................................. 188
.12.3. CONTAC12 Item and Sequence Numbers .......................................................................................... 189
.16.1. PIPE16 Real Constants ...................................................................................................................... 196
.16.2. PIPE16 Element Output Definitions ................................................................................................... 197
.16.3. PIPE16 Item and Sequence Numbers (Node I) .................................................................................... 198
.16.4. PIPE16 Item and Sequence Numbers (Node J) ................................................................................... 199
.16.5. PIPE16 Item and Sequence Numbers ................................................................................................ 200
.18.1. PIPE18 Real Constants ...................................................................................................................... 206
.18.2. PIPE18 Element Output Definitions ................................................................................................... 208
.18.3. PIPE18 Item and Sequence Numbers (Node I) .................................................................................... 209
.18.4. PIPE18 Item and Sequence Numbers (Node J) ................................................................................... 210
.18.5. PIPE18 Item and Sequence Numbers ................................................................................................ 211
.42.1. PLANE42 Element Output Definitions ............................................................................................... 217
.42.2. PLANE42 Miscellaneous Element Output .......................................................................................... 218
.42.3. PLANE42 Item and Sequence Numbers ............................................................................................. 219
.45.1. SOLID45 Element Output Definitions ................................................................................................ 226
.45.2. SOLID45 Miscellaneous Element Output ........................................................................................... 228
.45.3. SOLID45 Item and Sequence Numbers .............................................................................................. 228
.52.1. CONTAC52 Real Constants ................................................................................................................ 234
.52.2. CONTAC52 Element Output Definitions ............................................................................................. 236
.52.3. CONTAC52 Item and Sequence Numbers .......................................................................................... 237
.59.1. PIPE59 Real Constants ...................................................................................................................... 243
.59.2. PIPE59 Water Motion Table ............................................................................................................... 245
.59.3. PIPE59 Element Output Definitions ................................................................................................... 249
.59.4. PIPE59 Item and Sequence Numbers (Node I) .................................................................................... 251
.59.5. PIPE59 Item and Sequence Numbers (Node J) ................................................................................... 252
.59.6. PIPE59 Item and Sequence Numbers (Pipe Options) .......................................................................... 253
.59.7. PIPE59 Item and Sequence Numbers (Cable Option) ......................................................................... 253
.59.8. PIPE59 Item and Sequence Numbers (Additional Output) .................................................................. 254
.63.1. SHELL63 Real Constants ................................................................................................................... 262
.63.2. SHELL63 Element Output Definitions ................................................................................................ 263
.63.3. SHELL63 Miscellaneous Element Output ........................................................................................... 264
.63.4. SHELL63 Item and Sequence Numbers .............................................................................................. 265
.65.1. SOLID65 Concrete Material Data ....................................................................................................... 271
.65.2. SOLID65 Element Output Definitions ................................................................................................ 272
.65.3. SOLID65 Miscellaneous Element Output ........................................................................................... 274
.65.4. SOLID65 Element Status Table .......................................................................................................... 274

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Feature Archive

.65.5. SOLID65 Item and Sequence Numbers .............................................................................................. 275

.79.1. FLUID79 Element Output Definitions ................................................................................................ 281
.79.2. FLUID79 Item and Sequence Numbers .............................................................................................. 282
.80.1. FLUID80 Element Output Definitions ................................................................................................ 287
.80.2. FLUID80 Item and Sequence Numbers .............................................................................................. 288
.81.1. FLUID81 Element Output Definitions ................................................................................................ 294
.81.2. FLUID81 Item and Sequence Numbers .............................................................................................. 295
.82.1. PLANE82 Element Output Definitions ............................................................................................... 301
.82.2. PLANE82 Miscellaneous Element Output .......................................................................................... 302
.82.3. PLANE82 Item and Sequence Numbers ............................................................................................. 303
.92.1. SOLID92 Element Output Definitions ................................................................................................ 308
.92.2. SOLID92 Miscellaneous Element Output ........................................................................................... 309
.92.3. SOLID92 Item and Sequence Numbers .............................................................................................. 310
.95.1. SOLID95 Element Output Definitions ................................................................................................ 317
.95.2. SOLID95 Miscellaneous Element Output ........................................................................................... 318
.95.3. SOLID95 Item and Sequence Numbers .............................................................................................. 319
.171.1. CONTA171 Real Constants .............................................................................................................. 334
.171.2. CONTA171 Element Output Definitions ........................................................................................... 338
.171.3. CONTA171 Item and Sequence Numbers ........................................................................................ 342
.173.1. CONTA173 Real Constants .............................................................................................................. 363
.173.2. CONTA173 Element Output Definitions ........................................................................................... 366
.173.3. CONTA173 Item and Sequence Numbers ........................................................................................ 370
.176.1. CONTA176 Real Constants .............................................................................................................. 386
.176.2. CONTA176 Element Output Definitions ........................................................................................... 388
.176.3. CONTA176 Item and Sequence Numbers ........................................................................................ 391
1.1. Stress Intensification Factors ............................................................................................................... 412
2.1. Concrete Material Table ....................................................................................................................... 455
4.1. Wave Theory Table .............................................................................................................................. 467

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About This Archive
The purpose of this archive is to provide a documentation location for features, elements, theory, and
commands that are still available for use but are no longer being actively developed.

The Mechanical APDL product continues to provide limited support for capabilities documented in this
archive. While Ansys, Inc. testing, error correction, Class 3 Error reporting, and technical support are
maintained for these capabilities, new feature development or technical enhancement is unlikely to
occur. In most cases, access via the graphical user interface (GUI) is no longer available.

While the features in this archive remain available for use, better alternatives are available and recom-
mended in most cases.

The following topics are available:

• Part 1: Archived Features (p. 1)

• Part 2: Archived Commands (p. 41)

• Part 4: Archived Elements (p. 165)

• Part 3: Archived Material Properties (p. 127)

• Part 5: Archived Theory (p. 395)

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 Part 1: Archived Features
Following is archived Mechanical APDL feature documentation.
Chapter 1: Piping Models
Chapter 2: Subroutines
Chapter 3: Restarting a Direct Coupled-Field Analysis
Chapter 4: Partial-Solution Procedure
Chapter 5: Explicit Creep Procedure
Chapter 6: Fatigue
Chapter 7: Cracking and Crushing Plots (SOLID65 and PLCRACK)
Chapter 8: Stress-Intensity Factors (SIFS) Calculation via Displacement Extrapolation
Chapter 1: Piping Models
Mechanical APDL offers a group of commands that enable you to model piping systems and their loads
in terms of conventional piping input data, instead of in terms of standard direct-generation modeling
operations. As you input piping commands, the program internally converts your piping data to direct-
generation model data, then stores the converted information in the database. Once this information
is stored, you can list it, display it, modify it, redefine it, etc., using any of the standard direct-generation
commands.

The piping system modeling methods described here apply to straight-pipe PIPE16 and curved-pipe
PIPE18 elements. (Both elements are described in Part III: Archived Elements.)

The following topics concerning piping models are available:

1.1. What the Piping Commands Can Do for You
1.2. Modeling Piping Systems with Piping Commands
1.3. Example Piping Model Input

1.1. What the Piping Commands Can Do for You

Some special features of the piping module are:

• Creates a line model of a piping network using straight-pipe PIPE16 and curved-pipe PIPE18
elements. (Both elements are described in Part 4: Archived Elements (p. 165).) Node and element
geometry are defined in terms of incremental run lengths and bend radii, rather than in terms
of absolute coordinates.

• Automatically calculates tangency points for bends.

• Relates standard piping designations (such as nominal diameter and schedule) to geometric
values.

• Assigns pipe specifications to element real constants.

• Calculates and assigns flexibility and stress intensification factors based on the pressures and
the temperatures specified in the pipe module before the creation of the piping elements as
appropriate for each element type. The flexibility factors are not be changed automatically if the
pipe pressures or temperatures are subsequently revised.

• Determines drag pressure loads from a pressure vs. height relationship.

1.2. Modeling Piping Systems with Piping Commands

Building a model with the piping commands consists of three primary tasks:
1.2.1. Specify the Jobname and Title

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Piping Models

1.2.2. Set Up the Basic Piping Data

1.2.3. Define the Piping System's Geometry

All piping commands referenced here are described in Part 2: Archived Commands (p. 41).

Other actions required for a piping system analysis include applying additional loads (D, F, etc.), obtaining
the solution, and reviewing the results. See the Basic Analysis Guide for more information.

1.2.1. Specify the Jobname and Title

Perform these steps at the Begin level.

1. Specify the jobname you want to use for all files that are subsequently created by the analysis
(/FILNAME).

2. Write an analysis file (/TITLE).

3. Issue a "reminder" to yourself about the system of units you intend to use (/UNITS).

This step does not convert data from one system of units to another.

1.2.2. Set Up the Basic Piping Data

Set up the basic piping data as follows:

1. Enter PREP7 (/PREP7).

2. Define the material properties for all materials referenced by the model (MP, MPTEMP, etc.).

3. Select a system of units, if other than consistent (PUNIT).

The PUNIT command determines how the program interprets the data input for the PDRAG,
BRANCH, RUN, BEND, MITER, REDUCE, VALVE, BELLOW, FLANGE, PSPRNG, PGAP, /PSPEC, PINSUL,
and PCORRO commands. The difference between PUNIT and the /UNITS command is that
PUNIT affects how the program behaves, whereas /UNITS does not.

4. Define the pipe specifications. These specifications are applied to the elements as they are
generated via the RUN command.

a. Define pipe material and dimensions (PSPEC).

b. Define the contained fluid density for a piping run (PFLUID).

c. Define the external insulation constants in a piping run (PINSUL).

d. Specify the allowable exterior corrosion thickness for a piping run (PCORRO).

5. Select the piping analysis standard (POPT).:

The program calculates and assigns flexibility and stress intensification factors for curved pipe
elements based on the pressures and the temperatures specified in the pipe module before
the creation of the piping elements as appropriate for each element type. The flexibility

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 Modeling Piping Systems with Piping Commands

factors and stress intensification factors are not changed retroactively if the pipe pressures
or temperatures are subsequently revised.

6. Select the pipe loadings.

a. Define the pipe wall temperatures in a piping run (PTEMP).

b. Define the internal pressure for a piping run (PPRES).

c. Define the external fluid drag loading for a piping run (PDRAG).

1.2.3. Define the Piping System's Geometry

Define the basic skeleton layout of your piping model as follows.

1. Specify the starting point of your piping system (BRANCH).

2. Follow up with a series of RUN commands to define incremental "straight" runs of pipe.

Pipe elements are generated "straight" in the active coordinate system. Each RUN command
uses length dimensions in the format specified by the PUNIT command to generate a node
and a PIPE16 element (along with its real constants, material properties, and loads).

3. Insert bends and other components (tees, valves, reducers, flanges, bellows, and spring re-
straints) into the model at existing nodes that are shared by two or more existing pipe ele-
ments. The program automatically updates your model's geometry to account for the inserted
components. Inserted pipe components take their specifications and loadings from the adjacent
straight pipes.

• To define a bend in a piping run, issue the BEND command.

• To define a mitered bend in a piping run, issue the MITER command.

• To define a tee in a piping run, issue the TEE command.

• To define a valve in a piping run, issue the VALVE command.

• To define a reducer in a piping run, issue the REDUCE command.

• To define a flange in a piping run, issue the FLANGE command.

• To define a bellows in a piping run, issue the BELLOW command.

• To define a spring constraint in a piping run, issue the PSPRNG command.

• To define a spring-gap constraint in a piping run, issue the PGAP command.

Another BRANCH command defines the junction point from which another run of pipe branches off
the previously defined run. Subsequent RUN commands define, in incremental fashion, another run
of "straight" pipe elements, starting from the last junction point.

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Piping Models

1.2.3.1. Review and Modify Your Piping Model

When you have completed piping data input, you can review the information that has been stored
in the database via standard listing and display commands (NLIST, NPLOT, ELIST, EPLOT, SFELIST,
BFELIST, etc.).

If necessary, you can modify the data using standard procedures for revising your model and your
loads. See Loading in the Basic Analysis Guide for details.

1.3. Example Piping Model Input

The following example input shows how to model this piping system:
End of first run

X
Z Start of second run
(second BRANCH)
Hangers (PSPRNG)
BEND
TEE
End of second run

MITER

Starting point (first BRANCH)

!
! Sample piping data input
!
/FILNAM,EXAMPLE
/TITLE, EXAMPLE PIPING INPUT
/UNITS,BIN ! A reminder that consistent units are U. S. Customary inches
!
/PREP7
! Define material properties for pipe elements
MP,EX,1,30e6
MP,PRXY,1,0.3
MP,ALPX,1,8e-6
MP,DENS,1,.283
PUNIT,1 ! Units are read as ft+in+fraction and converted to
! decimal inches
PSPEC,1,8,STD ! 8" standard pipe
POPT,B31.1 ! Piping analysis standard: ANSI B31.1
PTEMP,200 ! Temperature = 200°
PPRES,1000 ! Internal pressure = 1000 psi
PDRAG,,,-.2 ! Drag = 0.2 psi in -Z direction at any height (Y)
BRANCH,1,0+12,0+12 ! Start first pipe run at (12",12",0")
RUN,,7+4 ! Run 7'-4" in +Y direction
RUN,9+5+1/2 ! Run 9'-5 1/2" in +X direction
RUN,,,-8+4 ! Run 8'-4" in -Z direction
RUN,,8+4 ! Run 8'-4" in +Y direction
/PNUM,NODE,1
/VIEW,1,1,2,3
EPLOT ! Identify node number at which 2nd run starts
BRANCH,4 ! Start second pipe run at node 4
RUN,6+2+1/2 ! Run 6'-2 1/2" in +X direction
TEE,4,WT ! Insert a tee at node 4
/PNUM,DEFA
/PNUM,ELEM,1
EPLOT ! Identify element numbers for bend and miter inserts

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 Example Piping Model Input

BEND,1,2,SR ! Insert a "short-radius" bend between elements 1 and 2

MITER,2,3,LR,2 ! Insert a two-piece miter between elements 2 and 3
/PNUM,DEFA
/PNUM,NODE,1
! Zoom in on miter bend to identify nodes for spring hangers
/ZOOM, 1, 242.93 , 206.62 , -39.059 , 26.866
PSPRNG,14,TRAN,1e4,,0+12 ! Insert Y-direction spring at node 14
PSPRNG,16,TRAN,1e4,,0+12 ! Insert Y-direction spring at node 16
! List and display interpreted input data
/AUTO
/PNUM,DEFA
EPLOT
NLIST
ELIST
SFELIST
BFELIST
!

Although two hangers are provided, more restraints are needed before proceeding to the solution.

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Chapter 2: Subroutines
2.1. Creep Subroutine UserCr
In contrast to the UserCreep subroutine, the UserCr subroutine requires that you specify the creep
strain tensor.

*deck,usercr USERDISTRIB
subroutine usercr (elem,intpt,mat,ncomp,kfirst,kfsteq,e,posn,d,
x proptb,timval,timinc,tem,dtem,toffst,fluen,dfluen,epel,epcrp,
x statev,usvr,delcr)
c
c *** primary function: allow users to write their own creep laws.
c this logic is accessed with c6 = 100
c *** secondary function: demonstrate the use of user-written creep laws
c
c *** Notice - This file contains ANSYS Confidential information ***
c
c
c *** Copyright ANSYS. All Rights Reserved.
c *** ansys, inc.
c
c input arguments:
c variable (type,sze,intent) description
c
c elem (int,sc,in) - element number (label)
c intpt (int,sc,in) - element integration point number
c mat (int,sc,in) - material reference number
c ncomp (int,sc,in) - no. of stress/strain components (1,4 or 6)
c 1 - x
c 4 - x,y,z,xy
c 6 - x,y,z,xy,yz,xz
c kfirst (int,sc,in) - 1 if first time through, 0 otherwise
c (useful for initializing state variables
c to a non-zero value)
c kfsteq (int,sc,in) - 1 if first equilibrium iteration of a
c substep, 0 otherwise
c
c
c e (dp,sc,in) - elastic young'S MODULUS
c posn (dp,sc,in) - poisson'S RATIO
c d (dp,ar(ncomp,ncomp),in)- elastic stress-strain matrix
c proptb (dp,ar(72),in) - material properties input on tb commands
c (do not use proptb(13), as it is used elsewhere)
c timval (dp,sc,in) - current time value
c timinc (dp,sc,in) - time increment over this substep
c tem (dp,sc,in) - temperature at the end of this substep
c dtem (dp,sc,in) - temperature increment over this substep
c toffst (dp,sc,in) - temperature offset from absolute zero
c fluen (dp,sc,in) - fluence at the end of this substep
c dfluen (dp,sc,in) - fluence increment over this substep
c
c epel (dp,ar(ncomp),inout)- elastic strain
c epcrp (dp,ar(ncomp),inout)- creep strain from previous substep
c statev (dp,ar(ncomp*5+2),inout)- state variables from previous
c (converged) substep. This variable is for
c explicit creep only and refers to a
c different internal variable than that

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Subroutines

c defined by TB,stat which is used by

c implicit creep (usercreep) and usermat.
c usvr (dp,ar(nuval,nintp),inout)- additional state variables from
c previous equilibrium iteration (saved
c if the nsvr command is used)
c
c
c output arguments:
c variable (type,sze,intent) description
c
c epel (dp,ar(ncomp),inout)- elastic strain adjusted for creep increment
c epcrp (dp,ar(ncomp),inout)- updated creep strain
c statev (dp,ar(ncomp*5+2),inout)- updated state variables
c usvr (dp,ar(nuval,nintp),inout)- updated additional state variables
c delcr (dp,sc,out) - equivalent creep strain increment (used
c for creep ratio calculation)
c
c fortran parameters (to be defined by the user):
c variable (type) description
c nuval (int) - number of additional state variables per
c integration point
c nintp (int) - maximum number of integration points of
c an element to be used with this routine
c (14 is the maximum)
c note: nuval x nintp = nstv(on nsvr command); cannot exceed 840!
c
c internal variables:
c variable (type,sze) description
c con (dp,sc) - temporary variable
c del (dp,ar(6)) - creep strain increments
c epet (dp,sc) - equivalent elastic strain (before creep)
c ept (dp,ar(6)) - total strain
c eptot (dp,sc) - equivalent total strain, elastic + creep
c sigen (dp,sc) - equivalent stress (before creep)
c temabs (dp,sc) - temperature on the absolute scale
c

2.2. Subroutine UserPL (Writing Your Own Plasticity Laws)

Ansys, Inc. recommends using current-technology elements and the UserMat subroutine for defining
your own material model. However, if you are using an archived element type and wish to define a
plasticity or viscoplasticity material model, the UserPL subroutine is applicable to archived element
SOLID65.

*deck,userpl USERDISTRIB
subroutine userpl (elem,intpt,mat,ncomp,kfirst,kfsteq,e,nu,dens,
x prop,d,ktform,timval,timinc,tem,dtem,toffst,flu,dflu,epel,eppl,
x statev,usvr,epeq,plwork,sigepl,sigrat,depeq,dt)
c
c *** primary function: allow users to write their own plasticity laws.
c this logic is accessed with tb,user.
c the below demonstration logic is the same as using
c tb,bkin, without adaptive descent (nropt,,,off).
c Other plasticity rules may require internal
c iterations and/or the more general definition of
c plasticity theory, discussed in the Theory
c Manual.
c *** secondary function: demonstrate the use of user-written plasticity laws
c in this routine:
c a. update the nonlinear strain history
c b. compute the material tangent matrix if requested
c
c *** Notice - This file contains ANSYS Confidential information ***
c

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 Subroutine UserPL (Writing Your Own Plasticity Laws)

c
c Copyright ANSYS. All Rights Reserved.
c *** ansys, inc.
c
c input arguments:
c variable (type,sze,intent) description
c
c elem (int,sc,in) - element number (label)
c intpt (int,sc,in) - element integration point number
c mat (int,sc,in) - material reference number
c ncomp (int,sc,in) - no. of stress/strain components (1,4 or 6)
c 1 - x
c 4 - x,y,z,xy
c 6 - x,y,z,xy,yz,xz
c kfirst (int,sc,in) - 1 if first time through, 0 otherwise
c (useful for initializing state variables
c to a non-zero value)
c kfsteq (int,sc,in) - 1 if first equilibrium iteration of a
c substep, 0 otherwise
c
c e (dp,sc,in) -
average elastic modulus
c nu (dp,sc,in) -
average poisson ratio
c dens (dp,sc,in) -
current material density (mass/volume)
c prop -
linear material property array
c (dp,ar(9),in) (ex,ey,ez, gxy,gyz,gxz, nuxy,nuyz,nuxz)
c (dp,ar(1),in) if ncomp=1 (ex)
c d (dp,ar(ncomp,ncomp),in)- elastic stress-strain matrix
c ktform (int,sc,in) - request key for tangent matrix formation
c (=1, form tangent .ne.1, do not form)
c
c timval (dp,sc,in) - current time value
c timinc (dp,sc,in) - time increment over this substep
c
c tem (dp,sc,in) - temperature at the end of this substep
c dtem (dp,sc,in) - temperature increment over this substep
c toffst (dp,sc,in) - temperature offset from absolute zero
c flu (dp,sc,in) - fluence at the end of this substep
c dflu (dp,sc,in) - fluence increment over this substep
c
c epel (dp,ar(ncomp),inout)- modified total strain (trial strain)
c epel = eptot - eppl - eptherm - ...
c if a large strain analysis, epel is
c rotation neutralized and is the hencky
c (i.e. log) strain
c eppl (dp,ar(ncomp),inout)- plastic strain from previous substep
c
c statev (dp,ar(ncomp,6),inout)- state variables from previous substep
c usvr (dp,ar(nuval,nintp),inout)- additional state variables from
c previous equilibrium iteration (saved
c if the nsvr command is used)
c
c epeq (dp,sc,inout) - effective plastic strain from prev substep
c plwork (dp,sc,inout) - accumulated plastic work from prev substep
c
c output arguments:
c variable (type,sze,intent) description
c
c epel (dp,ar(ncomp),inout)- elastic strain
c eppl (dp,ar(ncomp),inout)- updated plastic strain
c
c statev (dp,ar(ncomp,6),inout)- updated state variables
c usvr (dp,ar(nuval,nintp),inout)- updated additional state variables
c
c epeq (dp,sc,inout) - updated effective plastic strain
c plwork (dp,sc,inout) - updated accumulated plastic work
c
c sigepl (dp,sc,out) - stress value on stress-strain curve at epeq
c sigrat (dp,sc,out) - ratio of trial stress to yield stress
c depeq (dp,sc,out) - increment in plastic strain (equivalent)
c (used for auto time stepping - time step
c is reduced if it exceeds .05)

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Subroutines

c
c dt (dp,ar(ncomp,ncomp),out)- material tangent modulus
c
c fortran parameters (to be defined by the user):
c variable (type) description
c numinp (int) - number of data items in the user-defined
c data table (tbdat commands)
c nuval (int) - number of additional state variables per
c integration point
c nintp (int) - maximum number of integration points of
c an element to be used with this routine
c (14 is the maximum)
c note: nuval x nintp = nstv(on nsvr command); cannot exceed 840!
c
c internal variables:
c variable (type,sze) description
c b (dp,ar(6,6)) - 2nd derivative of the yield function
c c (dp,ar(6,12)) - part of deff
c con (dp,sc) - temporary variable
c deppl (dp,ar(6)) - plastic strain increment
c dfds (dp,ar(6)) - derivative of the yield function (normal)
c dlamb (dp,sc) - plastic multiplier
c ep (dp,ar(6)) - shifted strain
c epshfo (dp,ar(6)) - initial shift strain (center of the yield surf)
c epshft (dp,ar(6)) - shift strain (center of the yield surface)
c et (dp,sc) - tangent modulus (stress/total strain)
c h (dp,sc) - plastic tangent modulus (stress/plastic strain)
c n2 (int,sc) - ncomp squared, ncomp*ncomp
c seqtr (dp,sc) - equivalent (von mises) trial stress
c sigtr (dp,ar(6)) - trial stress
c sigy (dp,sc) - yield stress
c vect (dp,ar(6)) - temporary vector
c

2.3. Subroutine usflex (Computes the flexibility factor for PIPE16 and
PIPE18)
Archived pipe elements PIPE16 and PIPE18 are described in Part 4: Archived Elements (p. 165).

*deck,usflex USERDISTRIB
subroutine usflex (etype,elem,rvrm,kff,prs,ex, flexi,flexo)
c *** primary function: to (re)compute the flexibility factor
c for pipe16, pipe17, pipe18, and pipe60
c this is accessed by inputting the flexibility factor
c as any negative number.
c *** secondary functions: none
c
c *** Notice - This file contains ANSYS Confidential information ***
c
c *** Copyright ANSYS. All Rights Reserved.
c *** ansys, inc.
c
c typ=int,dp,log,chr,dcp siz=sc,ar(n) intent=in,out,inout
c
c input arguments:
c variable (typ,siz,intent) description
c etype (int,sc,in) - pipe element type (16, 17, 18 or 60)
c elem (int,sc,in) - element number
c rvrm (dp,ar(*),in) - real constants
c kff (int,sc,in) - keyopt for flexibility factor
c (not used for pipe16 or pipe17)
c prs (dp,ar(5),in) - pressures
c ex (dp,sc,in) - young's Modulus
c flexi (dp,sc,inout) - effective in-plane flexibility factor

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 Subroutine usflex (Computes the flexibility factor for PIPE16 and PIPE18)

c flexo (dp,sc,inout) - effective out-of-plane flexibility factor

c (not used for pipe16 or pipe17)
c
c output arguments:
c variable (typ,siz,intent) description
c flexi (dp,sc,inout) - effective in-plane flexibility factor
c flexo (dp,sc,inout) - effective out-of-plane flexibility factor
c (not used for pipe16 or pipe17)
c

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Chapter 3: Restarting a Direct Coupled-Field Analysis
To restart a direct coupled-field analysis, Ansys, Inc. recommends using a singleframe restart. Direct
coupled-field analyses use a coupled-field element containing all necessary degrees of freedom. See
the Coupled-Field Analysis Guide for more information on this type of coupled-field analysis.

3.1. Singleframe Restart

A traditional restart requires that certain files from the initial run of the job are present, and requires
that you make any changes to the input before the SOLVE command.

3.1.1. Singleframe Restart Requirements

When restarting from a static or full transient analysis, the following files must be available from the
initial run:

• Jobname.DB - The database file saved immediately after the initial SOLVE. If you save the
database at any point later in the analysis, boundary conditions and other variables may be
changed from their initial values, which would prevent the restart from running properly. (For
non-converged solutions, the database file is saved automatically; see the note below.)

• Jobname.EMAT - Element matrices (if created).

• Jobname.ESAV or .OSAV - Element saved data (.ESAV) or old element saved data (.OSAV).
Jobname.OSAV is required only if the .ESAV file is missing, incomplete, or otherwise corrupted
because of a diverging solution; because the displacement limit was exceeded; or because of
a negative pivot (see Table 3.1: Restart Information for Nonlinear Analyses (p. 16)). It is written
if KSTOP is set to 1 (default) or 2 on the NCNV command, or if automatic time stepping is
active. If the .OSAV file is required, you must rename it as Jobname.ESAV before restarting
the analysis.

• Results file - Not required, but if available, results from the restart run will be appended to it
with the proper, sequential load step and substep numbers. If the initial run terminated because
the number of results sets on the results file were exceeded, you will need to rename the initial
results file to a different name before restarting. To do so, issue the /ASSIGN command (Utility
Menu> File> ANSYS File Options).

When restarting from a mode-superposition transient analysis, the following files must be available
from the initial run:

• Jobname.DB -- The database file saved immediately after the initial solve operation (SOLVE). If
you save the database at any point later in the analysis, boundary conditions and other variables
may be changed from their initial values, which would prevent the restart from running properly.

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Restarting a Direct Coupled-Field Analysis

• Jobname.RDSP -- The reduced displacement file with information from the last substep of the
last load step needed for restart.

Note:

In a nonlinear analysis, if the program terminates due to nonconvergence, time limits, the
abort file (Jobname.ABT), or other program-detected failure, the database is automatically
saved, and the solution output (Jobname.OUT) will list the files and other information
required for restarting. See also Table 3.1: Restart Information for Nonlinear Analyses (p. 16)
for a list of termination causes and the element saved data file needed to restart.

If the files .RDB, .LDHI, or .Rnnn /.Mnnn were accidentally created from a previous
run, you must delete them before performing a singleframe restart.

In interactive mode, an existing database file is first written to a backup file (Jobname.DBB).
In batch mode, an existing database file is replaced by the current database information
with no backup.

Table 3.1: Restart Information for Nonlinear Analyses

Cause of Termination Element Saved Required Corrective Action

Data File
Normal (that is, no Job- Add more load steps at the end of your job.
errors) name.ESAV
Nonconvergence Job- Define a smaller time step, change the adaptive
name.OSAV descent option, or take other action to enhance
convergence. Rename Jobname.OSAV as Job-
name.ESAV before restarting.
Nonconvergence due to Job- If the solution was converging, allow more
insufficient equilibrium name.ESAV equilibrium equations (NEQIT command).
iterations
Cumulative iteration Job- Increase ITLIM on NCNV command.
limit exceeded (NCNV name.ESAV
command)
Time limit exceeded Job- None (simply restart the analysis). (If you were
(NCNV) name.ESAV running the analysis interactively and you want to
restart it from within the same Ansys session, you
must reset the time limits before attempting the
restart.)
Displacement limit Job- (Same as for nonconvergence.)
exceeded (NCNV) name.OSAV
Negative pivot Job- (Same as for nonconvergence.)
name.OSAV
Jobname.ABT Job- Make whatever changes are necessary to address
name.ESAV, the behavior that caused you to voluntarily
• if solution was Job- terminate the analysis.
converging name.OSAV

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 Singleframe Restart

Cause of Termination Element Saved Required Corrective Action

Data File
• if solution was
diverging

"Killed" job (system Not applicable No restart is possible.

break), system crash, or
system time-limit
exceeded

Note:

Singleframe restart does not support surface-to-surface, node-to-surface, line-to-line, or

line-to-surface contact. Use multiframe restart if your model contains any of the following
contact elements: CONTA171 (p. 321), CONTA172, CONTA173 (p. 347), CONTA174, CONTA175,
CONTA176 (p. 375), CONTA177.

3.1.2. Singleframe Restart Procedure

If you are performing a mode-superposition transient analysis, Ansys sets up the parameters for a
singleframe restart by default.

The procedure for performing the restart analysis is as follows:

1. Enter the Ansys program and specify the same jobname that was used in the initial run with
/FILNAME (Utility Menu> File> Change Jobname).

2. Enter the SOLUTION processor using /SOLU (Main Menu> Solution), then resume the database
file using RESUME (Utility Menu> File> Resume Jobname.db).

3. Indicate that this is a restart analysis by issuing ANTYPE,,REST (Main Menu> Solution> Re-
start).

4. Specify revised or additional loads as needed. Modified ramped loads start from their previous
values. Newly applied ramped loads are ramped from zero; newly applied body loads start
from initial values. Deleted loads which are reapplied are treated as new, not modified, loads.
In static and full transient analyses, surface and body loads to be deleted should be ramped
to zero, or to the initial value, so that the Jobname.ESAV and Jobname.OSAV files are
consistent with the database.

For a mode-superposition transient analysis, steps 5, 6, 7, and 8 below do not apply.

Take whatever corrective action is necessary if you are restarting from a convergence failure.

5. If you are running a linear static or linear full transient analysis (with AUTOTS,OFF and the
timestep fixed) using the sparse solver, you can realize additional savings by using the
KeepFile field on the EQSLV command. Setting KeepFile = KEEP on your initial solve
will force Ansys to keep all necessary files from the sparse solver in the working directory. In
the subsequent singleframe restart, the sparse matrix files are available for reuse in conjunction
with KUSE,1 (Main Menu> Preprocessor> Loads> Load Step Opts> Other> Reuse Factorized
Matrix).

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Restarting a Direct Coupled-Field Analysis

By default, the Ansys program calculates a new factorized matrix for the first load step of a
restart run. By issuing the KUSE,1 command, you can force the program to reuse the existing
matrix at the first solve of the restart and at all subsequent solves, thereby saving a significant
amount of computer time. However, you can reuse factorized matrix files with the sparse
solver only under certain conditions, in particular if the specified DOF constraints have not
changed and it is a linear analysis. See the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference for details.

By issuing KUSE,-1, you can cause Ansys to redo the element matrices. This can be useful for
debugging analyses and for handling error cases.

Sometimes, you may have to analyze the same model for different constraint conditions, for
instance a quarter-symmetry model with symmetry-symmetry (SS), symmetry-antisymmetry
(SA), antisymmetry-symmetry (AS), and antisymmetry-antisymmetry (AA) conditions. In such
a situation, keep the following points in mind:

• All four cases (SS, SA, AS, AA) require a new factorized matrix.

• You can use substructuring (with the constrained nodes as master DOF) to minimize
computing time. (See Benefits of Substructuring in the Substructuring Analysis Guide.)

6. Initiate the restart solution by issuing the SOLVE command. (See Obtaining the Solution for
details.)

7. Repeat steps 4 and 6 for additional load steps, if any. For static and full transient analyses,
you can also use the load step file method to create and solve multiple load steps (not sup-
ported for mode-superposition transient analyses). Use the following commands:
Command(s): LSWRITE
GUI: Main Menu> Preprocessor> Loads> Write LS File
Main Menu> Solution> Write LS File
Command(s): LSSOLVE
GUI: Main Menu> Solution> From LS Files

8. Postprocess as desired, then exit the Ansys program.

A sample restart input listing is shown below.

! Restart run:
/FILNAME,... ! Jobname
RESUME
/SOLU
ANTYPE,,REST ! Specify restart of previous analysis
!
! Specify new loads, new load step options, etc.
! Take appropriate corrective action for nonlinear analyses.
!
SOLVE ! Initiate restart solution
SAVE ! Optional SAVE for possible subsequent singleframe restart
FINISH
!
! Postprocess as desired
!
/EXIT,NOSAV

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 Singleframe Restart

3.1.3. Restarting a Nonlinear Analysis From an Incompatible Database

Sometimes, postprocessing is performed prior to a restart. If you issue SET and SAVE commands
during this postprocessing, the boundary conditions in your database might be altered and become
inconsistent with those needed for a restart. By default, the program saves your file automatically
when you exit. At the end of solution, the boundary conditions for the last load step are stored in
the database memory. (The database contains only one set of boundary conditions.)

A SET command in POST1 (other than SET,LAST) reads the boundary conditions for the specified
results into the database, and overwrites the database stored in memory. If you subsequently save
your file or exit, Ansys overwrites the boundary conditions in the database file with the D's and F's
from the current results file. However, to perform a restart which ramps boundary conditions from
the last solved substep, you need the boundary conditions for the last successfully solved load substep.

3.1.3.1. Re-establishing Boundary Conditions

To re-establish the correct boundary conditions for the restart, first run a "dummy" load step. The
procedure is as follows:

1. Rename Jobname.OSAV as Jobname.ESAV.

2. Enter the Ansys program and specify the same jobname that was used in the initial run
with /FILNAME (Utility Menu> File> Change Jobname).

3. Enter the SOLUTION processor using /SOLU (Main Menu> Solution), then resume the
database file using RESUME (Utility Menu> File> Resume Jobname.db).

4. Indicate that this is a restart analysis by issuing ANTYPE,,REST (Main Menu> Solution>
Restart).

5. Respecify boundary conditions from the last substep that was successfully solved. One
substep is sufficient since the solution will converge immediately.

6. Issue SOLVE (Main Menu> Solution> Current LS).

7. Apply final loads and load step options as desired. You will need to adjust the number of
substeps (or time step size) if this load step is a "continuation" of the previous (before the
dummy) load step. Time step numbering may be altered from your initial intent. Use a
small time increment in step 6 if you need to preserve the time step numbering (such as
for a transient analysis).

8. Continue the procedure as outlined in Restarting an Analysis.

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Chapter 4: Partial-Solution Procedure
When you initiate a solution, Mechanical APDL performs a series of steps to calculate the solution; it
formulates element matrices, triangularizes matrices, and so on. The partial-solution procedure, which
is initiated by the PSOLVE command, allows you to exercise each such step individually, completing
just a portion of the solution sequence each time. (The PSOLVE command is described in Part 2: Archived
Commands (p. 41).) For example, you can stop at the element matrix formulation step and go down a
different path to perform inertia relief calculations. Or, you can stop at the Guyan reduction step (matrix
reduction) and go on to calculate reduced eigenvalues.

Some possible uses of the PSOLVE approach are listed below.

• You can use the results of an intermediate solution step as input to another software package
or user-written program.

• If you are interested just in inertia relief calculations or some such intermediate result, the PSOLVE
approach is useful.

The following topics concerning the partial-solution procedure are available:

4.1. Partial Inertia Relief Calculations
4.2. Comparison of Linear Perturbation and Partial-Solution Procedures

4.1. Partial Inertia Relief Calculations

You can do a partial inertia relief calculation using the PSOLVE command (PSOLVE is described in
Part 2: Archived Commands (p. 41)). Use the partial solution method as shown in the command input
below:
/PREP7
...
...
MP,DENS,... ! Generate model, define density
...
...
FINISH

/SOLU
D,... ! Specify only minimum number of constraints
F,... ! Other loads
SF,...
OUTPR,ALL,ALL ! Activates printout of all items
IRLF,1 ! Can also be set to -1 for precise mass and
! load summary only, no inertia relief
PSOLVE,ELFORM ! Calculates element matrices and inertia relief terms
IRLIST ! Lists the mass summary and total load summary tables
FINISH

See the OUTPR, IRLF, and IRLIST commands in the Command Reference. See also the PSOLVE command
in Part 2: Archived Commands (p. 41).

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Partial-Solution Procedure

4.2. Comparison of Linear Perturbation and Partial-Solution Procedures

A partial-solution procedure (PSOLVE) is available for performing a mode frequency analysis based on
prior linear or nonlinear static or full transient analyses. The procedure can be used when the base
analysis is a small-deflection analysis, and is similar to a prestressed modal analysis.

The partial-solution procedure has limitations, however, when compared to the linear perturbation
procedure. Therefore, it is better to use the linear perturbation procedure instead. The following table
outlines the advantages of the linear perturbation procedure:

Table 4.1: Linear Perturbation vs. Partial-Solution Procedures

Linear Perturbation Procedure Partial-Solution Procedure

A modal analysis can be done at any time point A modal analysis can be done only at the last
during the prior analysis as long as the substep of the last load step of the prior
multiframe restart file is made available. analysis.
The stress expansion pass uses linear material The stress expansion pass is done assuming the
properties and is always allowed. material property is linear for the entire model.
If it contains hyperelasticity or another nonlinear
material that does not have an easy segregation
from the linear material property in the
constitutive law, the stress expansion pass is
not allowed.
All nonlinear effects, including history The stress expansion pass does not have any
dependent and large rotation effects, are taken effects of the previous nonlinear analysis; any
into consideration and handled consistently, nonlinear history-dependent properties and
guaranteeing correct results for the linear large rotation effects are lost.
perturbation analysis.
The nodal coordinate update is done The nodal coordinate update for the original
automatically at the beginning of the second mesh is done by an external UPCOORD
phase of the solution; the stress expansion is command (and is optional).
done based on the updated geometry.
All prestress effects are included automatically All prestress and spin-softening effects are
(independent of PSTRES, OMEGA, or invoked by the commands PSTRES, OMEGA,
CMOMEGA command settings) in the phases and CMOMEGA at the earlier stage of the
of a linear perturbation analysis. Also, even analysis, as well as in the PSOLVE phase.
though the base analysis is linear, the prestress
effects are still taken into account in the
subsequent linear perturbation analysis.
If the base analysis includes geometric For the QRDAMP eigensolver, the solution may
nonlinearity (NLGEOM,ON), the solution be less accurate compared to the UNSYM
accuracy from a QR damped eigensolver.
(MODOPT,QRDAMP) linear perturbation analysis
is greatly improved. The linear perturbation
architecture enables this improvement on the
QRDAMP eigensolver.
The EMATWRITE command is unnecessary. Requires knowing ahead of time that a
prestressed modal analysis is needed and

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 Comparison of Linear Perturbation and Partial-Solution Procedures

Linear Perturbation Procedure Partial-Solution Procedure

requires the use of the EMATWRITE command
to force writing of the .EMAT file.
Eigenvalue buckling analysis is supported. The Eigenvalue buckling analysis is not supported
base analysis can a be linear or nonlinear, and
can be a static or full transient analysis.
Full harmonic analysis is supported, including Full harmonic analysis is not fully supported.
stress/strain calculations during the harmonic
substeps. The contact status from the base
analysis is frozen and maintained in the full
harmonic phase of the analysis.

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Chapter 5: Explicit Creep Procedure
The basic procedure for using the explicit creep method involves issuing the TB command with Lab
= CREEP and choosing a creep equation by adding the appropriate constant as an argument with the
TBDATA command. TBOPT is either left blank or = 0. The following example input uses the explicit
creep method. Note that all constants are included as arguments with the TBDATA command, and that
there is no temperature dependency.
TB,CREEP,1
TBDATA,1,C1,C2,C3,C4, ,C6

For the explicit creep method, you can incorporate other creep expressions into the program by using
User Programmable Features (see the Guide to User-Programmable Features in the Programmer's Refer-
ence).

For highly nonlinear creep strain vs. time curves, a small time step must be used with the explicit creep
method. Creep strains are not computed if the time step is less than 1.0e-6. A creep time step optimiz-
ation procedure is available (AUTOTS and CUTCONTROL,CRPLIMIT ) for automatically adjusting the
time step as appropriate.

For more information, see Explicit Creep Equations (p. 155).

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Chapter 6: Fatigue
Fatigue is the phenomenon in which a repetitively loaded structure fractures at a load level less than
its ultimate static strength. For instance, a steel bar might successfully resist a single static application
of a 300 kN tensile load, but might fail after 1,000,000 repetitions of a 200 kN load.

A formal fatigue evaluation accounts for these primary factors that contribute to fatigue failures:

• Number of load cycles experienced

• Range of stress experienced in each load cycle

• Mean stress experienced in each load cycle

• Presence of local stress concentrations

The following fatigue-related topics are available:

6.1. How Fatigue Is Calculated
6.2. Fatigue Terminology
6.3. Evaluating Fatigue

For information about the commands referenced in this documentation, see Part 2: Archived Com-
mands (p. 41).

6.1. How Fatigue Is Calculated

The fatigue calculations rely on the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section III (and Section VIII,
Division 2) for guidelines on range counting, simplified elastic-plastic adaptations, and cumulative fatigue
summation by Miner's rule.

For fatigue evaluations based on criteria other than those of the ASME Code, you can either write your
own macro, or else interface your results with an appropriate third-party program.

The program features the following fatigue-calculation capabilities:

• Postprocessing existing stress results to determine the fatigue usage factors for any solid-element
or shell-element model. (You can also manually input stresses for fatigue evaluation of line-element
models.)

• Storing stresses at a preselected number of locations for a preselected number of events and
loadings within the event.

• Defining stress concentration factors for each location and scale factors for each event.

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Fatigue

6.2. Fatigue Terminology

A location is a node in your model for which fatigue stresses are to be stored. You would typically
choose locations that represent points on the structure that would be susceptible to fatigue damage.

An event is a set of stress conditions that occur at different times during a unique stress cycle. See
Guidelines for Obtaining Accurate Usage Factors (p. 33) later in this chapter for more information.

A loading is one of the stress conditions that is part of an event.

The alternating stress intensity is a measure of the difference in stress state between any two loadings.
The program does not adjust the alternating stress intensity for mean-stress effects.

6.3. Evaluating Fatigue

You perform a fatigue evaluation in POST1, the general postprocessor, after you have completed a
stress solution. The procedure normally consists of five general steps:

1. Enter POST1 (/POST1) and resume your database.

2. Establish the size (the number of locations, events, and loadings), define the fatigue material
properties, identify stress locations, and define stress concentration factors.

3. Store stresses at locations of interest for various events and loadings; assign event repetitions
and scale factors.

4. Activate the fatigue calculations.

5. Review the results.

The following fatigue-evaluation topics describe each step in detail and provide additional information:
6.3.1. Enter POST1 and Resume Your Database
6.3.2. Establish the Size, Fatigue Material Properties, and Locations
6.3.3. Store Stresses and Assign Event Repetitions and Scale Factors
6.3.4. Activate the Fatigue Calculations
6.3.5. Review the Results
6.3.6. Other Approaches to Range Counting
6.3.7. Example: Fatigue Evaluation Input

6.3.1. Enter POST1 and Resume Your Database

In order to perform a fatigue evaluation, you need to follow these steps:

1. Enter POST1 (/POST1).

2. Read your database file (Jobname.DB) into memory.

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 Evaluating Fatigue

If your intended fatigue evaluation is a continuation of an ongoing session, then Jobname.DB

will already be in memory.) A results file (Jobname.RST) with nodal stress results should
also be available; you will read results data into memory later (RESUME).

6.3.2. Establish the Size, Fatigue Material Properties, and Locations

Define the following data:

• Maximum number of locations, events, and loadings

• Fatigue material properties

• Stress locations and stress concentration factors (SCFs)

1. Define the maximum number of stress locations, events, and loadings.

By default, your fatigue evaluation can consider up to five nodal locations, ten events, and
three loadings within an event. You can issue the FTSIZE command to establish larger dimen-
sions (that is, allow more locations, events, or loadings), if necessary.

2. Define material fatigue properties.

To calculate usage factors, and to include the effect of simplified elastic-plastic computations,
you must define material fatigue properties. The material properties of interest in a fatigue
evaluation are:

• The S-N curve, a curve of alternating stress intensity ((Smax - Smin)/2) versus allowable
number of cycles. The ASME S-N curves already account for maximum mean stress effects.
Adjust your S-N curve (FP) to account for mean-stress effects, if necessary. If you do not
input an S-N curve, alternating stress intensities will be listed in decreasing order for all
possible combinations of stress conditions, but no usage factors will be calculated.

• The Sm-T curve, a curve of design stress-intensity value versus temperature. This curve is
necessary (FP) if you want the program to detect whether or not the nominal stress range
has gone plastic.

• Elastic-plastic material parameters M and N (strain hardening exponents). These parameters

are required (FP) only if you desire simplified elastic-plastic code calculations. These para-
meters' values can be obtained from the ASME Code.

Example 6.1: Material Fatigue Properties Input

! Define the S-N table:

FP,1,10,30,100,300,1000,10000 ! Allowable Cycles, N
FP,7,100000,1000000 ! "
FP,21,650,390,240,161,109,59 ! Alternating Stress-
FP,27,37,26 ! Intensity Range, S, ksi
! Define the Sm-T table:
FP,41,100,200,300,400,500,600 ! Temperature,°F
FP,47,650,700,750,800 ! "
FP,51,20,20,20,18.7,17.4,16.4 ! "Design Stress-Intensity
FP,57,16.1,15.9,15.5,15.1 ! Value", Sm (=2/3*Sy or
! 1/3 *Su), ksi
! Define the elastic-plastic material parameters:
FP,61,1.7,.3 ! M and N

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Fatigue

3. Define stress locations and stress concentration factors.

The FL command explicitly defines a nodal location of interest to your fatigue evaluation,
define stress concentration factors (SCFs) for that location, and assign a short (20 character)
title to that location.

Not all fatigue analyses will require the FL command. Locations are automatically defined for nodes
when FS, FSNODE, or FSSECT are issued (see below). If your model contains sufficient grid detail, your
stresses could be accurate enough that you would not need to apply calculated SCFs. (Supplemental
SCFs for surface, size, or corrosion effects might still be required, however.) Where only one location
is being examined, you could omit a title. If explicit definition of locations, SCFs, or titles are not re-
quired, you could forgo the FL command entirely.

Example 6.2: Cylinder Wall with Stress Concentration Factors (SCFs)

FL commands for a cylinder with a global Y axis, having two wall thicknesses of interest, where SCFs
are to be applied (to the axial linearized stresses) at the outside wall:
FL,1,281,,,,Line 1 at inside
FL,2,285,,1.85,,Line 1 at outside
FL,3,311,,,,Line 2 at inside
FL,4,315,,2.11,,Line 2 at outside

SCF = 1.85

281 285

SCF = 2.11
Y
311 315
X

6.3.3. Store Stresses and Assign Event Repetitions and Scale Factors

6.3.3.1. Storing Stresses

In order to perform a fatigue evaluation, the program must know the stresses at different events
and loadings for each location, as well as the number of repetitions of each event. You can store
stresses for each combination of location, event, and loading, using the following options:

• Manually stored stresses

• Nodal stresses from Jobname.RST

• Stresses at a cross-section

Caution:

The program never assumes that a "zero" stress condition exists. If zero stress is one of the
conditions to be considered, it must be explicitly input for each event in which it may occur.

The following command sequences schematically illustrate how to store stresses. In some situations,
you might prefer to use LCASE instead of SET.

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 Evaluating Fatigue

Manually stored stresses: FS

Nodal stresses retrieved from Job- SET, FSNODE
name.RST:
Stresses at a cross-section: PATH, PPATH, SET, FSSECT
(Cross-section calculations also require data from Jobname.RST.)

You can use more than one method of storing stresses in an event. Each of these methods is ex-
plained in detail below.

6.3.3.1.1. Manually Stored Stresses

Issue the FS command to store stresses and the temperature, and the time "manually" (without
direct access to the results file Jobname.RST). In such cases, you are not using the fatigue
module in POST1 as a postprocessor, but simply as a fatigue calculator. Line elements, such as
beams, must be handled in this way since the fatigue module is not able to access data from a
results file other than for solid elements or shell elements.

Example 6.3: FS Command Input

FS,201,1,2,1,-2.0,21.6,15.2,4.5,0.0,0.0
FS,201,1,2,7,450.3

Only the total stresses (items 1-6) and the temperature (item 7) are input. If the linearized stresses
were also to be input, they would follow the temperatures as items 8 through 13. Time would
be input at item 14.

Time is not used in the fatigue calculation and is only included for reference purposes.

In the special case of a beam element having only axial stress, you would input only one stress
component (SX), leaving the rest of the stress fields blank.

6.3.3.1.2. Nodal Stresses from Jobname.RST

The FSNODE command causes a nodal stress vector containing six stress components to be stored
directly from the results database. Stress components stored with this option can be modified
with a subsequent FS command.

You must issue a SET command, and possibly a SHELL command, before executing FSNODE. SET
reads results for a particular load substep from the results file (Jobname.RST) into the database.
SHELL allows you to select results from the top, middle, or bottom surfaces for shell elements
(default is the top surface).

Example 6.4: FSNODE Command Input

This example input is for an event at one nodal location:

SET,1 ! Define data set for load step 1
FSNODE,123,1,1 ! Stress vector at node 123 assigned to event 1,
! loading 1.
SET,2 ! Define data set for load step 2
FSNODE,123,1,2 ! ...event 1, loading 2
SET,3 ! ...load step 3
FSNODE,123,1,3 ! ...event 1, loading 3

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Fatigue

stress
L.S.2
L.S.1 L.S.3

time

6.3.3.1.3. Stresses at a Cross-Section

The FSSECT command calculates and stores total linearized stresses at the ends of a section path
(as defined by a preceding PATH and PPATH command). Because you will normally want the
linearization to take place over a thickness representing the shortest distance between the two
surfaces, use only the two surface nodes to describe the path in the PPATH command. This option
retrieves stress information from the results database; therefore FSSECT must also be preceded
by a SET command. Stress components stored via an FSSECT command can be modified with a
subsequent FS command.

Example 6.5: FSSECT Command Input

If node locations are not assigned via an FL command, the FSSECT commands in this example
automatically assign location numbers to the two path nodes, 391 and 395.
PATH,Name,2 ! Define the path using the two surface nodes
PPATH,1,391
PPATH,2,395
SET,1
FSSECT,,1,1 ! Store stresses at nodes 391 and 395

Surface Nodes are Identified by PPATH Prior to Executing FSSECT:

6.3.3.2. Listing, Plotting, or Deleting Stored Stresses

Issue the appropriate command to list, plot, or delete stored stresses:

• FSLIST -- List the stored stresses per location, per event, per loading, or per stress condition:

• FSPLOT -- Display a stress item as a function of loading number for a particular location and
event:

• FSDELE -- Delete a stress condition stored for a particular location, event, and loading:

• FL -- Delete all stresses at a particular location:

• FE -- Delete all stresses for all loadings in a particular event:

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 Evaluating Fatigue

6.3.3.3. Assigning Event Repetitions and Scale Factors

The FE command assigns the number of occurrences to the event numbers (for all loadings at all
locations of the event). It can also apply scale factors to all of the stresses that make up its loadings.

Example 6.6: FE Command Usage

FE,1,-1 ! Erase all parameters and fatigue stresses formerly
! used for event 1.
FE,2,100,1.2 ! Assign 100 occurrences to events 2, 3 and 4,
*REPEAT,3,1 ! and scale by 1.2.
FE,5,500 ! Assign 500 occurrences to event 5.

6.3.3.4. Guidelines for Obtaining Accurate Usage Factors

Structures are usually subjected to a variety of maximum and minimum stresses, which occur in
unknown (or even random) order. Therefore, you must take care to achieve an accurate count of
the number of repetitions of all possible stress ranges, in order to obtain a valid fatigue usage
factor.

The program automatically calculates all possible stress ranges and keeps track of their number of
occurrences, using a technique commonly known as the "rain flow" range-counting method. At a
selected nodal location, a search is made throughout all of the events for the pair of loadings (stress
vectors) that produces the most severe stress-intensity range. The number of repetitions possible
for this range is recorded, and the remaining number of repetitions for the events containing these
loadings is decreased accordingly. At least one of the source events will be "used up" at this point;
remaining occurrences of stress conditions belonging to that event will subsequently be ignored.
This process continues until all ranges and numbers of occurrences have been considered.

Caution:

It can be surprisingly easy to misuse the range-counting feature of the fatigue module. You
must take care to assemble events carefully if you want your fatigue evaluation to yield ac-
curate usage factors.

Consider the following guidelines when assembling events:

• Because it can be difficult to predict the exact load step at which a maximum (or minimum)
3-D stress state occurs, good practice often requires that you include several clustered
loadings in each event, in order to successfully capture the extreme stress state.

• You will obtain consistently conservative results if you include only one extreme stress
condition (either a local maximum or a local minimum) in any given event. If you group
more than one extreme condition in a single event, you will sometimes generate unconser-
vative results, as illustrated by the following example:

Consider a load history made up of two slightly different cycles:

Load Cycle 1: 500 repetitions of Sx = +50.0 to -50.1 ksi

Load Cycle 2: 1000 repetitions of Sx = +50.1 to -50.0 ksi

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Fatigue

These load cycles will obviously sum to 1500 repetitions having an alternating stress intensity of
about 50 ksi. However, carelessly grouping these loadings into only two events will result in an in-
accurate range count. Let's see how this would happen:

Event 1, loading 1: Sx = 50.0 500 repetitions

loading 2: Sx = -50.1
Event 2, loading 1: Sx = 50.1 1000 repetitions

loading 2: Sx = -50.0

The possible alternating stress intensities are:

a. From E1,L1 to E1,L2: 50.05 ksi

b. From E1,L1 to E2,L1: 0.05 ksi
c. From E1,L1 to E2,L2: 50.00 ksi
d. From E1,L2 to E2,L1: 50.10 ksi
e. From E1,L2 to E2,L2: 0.05 ksi
f. From E2,L1 to E2,L2: 50.05 ksi

Sorting these combinations by decreasing alternating stress intensity gives:

d. From E1,L2 to E2,L1: 50.10 ksi

a. From E1,L1 to E1,L2: 50.05 ksi
f. From E2,L1 to E2,L2: 50.05 ksi
c. From E1,L1 to E2,L2: 50.00 ksi
b. From E1,L1 to E2,L1: 0.05 ksi
e. From E1,L2 to E2,L2: 0.05 ksi

The range counting then proceeds as follows:

d. 500 cycles of E1,L2 to E2,L1 - this uses up 500 cycles of E1 and E2

a. 0 cycles of E1,L1 to E1,L2 - E1 is all used up
f. 500 cycles of E2,L1 to E2,L2 - this uses up 500 more cycles of E2
c. 0 cycles of E1,L1 to E2,L2 - both events are all used up
b. 0 cycles of E1,L1 to E2,L1 - both events are all used up
e 0 cycles of E1,L2 to E2,L2 - both events are all used up

Thus, only 1000 repetitions of about 50 ksi range would be counted, instead of the known 1500
cycles. This error results solely from improper assembly of events.

If the loadings had each been described as separate events (such that E1,L1 E1; E1,L2 E2; E2,L1
E3; and E2,L2 E4), then the following range counts would be obtained:

d. 500 cycles of E2 to E3 - this uses up 500 cycles of E2 and E3

a. 0 cycles of E1 to E2 - E2 is all used up

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 Evaluating Fatigue

f. 500 cycles of E3 to E4 - uses up 500 more cycles of E3, and 500 of

E4
c. 500 cycles of E1 to E4 - uses up 500 more cycles of E4
b. 0 cycles of E1 to E3 - E3 is all used up
e. 0 cycles of E2 to E4 - E2 and E4 are both all used up

Cumulative fatigue damage in this case would properly be calculated for 1500 repetitions of about
50 ksi range.

• Conversely, using separate events for each maximum and each minimum stress condition
could sometimes become too conservative. In such cases, carefully choose those loadings
that should be counted together, and group them into the same events. The following ex-
ample illustrates how some events can appropriately contain multiple extreme stress condi-
tions:

Consider a load history made up of these two load cycles:

• Load Cycle 1: 500 repetitions of Sx = +100.1 to +100.0 ksi

• Load Cycle 2: 1000 repetitions of Sx = +50.1 to +50.0 ksi

It is readily apparent that the worst possible combination of these cycles would yield 500 repetitions
having alternating stress intensity of about 25 ksi range.

Proceeding as in the above example, grouping these loadings into two events would produce an
accurate count of 500 repetitions of about 25 ksi range. Treating each loading as a separate event
would yield an over-conservative count of 1000 repetitions of about 25 ksi range.

6.3.4. Activate the Fatigue Calculations

Now that you have locations, stresses, events, and material parameters all specified, you can execute
the fatigue calculations (FTCALC) at a specified location. The location is specified by either the location
number or the node itself.

6.3.5. Review the Results

Fatigue calculation results are printed in the output. If you have routed your output (/OUTPUT) to a
file (for example Jobname.OUT), then you can review the results by listing that file (*LIST).

If you have input an S-N curve, output is in the form of a table of alternating stress intensities (listed
in decreasing order) with corresponding pairs of event/loadings, as well as cycles used, cycles allowed,
temperature, and partial usage factor. Following that, the cumulative usage factor is shown for that
particular location. This information is repeated for all locations.

FTCALC command output shows the contributing pairs of events and loadings for any given alternating
stress-intensity range. This information can help you to isolate the transients (events/loadings) causing
the most fatigue damage.

A convenient way to modify your events is write all stored fatigue data on Jobname.FATG (FTWRITE).
Data are written to Jobname.FATG in terms of equivalent fatigue module commands. You can

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Fatigue

modify your events by editing Jobname.FATG; then issue the /INPUT command to reread the
modified fatigue commands.

6.3.6. Other Approaches to Range Counting

Earlier, we discussed the "rain flow" range-counting method. This technique is useful whenever the
exact time-history of various loadings is not known. However, if in your fatigue analysis the time-history
is known, you can avoid the undue conservatism of this procedure simply by running a separate fatigue
analysis (FTCALC) for each sequential event and then adding the usage factors manually.

6.3.7. Example: Fatigue Evaluation Input

! Enter POST1 and Resume the Database:
/POST1
RESUME,...
! Number of Locations, Events, and Loadings
FTSIZE,...
! Material Fatigue Properties:
FP,1,.... ! N values
FP,21,... ! S values
FP,41,... ! T values
FP,51,... ! Sm values
FP,61,... ! Elastic-plastic material parameters
! Locations, Stress Concentration Factors, and Location Titles
FL,...
! Store Stresses (3 Different Methods)
! Store Stresses Manually:
FS,...
! Retrieve Stresses from the Results File:
SET,...
FSNODE,...
! Store Stresses at a Cross-Section:
PPATH,...
SET,...
FSSECT,...
! Event Repetitions and Scale Factors
FE,...
! Activate the Fatigue Calculations
FTCALC,...
! Review the Results (List the output file)
FINISH

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Chapter 7: Cracking and Crushing Plots
(SOLID65 (p. 267) and PLCRACK (p. 101))
If you have SOLID65 (p. 267) elements in your model, you can issue the PLCRACK (p. 101) command to
determine which elements have cracked and/or been crushed. Small circles are shown where the concrete
has cracked, and small octagons are shown where the concrete has been crushed.

The cracking and crushing symbols are visible when a non-hidden, vector type of display is used. To
specify such a device, issue this command:

/DEVICE,VECTOR,ON

Figure 7.1: Concrete Beam with Cracks

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Chapter 8: Stress-Intensity Factors (SIFS) Calculation
via Displacement Extrapolation
The POST1 postprocessing KCALC (p. 85) command calculates the mixed-mode stress-intensity factors
KI, KII, and KIII. The command is limited to linear elastic problems with a homogeneous, isotropic mater-
ial near the crack region.

To calculate stress-intensity factors using the displacement extrapolation method, follow these steps
within the POST1 postprocessor:
8.1. Step 1: Define a Local Crack-Tip or Crack-Front Coordinate System
8.2. Step 2: Define a Path Along the Crack Face
8.3. Step 3: Calculate KI, KII, and KIII

8.1. Step 1: Define a Local Crack-Tip or Crack-Front Coordinate System

The X axis must be parallel to the crack face (perpendicular to the crack front in 3-D models) and the
Y axis perpendicular to the crack face (as shown in Figure : Crack Tip and Crack Front).

The coordinate system must be the active model coordinate system (CSYS) and results coordinate system
(RSYS) when KCALC (p. 85) executes. (See the LOCAL (or CLOCAL, CS, CSKP, etc. commands.)

8.2. Step 2: Define a Path Along the Crack Face

The first node on the path should be the crack-tip node. For a half-crack model, two additional nodes
are required, both along the crack face. For a full-crack model, where both crack faces are included,
four additional nodes are required: two along one crack face and two along the other.
Command(s): PATH (or PPATH)
GUI: Main Menu> General Postproc> Path Operations> Define Path

The following figure illustrates the two cases for a 2-D model:

Figure 8.1: Typical Crack Face Path Definitions

(a) Half-crack model (b) Full-crack model

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Stress-Intensity Factors (SIFS) Calculation via Displacement Extrapolation

8.3. Step 3: Calculate KI, KII, and KIII

The KPLAN field on the KCALC (p. 85) command specifies whether the model is plane-strain or plane-
stress. Except for the analysis of thin plates, the asymptotic or near-crack-tip behavior of stress is usually
thought to be that of plane strain. The KCSYM field specifies whether the model is a half-crack model
with symmetry boundary conditions, a half-crack model with antisymmetry boundary conditions, or a
full-crack model.
Command(s): KCALC (p. 85)
GUI: Main Menu> General Postproc> Nodal Calcs> Stress Int Factr

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 Part 2: Archived Commands
Following is archived command documentation.
BELLOW
BEND
BRANCH
CRPLIM
CECYC
FATIGUE
FE
FELIST
FL
FLANGE
FLLIST
FP
FPLIST
FS
FSDELE
FSLIST
FSNODE
FSPLOT
FTCALC
FTSIZE
FTWRITE
KCALC
MITER
PCORRO
PDRAG
PFLUID
PGAP
PINSUL
PIPE
PLCRACK
POPT
PPRES
PSOLVE
PSPEC
PSPRNG
PTEMP
PUNIT
REDUCE
RUN
SSTIF
TEE
VALVE
BELLOW, NLOC, LENG, STIFF, FLEX, ELEM
Defines a bellows in a piping run.
PREP7:Piping
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

NLOC

Node where bellows is to be placed. Defaults to current run starting point (RUN).

LENG

Length of bellows (defaults to average pipe OD).

STIFF

Axial stiffness value (defaults to that of equivalent straight pipe).

FLEX

Bending flexibility factor (defaults to 1.0).

ELEM

Element number to be assigned to bellows (defaults to the previous maximum element number
(MAXEL) + 1).

Notes
Defines a bellows (straight-pipe element PIPE16 with adjusted specifications and loadings) at a given
location in a piping run.

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BEND, NEL1, NEL2, RAD, NDIV, ESTRT, EINC
Defines a bend in a piping run.
PREP7:Piping
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

NEL1, NEL2

Element numbers of the two intersecting straight pipes. Defaults to the last two straight pipe ele-
ments nearest the intersection of the last two runs.

RAD

Bend radius. If LR, use long radius standard (1.5 x nominal diameter) (default). If SR, use short radius
standard (1.0 x nominal diameter).

NDIV

Number of divisions (elements) along bend (defaults to 2). A node is generated at the end of each
division.

ESTRT

Number to be assigned to first element of bend (defaults to MAXEL + 1).

EINC

Element number increment (defaults to 1).

Notes
Defines a bend of curved (elbow) pipe elements (PIPE18) in place of the intersection of two previously
defined straight pipe elements (RUN). Two new nodes are generated at the ends of the bend (at the
tangency points). A node is also generated at the center of curvature point. The two straight pipes are
automatically "shortened" to meet the ends of the bend. The bend specifications and loadings are taken
from the corresponding two straight pipes. The flexibility factors are calculated from the internal pressure
and EX (evaluated at TAVE) based on the current PPRES and PTEMP command specifications when the
element is generated.

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BRANCH, Node, X, Y, Z
Defines the starting point for a piping branch.
PREP7:Piping
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

Node

Start branch at this node.

X, Y, Z

Start branch at this location (in the active coordinate system). Used only if Node is not input or input
but the node itself is not previously defined. In either case a node is generated at this location and
assigned the number Node (or 1 + previous maximum node number if Node is not input).

Notes
See the RUN command in Part 2: Archived Commands (p. 41) for information about piping models.

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CRPLIM, CRCR, Option
Specifies the creep criterion for automatic time stepping.
SOLUTION: Nonlinear Options
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

CRCR

Value of creep criteria for the creep limit ratio control.

Option

Type of creep analysis for which the creep limit ratio is specified:

1 (or ON)

Implicit creep analysis.

0 (or OFF)

Explicit creep analysis.

Command Default
For implicit creep (Option = 1), CRCR defaults to zero (that is, no creep limit control). For explicit creep
(Option = 0), CRCR defaults to 0.1

Notes
The CUTCONTROL command can also be used to set the creep criterion and is preferred over this
command for setting automatic time step controls.

The creep ratio control can be used at the same time for implicit creep and explicit creep analyses. For
implicit creep (Option = 1), the default value of CRCR is zero (that is, no creep limit control), and you
can specify any value. For explicit creep (Option = 0), the default value of CRCR is 0.1, and the max-
imum value allowed is 0.25.

This command is also valid in PREP7.

Menu Paths
Main Menu>Preprocessor>Loads>Load Step Opts>Nonlinear>Creep Criterion
Main Menu>Solution>Load Step Opts>Nonlinear>Creep Criterion

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CECYC, Lowname, Highname, Nsector, HIndex, Tolerance, Kmove, Kpairs
Generates the constraint equations for a cyclic symmetry analysis
PREP7:Constraint Equations SOLUTION:Dynamic Options
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

Lowname

Name of a component for the nodes on the low angle edge of the sector. Enclosed in single quotes.

Highname

Name of a component for the nodes on the high angle edge of the sector. Enclosed in single quotes.

Nsector

Number of sectors in the complete 360 degrees.

HIndex

Harmonic index to be represented by this set of constraint equations. If Hindex is -1, generate
constraint equations for static cyclic symmetry. If HIndex is -2, generate constraint equations for
static cyclic asymmetry.

Tolerance

A positive tolerance is an absolute tolerance (length units), and a negative tolerance is a tolerance
relative to the local element size.

Kmove

Nodes are not moved.

HIGHNAME component nodes are moved to match LOWNAME component nodes exactly.

Kpairs

Do not print paired nodes

Print table of paired nodes

Notes
The analysis can be either modal cyclic symmetry or static cyclic symmetry.

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CECYC

The pair of nodes for which constraint equations are written are rotated into CSYS,1.

Menu Paths
This command cannot be accessed from a menu.

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FATIGUE
Specifies "Fatigue data status" as the subsequent status topic.
PREP7: Status
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

Notes
This is a status (STAT) topic command that appears in the log file (Jobname.LOG) if status is requested
for some items. This command is followed immediately by a STAT command, which reports the status
for the specified topic.

If entered directly into the program, the STAT command should immediately follow this command.

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FE, NEV, CYCLE, FACT, Title
Defines a set of fatigue event parameters.
POST1: Fatigue
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

NEV

Reference number for this event (within MXEV).

CYCLE

Number of required cycles (defaults to 1). If -1, erase all parameters and fatigue stresses for this
event.

FACT

Scale factor to be applied to all loadings in this event (defaults to 1.0).

Title

User defined identification title for this event (up to 20 characters).

Command Default
Event assigned one cycle, unity scale factor, and no title.

Notes
Repeat FE command to define additional sets of event parameters (MXEV limit), to redefine event
parameters, or to delete event stress conditions.

The set of fatigue event parameters is associated with all loadings and all locations. See the FTSIZE
command for the maximum set of events (MXEV) allowed.

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FELIST, NEV1, NEV2, NINC
Lists the fatigue event parameters.
POST1: Fatigue
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

NEV1, NEV2, NINC

List event parameters from NEV1 (defaults to 1) to NEV2 (defaults to NEV1) in steps of NINC (defaults
to 1). If NEV1 = ALL, NEV2 and NINC are ignored and all events are listed.

Notes
Fatigue event parameters are defined via the FE command.

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FL, NLOC, NODE, SCFX, SCFY, SCFZ, Title
Defines a set of fatigue location parameters.
POST1: Fatigue
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

NLOC

Reference number for this location (within MXLOC). When defining a new location, defaults to lowest
unused location. If the specified NODE is already associated with a location, NLOC defaults to that
existing location.

NODE

Node number corresponding to this location (must be unique). Used only to associate a node with
a new location or to find an existing location (if NLOC is not input). If NODE = -1 (or redefined),
erase all parameters and fatigue stresses for this location.

SCFX, SCFY, SCFZ

Stress concentration factors applied to the total stresses. Factors are applied in the global X, Y, and
Z directions unless the axisymmetric option of the FSSECT is used (that is, RHO is nonzero), in which
case the factors are applied in the section x, y, and z (radial, axial, and hoop) directions.

Title

User-defined title for this location (up to 20 characters).

Notes
Repeat FL command to define additional sets of location parameters (MXLOC limit), to redefine location
parameters, or to delete location stress conditions.

One location must be defined for each node of interest and only one node can be associated with each
location. See the FTSIZE command for the maximum locations (MXLOC) allowed. A location will be
automatically defined for a node not having a location when the FSSECT, FSNODE, or FS command is
issued. Automatically defined locations are assigned the lowest available location number, unity stress
concentration factors, and no title.

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FLANGE, NLOC, LENG, MASS, SIF, FLEX, ARINS, ELEM
Defines a flange in a piping run.
PREP7:Piping
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

NLOC

Node where flange is to be placed (as described below). Defaults to current piping run starting
point.

LENG

Length of flange (defaults to larger pipe OD).

MASS

Dry mass (weight/gravity) of flange without insulation (defaults to equivalent straight pipe mass).
Note that acceleration [ACEL] must be nonzero for weight to be calculated.

SIF

Stress intensification factor (defaults to 1.0).

FLEX

Bending flexibility factor (defaults to 1.0).

ARINS

Insulation surface area (defaults to equivalent straight pipe insulation area). Units (length2) must be
consistent with the smallest unit of the system used (not mixed) regardless of the PUNIT option.

ELEM

Element number to be assigned to flange (defaults to the previous maximum element number
(MAXEL) + 1).

Notes
Defines a flange (straight-pipe element PIPE16 with adjusted specifications and loadings) at a given
location in a piping run. (See the RUN command, and other commands described here, in Part 2: Archived
Commands (p. 41).)

The FLANGE command is similar to the VALVE command except for a different flexibility factor default.
The location may be 1) between two adjacent colinear straight pipes, 2) between an adjacent straight
pipe and a different piping component, or 3) at the end of a straight pipe.

For Case 1, two new nodes are generated at the ends of the flange. The two straight pipes are automat-
ically "shortened" to meet the ends of the flange. The flange specifications and loadings are taken from
the corresponding two straight pipes.

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FLANGE

For Case 2, one new node is generated at one end of the flange. The straight pipe is automatically
"shortened" to meet this end of the flange. The other end of the flange meets the other piping com-
ponent. The flange specifications and loadings are taken from the straight pipe.

For Case 3, one new node is generated at the free end of the flange. The other end of the flange meets
the straight pipe. The flange specifications and loadings are taken from the straight pipe.

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FLLIST, NLOC1, NLOC2, NINC
Lists the fatigue location parameters.
POST1: Fatigue
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

NLOC1, NLOC2, NINC

List location parameters from NLOC1 (defaults to 1) to NLOC2 (defaults to NLOC1) in steps of NINC
(defaults to 1). If NLOC1 = ALL, NLOC2 and NINC are ignored and all locations are listed.

Notes
No additional usage notes are available for this command.

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FP, STITM, C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6
Defines the fatigue S vs. N and Sm vs. T tables.
POST1: Fatigue
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

STITM

Starting item number for entering properties (defaults to 1). If 1, data input in field C1 of this
command is entered as the first item in the list; if 7, data input in field C1 of this command is entered
as the seventh item in the list; etc. If the item number is negative, C1-C6 are ignored and the item
is deleted. If -ALL, the table is erased. Items are as follows (items 41-62 are required only if simplified
elastic-plastic code calculations are to be performed):

1,2,...20

N1, N2, ... N20

21,22,...40

S1, S2, ... S20

41,42,...50

T1, T2, ... T10

51,52,...60

Sm1, Sm2, ..., Sm10

61

M (first elastic-plastic material parameter)

62

N (second elastic-plastic material parameter)

C1, C2, C3, . . . , C6

Data inserted into six locations starting with STITM. If a value is already in one of these locations,
it will be redefined. A blank retains the previous value.

Notes
Defines the fatigue alternating stress (S) vs. cycles (N) table and the design stress-intensity value (Sm)
vs. temperature (T) table. Can also be used to modify any previously stored property tables. Log-log
interpolation is used in the S vs. N table and linear interpolation is used in the Sm vs. T table. Cycles
and temperatures must be input in ascending order; S and Sm values in descending order. Table values
must be supplied in pairs, that is, every N entry must have a corresponding S entry, etc. Not all property
pairs per curve need be used. If no S vs. N table is defined, the fatigue evaluation will not produce usage
factor results.

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FPLIST
Lists the property table stored for fatigue evaluation.
POST1: Fatigue
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

Notes
This command has no arguments, and no additional usage notes are available.

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FS, NODE, NEV, NLOD, STITM, C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6
Stores fatigue stress components at a node.
POST1: Fatigue
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

NODE

Node number corresponding to this location. Used only to associate a node with a new location or
to find an existing location.

NEV

Event number to be associated with these stresses (defaults to 1).

NLOD

Loading number to be associated with these stresses (defaults to 1).

STITM

Starting item number for entering stresses (defaults to 1). If 1, data input in field C1 of this command
is entered as the first item in the list; if 7, data input in field C1 of this command is entered as the
seventh item in the list; etc. Items are as follows:

1-6

SX, SY, SZ, SXY, SYZ, SXZ total stress components

Temperature

8-13

SX, SY, SZ, SXY, SYZ, SXZ membrane-plus-bending stress components.

14

Time

C1, C2, C3, . . . , C6

Stresses assigned to six locations starting with STITM. If a value is already in one of these locations,
it will be redefined. A blank retains the previous value (except in the C1 field, which resets the
STITM item to zero).

Notes
Stores fatigue stress components at a node as input on this command instead of from the current data
in the database. Stresses are stored according to the event number and loading number specified. The
location is associated with that previously defined for this node [FL (p. 59)] or else it is automatically

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FS

defined. May also be used to modify any previously stored stress components. Stresses input with this
command should be consistent with the global coordinate system for any FSNODE (p. 75) or FSSECT
stresses used at the same location.

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FSDELE, NLOC, NEV, NLOD
Deletes a stress condition for a fatigue location, event, and loading.
POST1: Fatigue
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

NLOC

Delete stresses associated with location NLOC. Defaults to zero.

NEV

Delete stresses associated with event NEV. Defaults to zero.

NLOD

Delete stresses associated with loading NLOD. Defaults to zero.

Notes
Deletes a stress condition stored for a particular fatigue location, event, and loading. Use FE command
to delete all stresses for a particular event or FL command to delete all stresses for a particular location.

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FSLIST, NLOC1, NLOC2, NINC, NEV, NLOD
Lists the stresses stored for fatigue evaluation.
POST1: Fatigue
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

NLOC1, NLOC2, NINC

List stresses from NLOC1 (defaults to 1) to NLOC2 (defaults to NLOC1) in steps of NINC (defaults
to 1). If NLOC1 = ALL, NLOC2 and NINC are ignored and stresses for all locations are listed.

NEV

Event number for stress listing (defaults to ALL).

NLOD

Loading number for stress listing (defaults to ALL).

Notes
Stresses may be listed per location, per event, per loading, or per stress condition. Use FELIST and FLLIST
if only event and location parameters (no stresses) are to be listed.

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FSNODE, NODE, NEV, NLOD
Calculates and stores the stress components at a node for fatigue.
POST1: Fatigue
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

NODE

Node number for which stress components are stored.

NEV

Event number to be associated with these stresses (defaults to 1).

NLOD

Loading number to be associated with these stresses (defaults to 1).

Notes
Calculates and stores the total stress components at a specified node for fatigue. Stresses are stored
according to the event number and loading number specified. The location is associated with that
previously defined for this node (FL) or else it is automatically defined. Stresses are stored as six total
components (SX through SYZ). Temperature and current time are also stored along with the total stress
components. Calculations are made from the stresses currently in the database (last SET or LCASE
command). Stresses stored are in global Cartesian coordinates, regardless of the active results coordinate
system (RSYS).

You can issue the FSLIST command to list stresses, and the FS command to modify stored stresses.

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FSPLOT, NLOC, NEV, ITEM
Displays a fatigue stress item for a fatigue location and event.
POST1: Fatigue
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

NLOC

Display stresses associated with location NLOC.

NEV

Display stresses associated with event NEV.

ITEM

Display stresses associated with item number ITEM. Items are as follows:

1-6

SX, SY, SZ, SXY, SYZ, SXZ total stress components

Temperature

8-13

SX, SY, SZ, SXY, SYZ, SXZ membrane-plus-bending stress components.

14

Time

Notes
Displays a fatigue stress item as a function of loading number for a particular fatigue location and event.

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FTCALC, NLOC, NODE
Performs fatigue calculations for a given node location.
POST1: Fatigue
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

NLOC

Location number of stress conditions to be used for fatigue calculation.

NODE

Node number (used only for convenience if NLOC is not input).

Notes
No additional usage notes are available for this command.

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FTSIZE, MXLOC, MXEV, MXLOD
Defines the fatigue data storage array.
POST1: Fatigue
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

MXLOC

Maximum number of fatigue locations (defaults to 5).

MXEV

Maximum number of fatigue events (defaults to 10).

MXLOD

Maximum number of loadings in each event (defaults to 3).

Command Default
5 locations, 10 events, 3 loadings.

Notes
Defines the size and erases the stress conditions for the fatigue data storage array. A stress condition
is a loading (stresses) at a particular location (node) for a particular event. Size is defined in terms of
the maximum number of locations, events, and loadings. The array size cannot be changed once data
storage has begun (without erasing all previously stored data). If a size change is necessary, see the
FTWRITE (p. 83) command.

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FTWRITE, Fname, Ext, --
Writes all currently stored fatigue data on a file.
POST1: Fatigue
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

Fname

File name (defaults to Jobname).

Ext

File name extension (defaults to FATG if Fname).

--

Unused.

Notes
Data are written in terms of the equivalent POST1 fatigue commands (FTSIZE, FL, FS, etc.) which you
can then edit and resubmit to POST1 (via the /INPUT command).

After you have created a fatigue data file, each subsequent use of the FTWRITE command overwrites
the contents of that file.

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KCALC, KPLAN, MAT, KCSYM, KLOCPR
Calculates stress intensity factors in fracture mechanics analyses.
POST1: Special Purpose
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

KPLAN

Key to indicate stress state for calculation of stress intensity factors:

Plane strain and axisymmetric condition (default).

Plane stress condition.

MAT

Material number used in the extrapolation (defaults to 1).

KCSYM

Symmetry key:

0 or 1

Half-crack model with symmetry boundary conditions (DSYM]) in the crack-tip coordinate
system. KII = KIII = 0. Three nodes are required on the path.

Like 1 except with antisymmetric boundary conditions (KI = 0).

Full-crack model (both faces). Five nodes are required on the path (one at the tip and two
on each face).

KLOCPR

Local displacements print key:

Do not print local crack-tip displacements.

Print local displacements used in the extrapolation technique.

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KCALC

Notes
Calculates the stress intensity factors (KI, KII, and KIII) associated with homogeneous isotropic linear
elastic fracture mechanics.

A displacement extrapolation method is used in the calculation. (See POST1 - Crack Analysis (KCALC)
in the Feature Archive (p. 475).) This method assumes that the displacement calculations are for the plane
strain state. If the displacement calculations are performed using a plane stress formulation, the calcu-
lation of the stress intensity factors can be converted to the plane strain state by using KPLAN = 1.

The program uses minor Poisson's ratio (MP,NUXY) for the stress intensity factor calculation.

Issue the PATH and PPATH commands to define a path with the crack face nodes (NODE1 at the crack
tip, NODE2 and NODE3 on one face, NODE4 and NODE5 on the other (optional) face).

A crack-tip coordinate system, having x parallel to the crack face (and perpendicular to the crack front)
and y perpendicular to the crack face, must be the active RSYS and CSYS before KCALC is issued.

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MITER, NEL1, NEL2, RAD, NDIV, ESTRT, EINC
Defines a mitered bend in a piping run.
PREP7:Piping
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

NEL1, NEL2

Element numbers of the two intersecting straight pipes. Defaults to the last two straight pipe ele-
ments nearest the intersection of the last two runs.

RAD

Bend radius. If LR, use long radius standard (1.5 x OD) (default). If SR, use short radius standard (1.0
x OD).

NDIV

Number of divisions (elements) along bend (defaults to 2). A node is generated at the end of each
division.

ESTRT

Number to be assigned to first element of bend (defaults to MAXEL + 1).

EINC

Element number increment (defaults to 1).

Notes
Defines a mitered bend of piecewise straight-pipe PIPE16 elements in place of the intersection of two
previously defined straight pipe elements (RUN). This command is similar to the BEND command except
that straight pipe elements are used to form the bend instead of curved (elbow) elements. (See the
RUN and BEND command descriptions in Part 2: Archived Commands (p. 41).)

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PCORRO, CTK
Specifies the allowable exterior corrosion thickness for a piping run.
PREP7:Piping
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

CTK

Allowable corrosion thickness.

Notes
Specifies the allowable exterior corrosion thickness for a piping run. (See the RUN command description
in Part 2: Archived Commands (p. 41).)

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PDRAG, PX1, PY1, PZ1, H1, PX2, PY2, PZ2, H2, Kcord
Defines the external fluid drag loading for a piping run.
PREP7:Piping
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

PX1, PY1, PZ1

External fluid drag pressure (global Cartesian components) at height H1.

H1

Height (along Kcord coordinate) for first drag pressure.

PX2, PY2, PZ2

External fluid drag pressure (global Cartesian components) at height H2.

H2

Height (along Kcord coordinate) for second drag pressure.

Kcord

Coordinate direction for height value (in the global Cartesian coordinate system):

X coordinate.

Y coordinate (default).

Z coordinate.

Notes
Defines the external fluid drag loading (pressure) as a function of height for a piping run. (See the RUN
command description in Part 2: Archived Commands (p. 41).) The element drag pressure is determined
from the centroid height and linear interpolation. Pressures are assigned to the elements as they are
generated.

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PFLUID, DENS
Defines the contained fluid density for a piping run.
PREP7:Piping
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

DENS

Density of the contained fluid.

Notes
See the RUN command description in Part 2: Archived Commands (p. 41).

Distributed ANSYS Restriction

This command is not supported in Distributed Ansys.

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PGAP, NLOC, K, DX, DY, DZ, GAP, ELEM
Defines a spring-gap constraint in a piping run.
PREP7:Piping
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

NLOC

Node where gap is to be placed. Defaults to current run starting point.

Spring constant value (must be positive).

DX, DY, DZ

Increment (in terms of the active coordinate system components) to determine gap ground point.
Element length must not be zero. Constraints are automatically generated at the ground point.

GAP

Gap size (defaults to the element length).

ELEM

Element number to be assigned to gap (defaults to MAXEL + 1).

Notes
Defines a spring-gap constraint (gap element CONTAC52) at a given location in a piping run. Gives
spring constraint resistance after a specified gap is closed. (See the RUN command description in
Part 2: Archived Commands (p. 41).)

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PINSUL, DENS, ITK
Defines the external insulation constants in a piping run.
PREP7:Piping
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

DENS

Insulation density.

ITK

Insulation thickness.

Command Default
No insulation.

Notes
Defines the external insulation constants in a piping run. (See the RUN command description in
Part 2: Archived Commands (p. 41).)

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PIPE
Specifies "Pipe modeling" as the subsequent status topic.
PREP7:Status
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

Notes
This is a status topic command. If status is requested for some items, it appears in the log file (Job-
name.LOG). This command should be followed immediately by a STAT command, which reports the
status for the specified topic.

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PLCRACK, LOC, NUM
Displays cracking and crushing locations in SOLID65 (p. 267) elements.
POST1: Special Purpose
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

LOC

Location at which symbols are to be displayed:

Plot symbols at integration points (default).

Plot symbol at element centroids (averaged).

NUM

Crack to be displayed:

Plot all cracks (default).

Plot only the first crack.

Plot only the second crack.

Plot only the third crack.

Notes
PLCRACK displays circles at locations of cracking or crushing in concrete elements. Cracking is shown
with a circle outline in the plane of the crack, and crushing is shown with an octahedron outline. If the
crack has opened and then closed, the circle outline will have an X through it. Each integration point
can crack in up to three different planes. The first crack at an integration point is shown with a red
circle outline, the second crack with a green outline, and the third crack with a blue outline.

Symbols shown at the element centroid (LOC = 1) are based on the status of all of the element's integ-
ration points. If any integration point in the element has crushed, the crushed (octahedron) symbol is
shown at the centroid. If any integration point has cracked or cracked and closed, the cracked symbol
is shown at the element centroid. If at least five integration points have cracked and closed, the cracked
and closed symbol is shown at the element centroid. Finally, if more than one integration point has

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PLCRACK

cracked, the circle outline at the element centroid shows the average orientation of all cracked planes
for that element.

Portions of this command are not supported by PowerGraphics [/GRAPHICS,POWER].

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POPT, Lop1
Selects the piping analysis standard for a piping run.
PREP7:Piping
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

Lop1

Option label:

B31.1

for ANSI B31.1.

NC

for ASME Section III NC, Class 2.

Command Default
ANSI B31.1.

Notes
Selects the piping analysis standard for a piping run (RUN). Affects only the flexibility and stress intens-
ification factors applied to the curved pipe elements. (See the RUN command description in
Part 2: Archived Commands (p. 41).)

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PPRES, PRESS
Defines the internal pressure for a piping run.
PREP7:Piping
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

PRESS

Pipe internal pressure.

Notes
Defines the pipe internal pressure for a piping run (RUN). These pressures are assigned to the elements
as they are generated. (See the RUN command description in Part 2: Archived Commands (p. 41).)

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PSOLVE, Lab
Directs the program to perform a partial solution.
SOLUTION: Analysis Options
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

Lab

Valid labels defining the solution step. All characters are required:

EIGDAMP

Calculates the eigenvalues and eigenvectors using the damped eigensolver. Requires
Jobname.FULL from MODOPT,UNSYM or MODOPT,DAMP options. Produces Job-
name.MODE.

EIGQRDA

Calculates eigenvalues and eigenvectors using the QR damped eigensolver. Requires Job-
name.EMAT from MODOPT,QRDAMP option. Produces Jobname.MODE.

EIGEXP

Expands the eigenvector solution. Requires Jobname.ESAV and Jobname.MODE. Produces

Jobname.RST.

EIGLANB

Calculates the eigenvalues and eigenvectors using Block Lanczos. Requires Jobname.EMAT
from MODOPT,LANB option. Produces Jobname.MODE.

EIGLANPCG

Calculates the eigenvalues and eigenvectors using PCG Lanczos. Requires Jobname.EMAT
from MODOPT,LANPCG option. Produces Jobname.MODE.

EIGSNODE

Calculates the eigenvalues and eigenvectors using the Supernode method. Requires Job-
name.EMAT from MODOPT,SNODE option. Produces Jobname.MODE. (See the MODOPT
command for more information on the SNODE modal solver.)

EIGUNSYM

Calculates the eigenvalues and eigenvectors using the unsymmetric eigensolver. Requires
Jobname.EMAT from MODOPT,UNSYM or MODOPT,DAMP options. Produces Job-
name.MODE.

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PSOLVE

ELFORM

Creates the element matrices. Produces Jobname.EMAT and Jobname.ESAV.

Note:

If you want to include prestress effects (PSTRES,ON) from a previous

prestress analysis, the ELFORM option requires the Jobname.EMAT and
Jobname.ESAV files generated by that analysis.

Notes
Directs the program to perform a partial solution (that is, one step of an analysis sequence). Predefined
analysis types (ANTYPE) perform a defined subset of these solution steps in a predefined sequence.
You can use the partial-solution procedure to repeat a certain step of an analysis or to restart an ana-
lysis.

Not all steps are valid for all analysis types. The order of the steps may vary depending on the result
you desire. See the Basic Analysis Guide for a description of how to perform partial and predefined
solutions.

An example of a prestressed modal analysis is given below. The Jobname.EMAT and Jobname.ESAV
files from a prior static analysis must be available.

The example is provided for illustration purposes only, as the linear perturbation analysis method is
recommended in place of this partial-solution method.
! Prestressed modal analysis
!
/SOLU
ANTYPE,MODAL ! Modal analysis
UPCOORD,1.0,ON ! Display mode shapes relative to deformed geometry
! in the postprocessor.
PSTRES,ON ! Prestress effects ON
MODOPT,LANB ! Select eigensolver
PSOLVE,EIGLANB ! Calculate the eigenvalues and eigenvectors.
! EIGxxx label must be consistent with mode extraction method on MODOPT command.
FINISH
/SOLU ! Additional solution step for expansion.
EXPASS,ON
MXPAND,... ! Specify the number of modes to expand, if desired.
PSOLVE,EIGEXP ! Expand the eigenvector solution. (Required if you
! want to review mode shapes in the postprocessor.)
FINISH

In a cyclic symmetry analysis, PSOLVE,EIGLANB or PSOLVE,EIGLANPCG performs the modal analysis at

multiple load steps, one for each nodal-diameter specified via the CYCOPT command. In addition, the
eigenvector solution is expanded at each nodal-diameter solution, eliminating the need for a separate
expansion pass (PSOLVE,EIGEXP).

If Jobname.EMAT is required, run the prior analysis with EMATWRITE,YES to ensure that a Job-
name.EMAT is generated.

Distributed Ansys Restriction

Only the EIGLANB, and EIGLANPCG options on this command are supported in Distributed Ansys.

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PSPEC, MAT, DNOM, SCHED, OD, TK
Defines pipe material and dimensions.
PREP7:Piping
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

MAT

Material number referring to a material property [MP]. Material number must be between 1 and 40.

DNOM, SCHED

Nominal diameter of pipe and schedule rating. Only valid ratings accepted. If these are specified,
the OD and TK values are found from an internal table.

Valid values for DNOM are: 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32,
34, and 36.

Valid ratings for SCHED are: 5, 5S, 10, 10S, 20, 30, 40, 40S, 60, 80 80S, 100, 120, 140, 160, XS, XXS,
and STD.

OD

Outer diameter of pipe (if DNOM not specified). If both DNOM and OD are not specified, OD and TK
retain their previous values.

TK

Wall thickness of pipe (if OD specified).

Notes
Defines pipe material and dimensions. (See the RUN command description in Part 2: Archived Com-
mands (p. 41).)

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PSPRNG, NLOC, TYPE, K, DX, DY, DZ, ELEM
Defines a spring constraint in a piping run.
PREP7:Piping
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

NLOC

Node where spring is to be placed. Defaults to current run starting point.

TYPE

Type of spring:

TRAN

Translational (default).

ROT

Rotational.

Spring constant value (must be positive).

DX, DY, DZ

Increment (in terms of the active coordinate system components) to determine spring ground point.
Spring length must not be zero. Constraints are automatically generated at the ground point.

ELEM

Element number to be assigned to spring (defaults to the previous maximum element number
(MAXEL + 1)).

Notes
Defines a spring constraint (spring element COMBIN14) at a given location in a piping run. (See the
RUN command description in Part 2: Archived Commands (p. 41).)

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PTEMP, TOUT, TIN
Defines the pipe wall temperatures in a piping run.
PREP7:Piping
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

TOUT

Outer pipe wall temperature. If NONE, reset temperature specification to none (BFUNIF will be as-
signed).

TIN

Inner pipe wall temperature (defaults to TOUT).

Command Default
Assign uniform temperature BFUNIF to elements.

Notes
Defines the pipe wall temperatures in a piping run. These temperatures are assigned to the elements
as they are generated. (See the RUN command description in Part 2: Archived Commands (p. 41).)

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PUNIT, KOPT
Selects the system of length units to be used in a piping run.
PREP7:Piping
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

KOPT

Units key:

Input units are consistent (no conversions are done) (default).

FTIN or 1

English units (feet A, inch B, fraction of inch C/D). Use A+B+C/D format for PDRAG, BRANCH,
RUN, BEND, MITER, REDUCE, VALVE, BELLOW, FLANGE, PSPRNG, and PGAP commands.
Precede by "-'' sign for negative coordinates. (Example: 5+6+7/16 for 5 ft. 6-7/16 in., +3 for
3 in., -0+3 for -3 in., +0+9/16 for 9/16 in.).

The two signs should not be consecutive. A, B, C, and D must be integers. Use B+C/D format
for PSPEC, PINSUL, and PCORRO commands. (Example: 2 for 2 in., 3+1/2 for 3-1/2 in., +3/8
for 3/8 in.)

METRIC or 2

Metric units (meter A, centimeter B, fraction of cm C/D). Use as explained for English units.
(Example: 5+6+7/10 for 5 m 6-7/10 cm with PDRAG command.)

Command Default
Input units are consistent (no conversions are done).

Notes
Selects the system of length units to be used for the piping commands. Mixed length units require a
+ sign to delimit (or position) the units in the system and are converted to the smallest unit of the
system (inches or centimeters) upon input.

This conversion is local only to pure length units of the piping commands listed. Other units and units
for other commands must be input to be consistent with the smallest length unit of the system used.

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REDUCE, NLOC, LENG, ELEM
Defines a reducer in a piping run.
PREP7:Piping
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

NLOC

Node where two straight pipes intersect at center of reducer. Defaults to previous run starting point.

LENG

Length of reducer (defaults to average pipe OD).

ELEM

Element number to be assigned to reducer (defaults to MAXEL + 1).

Notes
Defines a reducer (straight-pipe element PIPE16 with averaged specifications) in place of the intersection
of two previously defined straight pipe elements in a piping run. (See the RUN command description
in Part 2: Archived Commands (p. 41).) Two new nodes are generated at the ends of the reducer. The
two straight pipes are automatically "shortened" to meet the ends of the reducer. The reducer specific-
ations and loadings are taken from the corresponding two straight pipes.

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RUN, DX, DY, DZ, NDIV, NEND, ESTRT, EINC
Defines a pipe run.
PREP7:Piping
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

DX, DY, DZ

Increment (in terms of the active coordinate system components) to determine run end point. In-
crement is applied to branch starting point (BRANCH) or end point of previous run (whichever was
later).

NDIV

Number of divisions (elements) along branch (defaults to 1). A node is generated at the end of each
division.

NEND

Number to be assigned to end node of branch (defaults to MAXNP + NDIV).

ESTRT

Number to be assigned to first element of branch (defaults to the previous maximum element
number (MAXEL) + 1).

EINC

Element number increment (defaults to 1).

Notes
Defines a pipe run from a previous point to an incremental point. Nodes (and elements) are generated
straight (in the active coordinate system). Elements are of type PIPE16 straight pipes. Material properties,
real constants, and loads are derived from the previously defined piping specifications. Piping loads
and specifications are defined via PCORRO, PDRAG, PFLUID, PINSUL, POPT, PPRES, PSPEC, PTEMP, and
PUNIT commands.

Generated items may be listed (or displayed) with the standard commands (NLIST, ELIST, NPLOT,
EPLOT, ETLIST, RLIST, etc.).

Items may also be modified (NMODIF, EMODIF, RMODIF, etc.) or redefined as desired.

See Piping Models (p. 3) for more information.

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SSTIF, Key
Activates stress stiffness effects in a nonlinear analysis.
SOLUTION: Nonlinear Options
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

Key

Stress stiffening key:

OFF

No stress stiffening is included (default unless NLGEOM,ON).

ON

Stress stiffening is included (default if NLGEOM,ON).

Command Default
SSTIF will be turned on if NLGEOM,ON; otherwise it will be turned off.

Notes
Activates stress stiffness effects in a nonlinear analysis (ANTYPE,STATIC or TRANS). (The PSTRES command
also controls the generation of the stress stiffness matrix and therefore should not be used in conjunction
with SSTIF.) If used within the solution processor, this command is valid only within the first load step.

When NLGEOM is ON, SSTIF defaults to ON. This normally forms all of the consistent tangent matrix.
However, for some special nonlinear cases, this can lead to divergence caused by some elements which
do not provide a complete consistent tangent (notably, elements outside the 18x family). In such a
case, Ansys, Inc. recommends issuing an SSTIF,OFF command to achieve convergence. For current-
technology elements, setting SSTIF,OFF when NLGEOM is ON has no effect (because stress stiffness
effects are always included).

This command is also valid in PREP7.

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TEE, NCENT, TYPE, ELEM, EINC, L1, L2, L3
Defines a tee in a piping run.
PREP7:Piping
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

NCENT

Node where three straight pipes intersect forming a tee (or "Y"). Defaults to last starting branch
node (BRANCH).

TYPE

Type of tee:

WT

Welding tee (default).

r = (D0 - tw) / 2

h = 4.4 tw/ r

SIF = 0.9 / (h2/3)

If (SIF < 1) SIF = 1

UFT

Unreinforced fabricated tee.

r = (D0 - tw) / 2

h = tw/ r

SIF = 0.9 / (h2/3)

If (SIF < 1) SIF = 1

ELEM

Element number to be assigned to first tee leg (defaults to the previous maximum element number
(MAXEL) + 1).

EINC

Element number increment (defaults to 1).

L1, L2, L3

Tee leg lengths (corresponding in order of increasing straight pipe element numbers). Must be less
than the straight pipe length. Defaults to 2 x OD of straight pipe (for each leg).

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TEE

Notes
Defines a tee in place of the tee intersection of three previously defined straight pipe elements. (See
the RUN command description in Part 2: Archived Commands (p. 41).)

The new tee is also composed of three PIPE16 straight pipe elements, but of the leg lengths specified
and with the appropriate tee factors calculated.

Three new nodes are generated at the ends of the tee.

The original three straight pipes are automatically "shortened" to meet the ends of the tee. The tee
specifications and loadings are taken from the corresponding three straight pipes.

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VALVE, NLOC, LENG, MASS, SIF, FLEX, ARINS, ELEM
Defines a valve in a piping run.
PREP7:Piping
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on

NLOC

Node where valve is to be placed (as described below). Defaults to current run starting point.

LENG

Length of valve (defaults to larger pipe OD).

MASS

Dry mass (weight/gravity) of valve without insulation (defaults to equivalent straight pipe mass).
Note, acceleration (ACEL) must be nonzero for weight to be calculated.

SIF

Stress intensification factor (defaults to 1.0).

FLEX

Bending flexibility factor (defaults to 0.5).

ARINS

Insulation surface area (defaults to equivalent straight pipe insulation area). Units (length2) must be
consistent with the smallest unit of the system used (not mixed) regardless of the PUNIT option.

ELEM

Element number to be assigned to valve (defaults to the previous maximum element number
(MAXEL) + 1).

Notes
Defines a valve (straight-pipe element PIPE16 with adjusted specifications and loadings) at a given
location in a piping run. (See the RUN command description in Part 2: Archived Commands (p. 41).) The
location may be 1) between two adjacent colinear straight pipes, 2) between an adjacent straight pipe
and a different piping component, or 3) at the end of a straight pipe.

For Case 1, two new nodes are generated at the ends of the valve. The two straight pipes are automat-
ically "shortened" to meet the ends of the valve. The valve specifications and loadings are taken from
the corresponding two straight pipes.

For Case 2, one new node is generated at one end of the valve. The straight pipe is automatically
"shortened" to meet this end of the valve. The other end of the valve meets the other piping component.
The valve specifications and loadings are taken from the straight pipe.

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VALVE

For Case 3, one new node is generated at the free end of the valve. The other end of the valve meets
the straight pipe. The valve specifications and loadings are taken from the straight pipe.

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 Part 3: Archived Material Properties
Following is archived material-property documentation.
Chapter 1: Multilinear Kinematic Hardening (TB,MKIN
and TB,KINH)
This archived documention refers to the former multilinear kinematic hardening TB,MKIN and TB,KINH
material models.

The preferred method for accessing multilinear kinematic hardening is via the plasticity model with the
KINH option (TB,PLASTIC,,,,KINH).

For more information, see Multilinear Kinematic Hardening in the Material Reference and Multilinear
Kinematic Hardening in the Theory Reference.

The following topics about the archived multilinear kinematic hardening material model are available:
1.1. Defining the Multilinear Kinematic Hardening Model
1.2. Material Model Combinations Using Multilinear Kinematic Hardening

1.1. Defining the Multilinear Kinematic Hardening Model

Define the isotropic or anisotropic elastic behavior via MP commands. To specify the hardening beha-
vior, define the material data table (TB) and as stress vs. total strain points or as stress vs. plastic strain
points.

TB,MKIN -- Multilinear Kinematic Hardening Specifications

NTEMP:

Number of temperatures for which data will be provided. Default = 5. Maximum =

5.

NPTS:

Number of data points to be specified for a given temperature.

TBOPT:

Stress-strain options.

0 --

No stress relaxation with temperature increase (this is not recommended

for nonisothermal problems); also produces thermal ratcheting. This value
is the default.

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Multilinear Kinematic Hardening (TB,MKIN and TB,KINH)

1 --

Recalculate total plastic strain using new weight factors of the subvolume.

2 --

Scale layer plastic strains to keep total plastic strain constant; agrees with
Rice's model (TB, BKIN) with TBOPT = 1). Produces stable stress-strain cycles.

TB,KINH -- Multilinear Kinematic Hardening Specifications

This material is the same as MKIN with TBOPT = 2, but with fewer restrictions on the
number of points per curve and the number of temperatures.

NTEMP:

Number of temperatures for which data will be provided. Default = 1. Maximum =

40.

NPTS:

Number of data points to be specified for a given temperature. Default = 20. Maxim-
um = 20.

TBOPT:

Use 0 or leave blank to define stress -vs- total strain curve.

Use 4 or enter "PLASTIC" to define stress -vs- plastic strain curve. This option supports
only elements LINK180, SHELL181, PLANE182, PLANE183, SOLID185, SOLID186,
SOLID187, BEAM188, BEAM189, SOLSH190, SHELL208, SHELL209, REINF264, REINF265,
SOLID272, SOLID273, SOLID285, SHELL281, PIPE288, PIPE289, and ELBOW290, .

Specifying the Constants

Constant Meaning Property

P1 Strain value
P2 Stress value

The constants can be defined as a function of temperature (NTEMP, with temperatures specified for the
table entries (TBTEMP).

When entering temperature-dependent stress-strain points, the set of data at each temperature must
have the same number of points. Thermal softening for the multilinear kinematic hardening model is
the same as that for bilinear kinematic hardening (TB,BKIN) with Rice's hardening rule.

Entering Stress vs. Total Strain Points

After defining the material data table (TB,KINH,,,,0), enter the stress-strain points (TBPT).

The slope of the first segment must correspond to the elastic modulus and no segment slope can be
larger than the slope of the previous segment.

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 Material Model Combinations Using Multilinear Kinematic Hardening

Example 1.1: Multilinear Kinematic Hardening with Stress vs. Total Strain
/prep7
TB,KINH,1,2,3 ! Activate a data table
TBTEMP,20.0 ! Temperature = 20.0
TBPT,,0.001,1.0 ! Strain = 0.001, Stress = 1.0
TBPT,,0.1012,1.2 ! Strain = 0.1012, Stress = 1.2
TBPT,,0.2013,1.3 ! Strain = 0.2013, Stress = 1.3
TBTEMP,40.0 ! Temperature = 40.0
TBPT,,0.008,0.9 ! Strain = 0.008, Stress = 0.9
TBPT,,0.09088,1.0 ! Strain = 0.09088, Stress = 1.0
TBPT,,0.12926,1.05 ! Strain = 0.12926, Stress = 1.05

1.2. Material Model Combinations Using Multilinear Kinematic Hardening

Table 1.1: Material Model Combination Possibilities

Model With ... Combination Command, Label Link to Example

Type

Anisotropic Kinematic HILL and MKIN

Multilinear TB,HILL + TB,MKIN
Plasticity Hardening Example (p. 131)
Anisotropic Kinematic HILL and KINH
Multilinear TB,HILL + TB,KINH
Plasticity Hardening Example (p. 132)

Example 1.2: Anisotropic Plasticity (HILL) with Multilinear Kinematic Hardening (MKIN)
MPTEMP,1,20,400,650,800,950 ! ELASTIC CONSTANTS

MPDATA,EX,1,1,30.00E6,27.36E6,25.20E6,23.11E6,20.76E6
MPDATA,EY,1,1,30.00E6,27.36E6,25.20E6,23.11E6,20.76E6
MPDATA,EZ,1,1,30.00E6,27.36E6,25.20E6,23.11E6,20.76E6

MPDATA,PRXY,1,1,0.351,0.359,0.368,0.375,0.377
MPDATA,PRYZ,1,1,0.351,0.359,0.368,0.375,0.377
MPDATA,PRXZ,1,1,0.351,0.359,0.368,0.375,0.377

MPDATA,GXY,1,1,1.190E4,1.160E4,1.110E4,1.080E4,1.060E4
MPDATA,GYZ,1,1,1.190E4,1.160E4,1.110E4,1.080E4,1.060E4
MPDATA,GXZ,1,1,1.190E4,1.160E4,1.110E4,1.080E4,1.060E4

TB,MKIN,1,5,5 ! MKIN TABLE

TBTEMP,,strain
TBDATA,1,0.0015,0.006,0.04,0.08,0.1
TBTEMP,20
TBDATA,1,45000,60000,90000,115000,120000
TBTEMP,400
TBDATA,1,41040,54720,82080,104880,109440
TBTEMP,650
TBDATA,1,37800,50400,75600,96600,100800
TBTEMP,800
TBDATA,1,34665,46220,69330,88588,92440
TBTEMP,950
TBDATA,1,31140,41520,62280,79580,83040

TB,HILL,1,5 ! HILL TABLE

TBTEMP,20.0
TBDATA,1,1.0,1.0,1.0,0.93,0.93,0.93
TBTEMP,400.0
TBDATA,1,1.0,1.0,1.0,0.93,0.93,0.93
TBTEMP,650.0

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Multilinear Kinematic Hardening (TB,MKIN and TB,KINH)

TBDATA,1,1.0,1.0,1.0,0.93,0.93,0.93
TBTEMP,800.0
TBDATA,1,1.0,1.0,1.0,1.00,1.00,1.00
TBTEMP,950.0
TBDATA,1,1.0,1.0,1.0,1.00,1.00,1.00

Example 1.3: Anisotropic Plasticity (HILL) with Multilinear Kinematic Hardening (KINH)
MP,EX,1,20E6 ! ELASTIC CONSTANTS
MP,NUXY,1,0.3

TB,KINH,1,,3 ! KINH TABLE

TBPT,,5E-5,1E3
TBPT,,0.01,2E3
TBPT,,0.60,6E4

TB,HILL,1 ! HILL TABLE

TBDATA,1,1.0,1.1,0.9,0.85,0.90,0.95

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Chapter 2: Multilinear Isotropic Hardening (TB,MISO)
This archived documention refers to the former multilinear isotropic hardening TB,MISO material model.

The preferred method for accessing multilinear isotropic hardening is via the plasticity model with the
MISO option (TB,PLASTIC,,,,MISO).

For more information, see Multilinear Isotropic Hardening in the Material Reference.

The following topics concerning the archived multilinear isotropic hardening material model are available:
2.1. Defining the Multilinear Isotropic Hardening Model
2.2. Material Model Combinations Using Multilinear Isotropic Hardening

2.1. Defining the Multilinear Isotropic Hardening Model

To specify the hardening behavior, define the material data table (TB,MISO) and input the constants.

TB,MISO -- Multilinear Isotropic Hardening Specifications

NTEMP:

Number of temperatures for which data will be provided. Default = 1. Maximum =

20.

NPTS:

Number of data points to be specified for a given temperature. Default = 20. Maxim-
um = 100.

TBOPT:

Not used.

Specifying the Constants

See Multilinear Isotropic Hardening in the Material Reference.

2.2. Material Model Combinations Using Multilinear Isotropic Hardening

Example 2.1: RATE and CHAB and MISO

Combining viscoplasticity and Chaboche nonlinear kinematic hardening plasticity and multilinear iso-
tropic hardening plasticity:
MP,EX,1,185E3 ! ELASTIC CONSTANTS
MP,NUXY,1,0.3

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Multilinear Isotropic Hardening (TB,MISO)

TB,RATE,1,,,PERZYNA ! RATE TABLE

TBDATA,1,0.5,1

TB,CHAB,1 ! CHABOCHE TABLE

TBDATA,1,180,100,3 ! THIS EXAMPLE ISOTHERMAL

TB,MISO,1 ! MISO TABLE

TBPT,,9.7E-4,180
TBPT,,1.0,380

For information about the RATE option, see Rate-Dependent Viscoplastic Materials and Viscoplasticity.

For information about the CHAB option, see Nonlinear Kinematic Hardening.

Example 2.2: MISO and CHAB

Combining multilinear isotropic hardening (MISO) plasticity with Chaboche nonlinear kinematic
hardening plasticity:
MP,EX,1,185E3 ! ELASTIC CONSTANTS
MP,NUXY,1,0.3

TB,CHAB,1 ! CHABOCHE TABLE

TBDATA,1,180,100,3 ! THIS EXAMPLE ISOTHERMAL

TB,MISO,1 ! MISO TABLE

TBPT,,9.7E-4,180
TBPT,,1.0,380

For information about the CHAB option, see Nonlinear Kinematic Hardening.

Example 2.3: MISO and EDP

Combining multilinear isotropic hardening with Extended Drucker-Prager plasticity:

/prep7
mp,ex,1,2.1e4 ! Elastic Properties
mp,nuxy,1,0.1

ys=7.894657
sl=1000.0

tb,edp,1,,,LYFUN
tbdata,1,2.2526,ys

tb,edp,1,,,LFPOT
tbdata,1,0.566206

tb,miso,1,1,2
tbpt,defi,0.000375905,7.894
tbpt,defi,1.047994952,1007.894

For information about the EDP option, see Extended Drucker-Prager.

Example 2.4: GURSON and MISO

The TB,MISO command can be used to combine multilinear isotropic hardening with Gurson plasticity,
as shown in the following example:
Young=1000000
sigma_Y=Young/300.0
yield=1.0d0/sigma_Y/3.1415926

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 Material Model Combinations Using Multilinear Isotropic Hardening

! define elastic Properties

mp,ex,1,Young
mp,nuxy,1,0.3
! Define Gurson's coefficients
q1=1.5
q2=1
q3=q1*q1
f_0= 0.000000
f_N= 0.04
S_N=0.1
strain_N=0.3
Power_N=0.1
f_c=0.15
f_F=0.25
! Gurson Model
tb,gurs,1,,5,BASE ! BASE DEFINED
tbdata,1,sigma_Y,f_0,q1,q2,q3

tb,gurs,1,,3,SNNU ! SNNU DEFINED

tbdata,1,f_N,strain_N,S_N

tb,gurs,1,,2,COAL ! COAL DEFINED

tbdata,1,f_c,f_F

tb,miso,,,6
tbpt,,0.003333333, 3333.333333
tbpt,,0.018982279, 3966.666667
tbpt,,0.103530872, 4700
tbpt,,0.562397597, 5566.666667
tbpt,,1.006031106, 5900
tbpt,,2.934546576, 6566.666667

For information about the GURSON option, see Gurson's Model.

Example 2.5: MISO and RATE

Combining multilinear isotropic hardening plasticity with TB,RATE to model viscoplasticity:

MP,EX,1,20.0E5 ! ELASTIC CONSTANTS
MP,NUXY,1,0.3

TB,MISO,1 ! MISO TABLE

TBPT,,0.015,30000
TBPT,,0.020,32000
TBPT,,0.025,33800
TBPT,,0.030,35000
TBPT,,0.040,36500
TBPT,,0.050,38000
TBPT,,0.060,39000

TB,RATE,1,,,PERZYNA ! RATE TABLE

TBDATA,1,0.5,1

For information about the RATE option, see Rate-Dependent Viscoplastic Materials and Viscoplasticity.

Example 2.6: MISO and CREEP

This input listing illustrates an example of combining multilinear isotropic hardening plasticity with
implicit creep.
MP,EX,1,20.0E5 ! ELASTIC CONSTANTS
MP,NUXY,1,0.3

TB,MISO,1 ! MISO TABLE

TBPT,,0.015,30000

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Multilinear Isotropic Hardening (TB,MISO)

TBPT,,0.020,32000
TBPT,,0.025,33800
TBPT,,0.030,35000
TBPT,,0.040,36500
TBPT,,0.050,38000
TBPT,,0.060,39000

TB,CREEP,1,,,2 ! CREEP TABLE

TBDATA,1,1.5625E-14,5.0,-0.5,0.0

For information about the CREEP option, see Implicit Creep Equations and Implicit Creep Procedure.

Example 2.7: HILL and MISO

Combining anisotropic plasticity with multilinear isotropic hardening:

MP,EX,1,20.0E5 ! ELASTIC CONSTANTS
MP,NUXY,1,0.3

TB,MISO,1 ! MISO TABLE

TBPT,,0.015,30000
TBPT,,0.020,32000
TBPT,,0.025,33800
TBPT,,0.030,35000
TBPT,,0.040,36500
TBPT,,0.050,38000
TBPT,,0.060,39000

TB,HILL,1 ! HILL TABLE

TBDATA,1,1.0,1.1,0.9,0.85,0.9,0.80

Example 2.8: HILL and MISO and CHAB

Combining anisotropic plasticity with multilinear isotropic hardening and Chaboche nonlinear kinematic
hardening:
MP,EX,1,185E3 ! ELASTIC CONSTANTS
MP,NUXY,1,0.3

TB,CHAB,1 ! CHABOCHE TABLE

TBDATA,1,185,100,3

TB,MISO,1 ! MISO TABLE

TBPT,,0.001,185
TBPT,,1.0,380

TB,HILL,1 ! HILL TABLE

TBDATA,1,1.0,1.1,0.9,0.85,0.9,0.80

For information about the CHAB option, see Nonlinear Kinematic Hardening.

Example 2.9: HILL and RATE and MISO

This input listing illustrates an example of modeling anisotropic viscoplasticity with multilinear isotropic
hardening plasticity.
MP,EX,1,20.0E5 ! ELASTIC CONSTANTS
MP,NUXY,1,0.3

TB,MISO,1 ! MISO TABLE

TBPT,,0.015,30000
TBPT,,0.020,32000
TBPT,,0.025,33800
TBPT,,0.030,35000

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 Material Model Combinations Using Multilinear Isotropic Hardening

TBPT,,0.040,36500
TBPT,,0.050,38000
TBPT,,0.060,39000

TB,HILL,1 ! HILL TABLE

TBDATA,1,1.0,1.1,0.9,0.85,0.9,0.80

TB,RATE,1,,,PERZYNA ! RATE TABLE

TBDATA,1,0.5,1

For information about the RATE option, see Rate-Dependent Viscoplastic Materials and Viscoplasticity.

Example 2.10: HILL and CREEP and MISO

Combining anisotropic implicit creep and multilinear isotropic hardening plasticity:

MP,EX,1,20.0E5 ! ELASTIC CONSTANTS
MP,NUXY,1,0.3

TB,MISO,1 ! MISO TABLE

TBPT,,0.015,30000
TBPT,,0.020,32000
TBPT,,0.025,33800
TBPT,,0.030,35000
TBPT,,0.040,36500
TBPT,,0.050,38000
TBPT,,0.060,39000

TB,HILL,1 ! HILL TABLE

TBDATA,1,1.0,1.1,0.9,0.85,0.9,0.80

TB,CREEP,1,,,2 ! CREEP TABLE

TBDATA,1,1.5625E-14,5.0,-0.5,0.0

For information about the CREEP option, see Implicit Creep Equations and Implicit Creep Procedure.

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Chapter 3: Bilinear Isotropic Hardening (TB,BISO)
This archived documention refers to the former bilinear isotropic hardening TB,BISO material model.

The preferred method for accessing multilinear isotropic hardening is via the plasticity model with the
BISO option (TB,PLASTIC,,,,BISO).

For more information, see Bilinear Isotropic Hardening in the Material Reference.

The following topics concerning the archived bilinear isotropic hardening material model are available:
3.1. Understanding Bilinear Isotropic Hardening
3.2. Defining the Bilinear Isotropic Hardening Model
3.3. Material Model Combinations Using Bilinear Isotropic Hardening

3.1. Understanding Bilinear Isotropic Hardening

Bilinear isotropic hardening is described by a bilinear effective-stress versus effective-strain curve. The
initial slope of the curve is the elastic modulus of the material. Beyond the user-specified initial yield
stress , plastic strain develops and stress-vs.-total-strain continues along a line with slope defined by
the user-specified tangent modulus . The tangent modulus cannot be less than zero or greater than
the elastic modulus.

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Bilinear Isotropic Hardening (TB,BISO)

3.2. Defining the Bilinear Isotropic Hardening Model

Define the isotropic or anisotropic elastic behavior via MP commands.

Bilinear isotropic hardening is defined by providing the tangent modulus (TB,BISO).

The constants can be defined as a function of temperature (TB,,,NTEMP), with temperatures specified
for the table entries (TBTEMP).

TB,BISO -- Bilinear Isotropic Hardening Specifications

NTEMP:

Number of temperatures for which data will be provided. Default = 1. Maximum =

6.

NPTS:

Not used.

TBOPT:

Not used.

Specifying the Constants

After defining the material data table (TB,BISO), input the following constants (TBDATA):

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 Material Model Combinations Using Bilinear Isotropic Hardening

Constant Meaning Property

C1 Yield stress
C2 Tangent modulus

3.3. Material Model Combinations Using Bilinear Isotropic Hardening

3.3.1. BISO and CHAB Example

Combining bilinear isotropic hardening plasticity with Chaboche nonlinear kinematic hardening
plasticity:
MP,EX,1,185.0E3 ! ELASTIC CONSTANTS
MP,NUXY,1,0.3

TB,CHAB,1 ! CHABOCHE TABLE

TBDATA,1,180,100,3

TB,BISO,1 ! BISO TABLE

TBDATA,1,180,200

For information about the BISO option, see Bilinear Isotropic Hardening.

For information about the CHAB option, see Nonlinear Kinematic Hardening.

3.3.2. GURSON and BISO Example

Combining bilinear isotropic hardening with Gurson plasticity:
q1=1.5
q2=1
q3=q1*q1
sigma_Y=E/300.0

f_0= 0.04
f_N= 0.04
S_N=0.1
strain_N=0.3
Power_N=0.1

tb,GURS,1,,5,BASE ! Gurson's BASE model

tbdata,1,sigma_Y,f_0,q1,q2,q3

tb,GURS,1,,3,SNNU ! Gurson's SNNU model

tbdata,1,f_N,strain_N,S_N

TB,BISO,1 ! BISO TABLE

TBDATA,1, sigma_Y, Power_N ! Isotropic hardening yield stress definition overrides

For information about the BISO option, see Bilinear Isotropic Hardening.

For information about the GURSON option, see Gurson.

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Bilinear Isotropic Hardening (TB,BISO)

3.3.3. GURSON and CHAB and BISO Example

Combining Gurson plasticity with Chaboche nonlinear kinematic hardening plasticity and bilinear
isotropic hardening:
! Gurson coefficients
Q1=1.5e-16 ! FIRST TVERGAARD CONSTANT
Q2=1 ! SECOND TVERGAARD CONSTANT
Q3=Q1*Q1 ! THIRD TVERGAARD CONSTANT
F_0=0.04 ! INITIAL POROSITY
F_N=0.005e-12 ! VOL. FRAC. OF VOID NUCL. PARTICLES
S_N=0.05 ! STAND. DEV. OF MEAN STRN FOR NUCLEA.
STRAIN_N=0.1e2 ! MEAN STRAIN FOR NUCLEATIONS

TB,GURS,1,,5,BASE ! BASE DEFINED

TBDATA,1,320.,F_0,Q1,Q2,Q3

TB,GURS,1,,3,SNNU ! SNNU DEFINED

TBDATA,1,F_N,STRAIN_N,S_N

! Chaboche kinematic hardening

TB,CHABOCHE,1,,2
TBDATA,1,320.,150000.,300.,1500.,0.1

! Bilinear isotropic hardening

TB,BISO,1
TBDATA,1,320.,0.1

For information about the GURSON option, see Gurson.

For information about the CHAB option, see Nonlinear Kinematic Hardening.

For information about the BISO option, see Bilinear Isotropic Hardening.

3.3.4. RATE and BISO Example

Combining bilinear isotropic hardening plasticity with rate-dependent plasticity (viscoplasticity):
MP,EX,1,20.0E5 ! ELASTIC CONSTANTS
MP,NUXY,1,0.3

TB,BISO,1 ! BISO TABLE

TBDATA,1,9000,10000

TB,RATE,1,,,PERZYNA ! RATE TABLE

TBDATA,1,0.5,1

For information about the BISO option, see Bilinear Isotropic Hardening.

For information about the RATE option, see Rate-Dependent Plasticity (Viscoplasticity).

3.3.5. BISO and CREEP Example

Combining bilinear isotropic hardening plasticity with implicit creep:
MP,EX,1,20.0E5 ! ELASTIC CONSTANTS
MP,NUXY,1,0.3

TB,BISO,1 ! BISO TABLE

TBDATA,1,9000,10000

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 Material Model Combinations Using Bilinear Isotropic Hardening

TB,CREEP,1,,,2 ! CREEP TABLE

TBDATA,1,1.5625E-14,5.0,-0.5,0.0

For information about the BISO option, see Bilinear Isotropic Hardening.

For information about the CREEP option, see Implicit Creep Equations.

3.3.6. HILL and BISO Example

Combining anisotropic plasticity with bilinear isotropic hardening.
MP,EX,1,20.0E5 ! ELASTIC CONSTANTS
MP,NUXY,1,0.3

TB,HILL,1,2 ! HILL TABLE

TBTEMP,100
TBDATA,1,1,1.0402,1.24897,1.07895,1,1
TBTEMP,200
TBDATA,1,0.9,0.94,1.124,0.97,0.9,0.9

TB,BISO,1,2 ! BISO TABLE

TBTEMP,100
TBDATA,1,461.0,374.586
TBTEMP,200
TBDATA,1,400.0,325.0

For information about the HILL option, see Hill Yield Criterion.

For information about the BISO option, see Bilinear Isotropic Hardening.

3.3.7. HILL and BISO and CHAB Example

Combining anisotropic plasticity with bilinear isotropic hardening and Chaboche nonlinear kinematic
hardening:
MP,EX,1,185E3 ! ELASTIC CONSTANTS
MP,NUXY,1,0.3

TB,CHAB,1 ! CHABOCHE TABLE

TBDATA,1,180,100,3

TB,BISO,1 ! BISO TABLE

TBDATA,1,180,200

TB,HILL,1 ! HILL TABLE

TBDATA,1,1.0,1.1,0.9,0.85,0.9,0.80

For information about the HILL option, see Hill Yield Criterion.

For information about the BISO option, see Bilinear Isotropic Hardening.

For information about the CHAB option, see Nonlinear Kinematic Hardening.

3.3.8. HILL and RATE and BISO Example

Combining anisotropic viscoplasticity with bilinear isotropic hardening plasticity:
MPTEMP,1,20,400,650,800,950 ! ELASTIC CONSTANTS
!

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Bilinear Isotropic Hardening (TB,BISO)

MPDATA,EX,1,1,30.00E6,27.36E6,25.20E6,23.11E6,20.76E6
!
MPDATA,EY,1,1,30.00E6,27.36E6,25.20E6,23.11E6,20.76E6
!
MPDATA,EZ,1,1,30.00E6,27.36E6,25.20E6,23.11E6,20.76E6
!
MPDATA,PRXY,1,1,0.351,0.359,0.368,0.375,0.377
!
MPDATA,PRYZ,1,1,0.351,0.359,0.368,0.375,0.377
!
MPDATA,PRXZ,1,1,0.351,0.359,0.368,0.375,0.377
!
MPDATA,GXY,1,1,1.190E4,1.160E4,1.110E4,1.080E4,1.060E4
!
MPDATA,GYZ,1,1,1.190E4,1.160E4,1.110E4,1.080E4,1.060E4
!
MPDATA,GXZ,1,1,1.190E4,1.160E4,1.110E4,1.080E4,1.060E4

TB,BISO,1, ! BISO TABLE

TBDATA,1,45000,760000

TB,RATE,1,2,,PERZYNA ! RATE TABLE

TBTEMP,20
TBDATA,1,0.1,0.3
TBTEMP,950
TBDATA,1,0.3,0.5

TB,HILL,1,5 ! HILL TABLE

TBTEMP,750.0
TBDATA,1,1.0,1.0,1.0,0.93,0.93,0.93
TBTEMP,800.0
TBDATA,1,1.0,1.0,1.0,0.93,0.93,0.93
TBTEMP,850.0
TBDATA,1,1.0,1.0,1.0,0.93,0.93,0.93
TBTEMP,900.0
TBDATA,1,1.0,1.0,1.0,1.00,1.00,1.00
TBTEMP,950.0
TBDATA,1,1.0,1.0,1.0,1.00,1.00,1.00

For information about the HILL option, see Hill Yield Criterion.

For information about the RATE option, see Rate-Dependent Plasticity (Viscoplasticity).

For information about the BISO option, see Bilinear Isotropic Hardening.

3.3.9. HILL, CREEP and BISO Example

Combining anisotropic implicit creep with bilinear isotropic hardening plasticity:
MPTEMP,1,20,200,400,550,600,650 ! ELASTIC CONSTANTS
MPTEMP,,700,750,800,850,900,950
!
MPDATA,EX,1,1,1.250E4,1.210E4,1.140E4,1.090E4,1.070E4,1.050E4
MPDATA,EX,1,,1.020E4,0.995E4,0.963E4,0.932E4,0.890E4,0.865E4
!
MPDATA,EY,1,1,1.250E4,1.210E4,1.140E4,1.090E4,1.070E4,1.050E4
MPDATA,EY,1,,1.020E4,0.995E4,0.963E4,0.932E4,0.890E4,0.865E4
!
MPDATA,EZ,1,1,1.250E4,1.210E4,1.140E4,1.090E4,1.070E4,1.050E4
MPDATA,EZ,1,,1.020E4,0.995E4,0.963E4,0.932E4,0.890E4,0.865E4
!
MPDATA,PRXY,1,1,0.351,0.359,0.368,0.375,0.377,0.380
MPDATA,PRXY,1,,0.382,0.384,0.386,0.389,0.391,0.393
!

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 Material Model Combinations Using Bilinear Isotropic Hardening

MPDATA,PRYZ,1,1,0.351,0.359,0.368,0.375,0.377,0.380
MPDATA,PRYZ,1,,0.382,0.384,0.386,0.389,0.391,0.393
!
MPDATA,PRXZ,1,1,0.351,0.359,0.368,0.375,0.377,0.380
MPDATA,PRXZ,1,,0.382,0.384,0.386,0.389,0.391,0.393
!
MPDATA,GXY,1,1,1.190E4,1.160E4,1.110E4,1.080E4,1.060E4,1.040E4
MPDATA,GXY,1,,1.020E4,1.000E4,0.973E4,0.946E4,0.908E4,0.887E4
!
MPDATA,GYZ,1,1,1.190E4,1.160E4,1.110E4,1.080E4,1.060E4,1.040E4
MPDATA,GYZ,1,,1.020E4,1.000E4,0.973E4,0.946E4,0.908E4,0.887E4
!
MPDATA,GXZ,1,1,1.190E4,1.160E4,1.110E4,1.080E4,1.060E4,1.040E4
MPDATA,GXZ,1,,1.020E4,1.000E4,0.973E4,0.946E4,0.908E4,0.887E4

TB,BISO,1 ! BISO TABLE

TBDATA,1,180,200

TB,CREEP,1,,,2 ! CREEP TABLE

TBDATA,1,5.911E-34,6.25,-0.25

TB,HILL,1,5 ! HILL TABLE

TBTEMP,750.0
TBDATA,1,1.0,1.0,1.0,0.93,0.93,0.93
TBTEMP,800.0
TBDATA,1,1.0,1.0,1.0,0.93,0.93,0.93
TBTEMP,850.0
TBDATA,1,1.0,1.0,1.0,0.93,0.93,0.93
TBTEMP,900.0
TBDATA,1,1.0,1.0,1.0,1.00,1.00,1.00
TBTEMP,950.0
TBDATA,1,1.0,1.0,1.0,1.00,1.00,1.00

For information about the HILL option, see Hill Yield Criterion.

For information about the CREEP option, see Implicit Creep Equations.

For information about the BISO option, see Bilinear Isotropic Hardening.

3.3.10. RATE and CHAB and BISO Example

Combining rate-dependent plasticity (viscoplasticity), Chaboche nonlinear kinematic hardening plas-
ticity, and bilinear isotropic hardening plasticity:
MP,EX,1,185.0E3 ! ELASTIC CONSTANTS
MP,NUXY,1,0.3

TB,RATE,1,,,PERZYNA ! RATE TABLE

TBDATA,1,0.5,1

TB,CHAB,1 ! CHABOCHE TABLE

TBDATA,1,180,100,3

TB,BISO,1 ! BISO TABLE

TBDATA,1,180,200

For information about the RATE option, see Rate-Dependent Plasticity (Viscoplasticity).

For information about the BISO option, see Bilinear Isotropic Hardening.

For information about the CHAB option, see Nonlinear Kinematic Hardening.

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Chapter 4: Bilinear Kinematic Hardening (TB,BKIN)
This archived documention refers to the former bilinear kinematic hardening TB,BKIN material model.

The preferred method for accessing multilinear kinematic hardening is via the plasticity model with the
BKIN option (TB,PLASTIC,,,,BKIN).

For more information, see Bilinear Isotropic Hardening in the Material Reference.

The following topics concerning the archived bilinear kinematic hardening material model are available:
4.1. Understanding Bilinear Kinematic Hardening
4.2. Defining the Bilinear Kinematic Hardening Model
4.3. Material Model Combinations Using Bilinear Kinematic Hardening

4.1. Understanding Bilinear Kinematic Hardening

The backstress tensor for bilinear kinematic hardening evolves so that the effective stress versus effective
strain curve is bilinear. The initial slope of the curve is the elastic modulus of the material and beyond
the user-specified initial yield stress , plastic strain develops and the backstress evolves so that stress
versus total strain continues along a line with slope defined by the user- specified tangent modulus .
This tangent modulus cannot be less than zero or greater than the elastic modulus.

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Bilinear Kinematic Hardening (TB,BKIN)

4.2. Defining the Bilinear Kinematic Hardening Model

Define the isotropic or anisotropic elastic behavior via MP commands.

Bilinear kinematic hardening is defined by providing the tangent modulus (TB,BKIN).

The constants can be defined as a function of temperature (TB,,,NTEMP), with temperatures specified
for the table entries (TBTEMP).

NTEMP:

Number of temperatures for which data will be provided. Default = 1. Maximum = 6.

NPTS:

Not used.

TBOPT:

Stress-strain options.

0 --

No stress relaxation with temperature increase (not recommended for nonisothermal

problems).

1 --

Rice's hardening rule, which takes into account stress relaxation with increasing temperature
(default).

References:

Bilinear Kinematic Hardening in the Material Reference

Defining the Bilinear Kinematic Hardening Model

After defining the material data table (TB,BKIN), input the following constants (TBDATA):

Constant Meaning Property

C1 Initial yield stress
C2 Tangent modulus

This model can be used with TB,,,,,TBOPT:

For TBOPT ≠ 1, no stress relaxation occurs with an increase in temperature. This option is not recom-
mended for non-isothermal problems.

For TBOPT = 1, Rice's hardening rule is applied, which accounts for stress relaxation with temperature
increase.

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 Material Model Combinations Using Bilinear Kinematic Hardening

4.3. Material Model Combinations Using Bilinear Kinematic Hardening

4.3.1. BKIN and CREEP Example

Combining bilinear kinematic hardening plasticity with implicit creep:
MP,EX,1,1e7 ! ELASTIC CONSTANTS
MP,NUXY,1,0.32

TB,BKIN,1, ! BKIN TABLE

TBDATA,1,42000,1000

TB,CREEP,1,,,6 ! CREEP TABLE

TBDATA,1,7.4e-21,3.5,0,0,0,0

For information about the BKIN option, see Bilinear Kinematic Hardening.

For information about the CREEP option, see Implicit Creep Equations.

4.3.2. HILL and BKIN Example

Combining anisotropic plasticity with bilinear kinematic hardening:
MP,EX,1,20.0E5 ! ELASTIC CONSTANTS
MP,NUXY,1,0.3

TB,BKIN,1 ! BKIN TABLE

TBDATA,1,9000,10000

TB,HILL,1 ! HILL TABLE

TBDATA,1,1.0,1.1,0.9,0.85,0.9,0.80

For information about the HILL option, see Hill Yield Criterion.

For information about the BKIN option, see Bilinear Kinematic Hardening.

4.3.3. HILL and CREEP and BKIN Example

Combining anisotropic implicit creep with bilinear kinematic hardening plasticity:
MP,EX,1,1e7 ! ELASTIC CONSTANTS
MP,NUXY,1,0.32

TB,BKIN,1 ! BKIN TABLE

TBDATA,1,42000,1000

TB,CREEP,1,,,6 ! CREEP TABLES

TBDATA,1,7.4e-21,3.5,0,0,0,0

TB,HILL,1 ! HILL TABLE

TBDATA,1,1.15,1.05,1.0,1.0,1.0,1.0

For information about the HILL option, see Hill Yield Criterion.

For information about the CREEP option, see Implicit Creep Equations.

For information about the BKIN option, see Bilinear Kinematic Hardening.

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Chapter 5: Classic Drucker-Prager Plasticity (TB,DP)
This archived documention refers to the former Drucker-Prager plasticity (TB,DP) material model.

The preferred method for accessing Drucker-Prager plasticity is via the concrete model with the DP
option (TB,CONCR,,,,DP). For more information, see Drucker-Prager Concrete in the Material Reference.
Also see Extended Drucker-Prager (EDP) and Extended Drucker-Prager Cap in the Material Reference.

The following topics about the classic Drucker-Prager plasticity model are available:
5.1. Understanding Classic Drucker-Prager Plasticity
5.2. Defining the Classic Drucker-Prager Plasticity Model

5.1. Understanding Classic Drucker-Prager Plasticity

The classic Drucker-Prager model[1] is approriate for granular (frictional) material such as soils, rock, and
concrete and uses the outer cone approximation to the Mohr-Coulomb law (p. 151). The input consists
of only three constants:

• Cohesion value (> 0)

• Angle of internal friction

• Dilatancy angle

The amount of dilatancy (the increase in material volume due to yielding) can be controlled via the
dilatancy angle. If the dilatancy angle is equal to the friction angle, the flow rule is associative. If the
dilatancy angle is zero (or less than the friction angle), there is no (or less of an) increase in material
volume when yielding and the flow rule is nonassociated.

5.1.1. Classic Drucker-Prager Plasticity Model Theory

The model uses the Drucker-Prager yield criterion with either an associated or nonassociated flow
rule. The yield surface does not change with progressive yielding; therefore, there is no hardening
rule and the material is elastic-perfectly plastic (Figure : Stress-Strain Behavior of Each of the Plasticity
Options (f ) Drucker-Prager). The equivalent stress for Drucker-Prager is:
(5.1)

where:

[1] Drucker, D. C. & Prager, W. (1952). Soil mechanics and plastic analysis or limit design.
Quarterly of Applied Mathematics. 10(2), 157-165.

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Classic Drucker-Prager Plasticity (TB,DP)

{s} = deviatoric stress Equation 4.37

β = material constant
[M] = as defined with Equation 4.36

This is a modification of the von Mises yield criterion (Equation 4.36 with {α} = {0}) that accounts for
the influence of the hydrostatic stress component: the higher the hydrostatic stress (confinement
pressure) the higher the yield strength. β is a material constant which is given as:

(5.2)

where:

φ = input angle of internal friction

The material yield parameter is defined as:

(5.3)

where:

c = input cohesion value

The yield criterion Equation 4.7 is then:

(5.4)

This yield surface is a circular cone (Figure : Various Yield Surfaces-c) with the material parameters
Equation 5.2 (p. 152) and Equation 5.3 (p. 152) chosen such that it corresponds to the outer aspices of
the hexagonal Mohr-Coulomb yield surface:

Figure 5.1: Drucker-Prager and Mohr-Coulomb Yield Surfaces

is readily calculated as:

(5.5)

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 Defining the Classic Drucker-Prager Plasticity Model

is similar, however β is evaluated using φf (the input dilatancy constant). When φf = φ, the flow
rule is associated and plastic straining occurs normal to the yield surface and there will be a volumetric
expansion of the material with plastic strains. If φf is less than φ there will be less volumetric expansion
and if φf is zero, there will be no volumetric expansion.

The equivalent plastic strain (output as EPEQ) is defined by Equation 4.43 and the equivalent stress
parameter (output as SEPL) is defined as:
(5.6)

The equivalent stress parameter is interpreted as the von Mises equivalent stress at yield at the current
hydrostatic stress level. Therefore, for any integration point undergoing yielding (stress ratio (output
as SRAT) >1), should be close to the actual von Mises equivalent stress (output as SIGE) at the
converged solution.

5.2. Defining the Classic Drucker-Prager Plasticity Model

Define the isotropic or anisotropic elastic behavior via MP commands. Define the material data table
(TB,DP) and define up to three constants (TBDATA), as follows:

DP -- Classic Drucker-Prager Plasticity Specifications

NTEMP :

Not used.

NPTS :

Not used.

TBOPT :

Not used.

Constant Meaning Property

C1 Force/Area Cohesion value
C2 Angle (in degrees) Internal friction
C3 Angle (in degrees) Dilatancy

Temperature-dependent parameters are not allowed.

Example 5.1: Classic Drucker-Prager

MP,EX,1,5000
MP,NUXY,1,0.27
TB,DP,1
TBDATA,1,2.9,32,0 ! Cohesion = 2.9 (use consistent units),
! Angle of internal friction = 32 degrees,
! Dilatancy angle = 0 degrees

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Chapter 6: Explicit Creep Equations
Enter an explicit creep (p. 25) equation by setting TBOPT = 0 (or by leaving TBOPT blank) within the
TB command, then specifying the constants associated with the creep equations using the TBDATA
command.

Specify primary creep with constant C6. Primary Explicit Creep Equation for C6 = 0 (p. 156), through
Primary Explicit Creep Equation for C6 = 100 (p. 162), show the available equations. You select an
equation with the appropriate value of C6 (0 to 15). If C1 0, or if T + Toffset 0, no primary creep
is computed.

Specify secondary creep with constant C12. Secondary Explicit Creep Equation for C12 = 0 (p. 162) and
Secondary Explicit Creep Equation for C12 = 1 (p. 162) show the available equations. You select an
equation with the appropriate value of C12 (0 or 1). If C7 0, or if T + Toffset 0, no secondary creep
is computed. Also, primary creep equations C6 = 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, and 15 bypass any secondary creep
equations since secondary effects are included in the primary part.

Specify irradiation induced creep with constant C66. Irradiation Induced Explicit Creep Equation for C66
= 5 (p. 162) shows the single equation currently available; select it with C66 = 5. This equation can be
used in conjunction with equations C6 = 0 to 11. The constants should be entered into the data table
as indicated by their subscripts. If C55 0 and C61 0, or if T + Toffset 0, no irradiation induced
creep is computed.

A linear stepping function is used to calculate the change in the creep strain within a time step (Δ εcr
= ( )(Δt)). The creep strain rate is evaluated at the condition corresponding to the beginning of the
time interval and is assumed to remain constant over the time interval. If the time step is less than 1.0e-
6, then no creep strain increment is computed. Primary equivalent stresses and strains are used to
evaluate the creep strain rate. For highly nonlinear creep strain vs. time curves, use a small time step
if you are using the explicit creep algorithm. A creep time step optimization procedure is available for
automatically increasing the time step whenever possible. A nonlinear stepping function (based on an
exponential decay) is also available (C11 = 1) but should be used with caution since it can underestimate
the total creep strain where primary stresses dominate. This function is available only for creep equations
C6 = 0, 1 and 2. Temperatures used in the creep equations should be based on an absolute scale
(TOFFST).

Issue BF or BFE to enter temperature and fluence values. The input fluence (Φt) includes the integrated
effect of time and time explicitly input is not used in the fluence calculation. Also, for the usual case of
a constant flux (Φ), the fluence should be linearly ramp changed.

Temperature dependent creep constants are not permitted for explicit creep. You can incorporate
other creep options by setting C6 = 100. See the Guide to User-Programmable Features in the Program-
mer's Reference for more information.

The following example shows how you would use the explicit creep equation defined by C6 = 1.

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Explicit Creep Equations

TB,CREEP,1 ! Activate creep data table

TBDATA,1,c1,c2,c3,c4,,1 !Creep constants c1, c2, c3, c4 for equation C6=1

The explicit creep constants that you enter via TBDATA are:

Constant Meaning
Constants C1, C2, C3, etc. (as defined in Primary Explicit
Creep Equation for C6 = 0 (p. 156) to Irradiation Induced
C1-CN Explicit Creep Equation for C66 = 5 (p. 162)) These are
obtained by curve fitting test results for your material to
the equation you choose. Exceptions are defined below.

Primary Explicit Creep Equation for C6 = 0

where:

= change in equivalent strain with respect to time

σ = equivalent stress
T = temperature (absolute). The offset temperature (from TOFFST) is internally added to all
temperatures for convenience.
t = time at end of substep
e = natural logarithm base

Primary Explicit Creep Equation for C6 = 1

Primary Explicit Creep Equation for C6 = 2

where:

Primary Explicit Creep Equation for C6 = 9

Annealed 304 Stainless Steel:

Double Exponential Creep Equation (C4 = 0)

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where:

εx = 0 for σ C2
εx = G + H σ for C2 < σ C3
C2 = 6000 psi (default), C3 = 25000 psi (default)
s, r, , G, and H = functions of temperature and stress as described in the ref-
erence.

This double exponential equation is valid for Annealed 304 Stainless Steel over a tem-
perature range from 800 to 1100°F. The equation, known as the Blackburn creep equation
when C1 = 1, is described completely in the High Alloy Steels. The first two terms describe
the primary creep strain and the last term describes the secondary creep strain.

To use this equation, input a nonzero value for C1, C6 = 9.0, and C7 = 0.0. Temperatures
should be in °R (or °F with Toffset = 460.0). Conversion to °K for the built-in property
tables is done internally. If the temperature is below the valid range, no creep is com-
puted. Time should be in hours and stress in psi. The valid stress range is 6,000 - 25,000
psi.

Rational Polynomial Creep Equation with Metric Units (C4 = 1)

To use the following standard Rational Polynomial creep equation (with metric units) to
calculate εc, enter C4 = 1.0:

where:

c = limiting value of primary creep strain

p = primary creep time factor
= secondary (minimum) creep strain rate

This standard rational polynomial creep equation is valid for Annealed 304 SS over a
temperature range from 427°C to 704°C. The equation is described completely in the
High Alloy Steels. The first term describes the primary creep strain. The last term describes
the secondary creep strain. The average "lot constant" is used to calculate .

To use this equation, input C1 = 1.0, C4 = 1.0, C6 = 9.0, and C7 = 0.0. Temperature must
be in °C and Toffset must be 273 (because of the built-in property tables). If the temper-
ature is below the valid range, no creep is computed. Also, time must be in hours and
stress in Megapascals (MPa).

Various hardening rules governing the rate of change of creep strain during load reversal
may be selected with the C5 value: 0.0 - time hardening, 1.0 - total creep strain hardening,
2.0 - primary creep strain hardening. These options are available only with the standard
rational polynomial creep equation.

Rational Polynomial Creep Equation with English Units (C4 = 2)

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Explicit Creep Equations

To use the above standard Rational Polynomial creep equation (with English units), enter
C4 = 2.0.

This standard rational polynomial equation is the same as described above except that
temperature must be in °F, Toffset must be 460, and stress must be in psi. The equivalent
valid temperature range is 800 - 1300°F.

Primary Explicit Creep Equation for C6 = 10

Annealed 316 Stainless Steel:

Double Exponential Creep Equation (C4 = 0)

To use the same form of the Double Exponential creep equation as described for An-
nealed 304 SS (C6 = 9.0, C4 = 0.0) in Primary Explicit Creep Equation for C6 = 9 (p. 156)
to calculate εc, enter C4 = 0.0.

This equation, also described in High Alloy Steels, differs from the Annealed 304 SS
equation in that the built-in property tables are for Annealed 316 SS, the valid stress
range is 4000 - 30,000 psi, C2 defaults to 4000 psi, C3 defaults to 30,000 psi, and the
equation is called with C6 = 10.0 instead of C6 = 9.0.

Rational Polynomial Creep Equation with Metric Units (C4 = 1)

To use the same form of the standard Rational Polynomial creep equation with metric
units as described for Annealed 304 SS (C6 = 9.0, C4 = 1.0) in Primary Explicit Creep
Equation for C6 = 9 (p. 156), enter C4 = 1.0.

This standard rational polynomial equation, also described in High Alloy Steels, differs
from the Annealed 304 SS equation in that the built-in property tables are for Annealed
316 SS, the valid temperature range is 482 - 704°C, and the equation is called with C6
= 10.0 instead of C6 = 9.0. The hardening rules for load reversal described for the C6 =
9.0 standard Rational Polynomial creep equation are also available. The average "lot
constant" from High Alloy Steels is used in the calculation of .

Rational Polynomial Creep Equation with English Units (C4 = 2)

To use the previous standard Rational Polynomial creep equation with English units,
enter C4 = 2.0.

This standard rational polynomial equation is the same as described above except that
the temperatures must be in °F, Toffset must be 460, and the stress must be in psi (with
a valid range from 0.0 to 24220 psi). The equivalent valid temperature range is 900 -
1300°F.

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Primary Explicit Creep Equation for C6 = 11
Annealed 2 1/4 Cr - 1 Mo Low Alloy Steel:

Modified Rational Polynomial Creep Equation (C4 = 0)

To use the following Modified Rational Polynomial creep equation to calculate εc, enter
C4 = 0.0:

A, B, and are functions of temperature and stress as described in the reference.

This modified rational polynomial equation is valid for Annealed 2 1/4 Cr -1 Mo Low
Alloy steel over a temperature range of 700 - 1100°F. The equation is described completely
in the Low Alloy Steels. The first term describes the primary creep strain and the last
term describes the secondary creep strain. No modification is made for plastic strains.

To use this equation, input C1 = 1.0, C6 = 11.0, and C7 = 0.0. Temperatures must be in
°R (or °F with Toffset = 460.0). Conversion to °K for the built-in property tables is done
internally. If the temperature is below the valid range, no creep is computed. Time should
be in hours and stress in psi. Valid stress range is 1000 - 65,000 psi.

Rational Polynomial Creep Equation with Metric Units (C4 = 1)

To use the following standard Rational Polynomial creep equation (with metric units) to
calculate εc, enter C4 = 1.0:

where:

c = limiting value of primary creep strain

p = primary creep time factor
= secondary (minimum) creep strain rate

This standard rational polynomial creep equation is valid for Annealed 2 1/4 Cr - 1 Mo
Low Alloy Steel over a temperature range from 371°C to 593°C. The equation is described
completely in the Low Alloy Steels. The first term describes the primary creep strain and
the last term describes the secondary creep strain. No tertiary creep strain is calculated.
Only Type I (and not Type II) creep is supported. No modification is made for plastic
strains.

To use this equation, input C1 = 1.0, C4 = 1.0, C6 = 11.0, and C7 = 0.0. Temperatures must
be in °C and Toffset must be 273 (because of the built-in property tables). If the temper-
ature is below the valid range, no creep is computed. Also, time must be in hours and

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Explicit Creep Equations

stress in Megapascals (MPa). The hardening rules for load reversal described for the C6
= 9.0 standard Rational Polynomial creep equation are also available.

Rational Polynomial Creep Equation with English Units (C4 = 2)

To use the above standard Rational Polynomial creep equation with English units, enter
C4 = 2.0.

This standard rational polynomial equation is the same as described above except that
temperatures must be in °F, Toffset must be 460, and stress must be in psi. The equivalent
valid temperature range is 700 - 1100°F.

Primary Explicit Creep Equation for C6 = 12

where:

C1 = Scaling constant
M, N, K = Function of temperature (determined by linear interpolation within table) as follows:

Constant Meaning
C5 Number of temperature values to describe
M, N, or K function (2 minimum, 6
maximum)
C49 First absolute temperature value
C50 Second absolute temperature value
...
C48 + C5 C5th absolute temperature value
C48 + C5 + 1 First M value
...
C48 + 2C5 C5th M value
C48 + 2C5 C5th M value
...
C48 + 2C5 C5th M value
C48 + 2C5 + First N value
1
...
C48 + 3C5 C5th N value
C48 + 3C5 + First K value
1
...

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This power function creep law having temperature dependent coefficients is similar to Equation C6 =
1.0 except with C1 = f1(T), C2 = f2(T), C3 = f3(T), and C4 = 0. Temperatures must not be input in decreasing
order.

Primary Explicit Creep Equation for C6 Equals 13

Sterling Power Function:

where:

εacc = creep strain accumulated to this time (calculated by the program). Internally set to 1 x
10-5 at the first substep with nonzero time to prevent division by zero.
A = C1/T
B = C2/T + C3
C = C4/T + C5

This equation is often referred to as the Sterling Power Function creep equation. Constant C7 should
be 0.0. Constant C1 should not be 0.0, unless no creep is to be calculated.

Primary Explicit Creep Equation for C6 = 14

where:

εc = cpt/(1+pt) +

ln c = -1.350 - 5620/T - 50.6 x 10-6 σ + 1.918 ln (σ/1000)

ln p = 31.0 - 67310/T + 330.6 x 10-6 σ - 1885.0 x 10-12 σ2
ln = 43.69 - 106400/T + 294.0 x 10-6 σ + 2.596 ln (σ/1000)

This creep law is valid for Annealed 316 SS over a temperature range from 800°F to 1300°F. The equation
is similar to that given for C6 = 10.0 and is also described in High Alloy Steels.

To use equation, input C1 = 1.0 and C6 = 14.0. Temperatures should be in °R (or °F with Toffset = 460).
Time should be in hours. Constants are only valid for English units (pounds and inches). Valid temper-
ature range: 800° - 1300°F. Maximum stress allowed for ec calculation: 45,000 psi; minimum stress: 0.0
psi. If T + Toffset < 1160, no creep is computed.

Primary Explicit Creep Equation for C6 = 15

General Material Rational Polynomial:

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Explicit Creep Equations

where:

This rational polynomial creep equation is a generalized form of the standard rational polynomial
equations given as C6 = 9.0, 10.0, and 11.0 (C4 = 1.0 and 2.0). This equation reduces to the standard
equations for isothermal cases. The hardening rules for load reversal described for the C6 = 9.0 standard
Rational Polynomial creep equation are also available.

Primary Explicit Creep Equation for C6 = 100

A user-defined creep equation is used. See the Guide to User-Programmable Features in the Programmer's
Reference for more information.

Secondary Explicit Creep Equation for C12 = 0

where:

σ = equivalent stress
T = temperature (absolute). The offset temperature (from TOFFST), is internally added to all
temperatures for convenience.
t = time
e = natural logarithm base

Secondary Explicit Creep Equation for C12 = 1

Irradiation Induced Explicit Creep Equation for C66 = 5

where:

B = FG + C63

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 σ = equivalent stress
T = temperature (absolute). The offset temperature (from TOFFST) is internally added to all
temperatures for convenience.
Φ t0.5 = neutron fluence (input via BF or BFE)
e = natural logarithm base
t = time

This irradiation induced creep equation is valid for 20% Cold Worked 316 SS over a temperature range
from 700° to 1300°F. Constants 56, 57, 58 and 62 must be positive if the B term is included.

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 Part 4: Archived Elements
Following is archived element documentation.
BEAM4
CONTAC12
PIPE16
PIPE18
PLANE42
SOLID45
CONTAC52
PIPE59
SHELL63
SOLID65
FLUID79
FLUID80
FLUID81
PLANE82
SOLID92
SOLID95
CONTA171
CONTA173
CONTA176
BEAM4
3-D Elastic Beam
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on
Product Restrictions (p. 180)

BEAM4 Element Description

Although this archived element is available for use in your analysis, Ansys, Inc. recommends using a
current-technology element such as BEAM188 (KEYOPT(3) = 3).

BEAM4 is a uniaxial element with tension, compression, torsion, and bending capabilities. The element
has six degrees of freedom at each node: translations in the nodal x, y, and z directions and rotations
about the nodal x, y, and z axes. Stress stiffening and large deflection capabilities are included. A con-
sistent tangent stiffness matrix option is available for use in large deflection (finite rotation) analyses.

Figure .4.1: BEAM4 Geometry

BEAM4 Input Data

The geometry, node locations, and coordinate systems for this element are shown in Figure .4.1: BEAM4
Geometry (p. 167). The element is defined by two or three nodes, the cross-sectional area, two area
moments of inertia (IZZ and IYY), two thicknesses (TKY and TKZ), an angle of orientation (θ) about the
element x-axis, the torsional moment of inertia (IXX), and the material properties. For stiffness purposes,
the torsional moment of inertia, if IXX is equal to 0.0 or not specified, is assumed to be equal to the
polar moment of inertia (IYY + IZZ). For inertial purposes, the torsional (rotational) moment of inertia
used is the polar moment of inertia, and is therefore not affected by the value entered for IXX. The IXX
value should be positive and is usually less than the polar moment of inertia. An added mass per unit
length may be input with the ADDMAS value.

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BEAM4

The element x-axis is oriented from node I toward node J. For the two-node option, the default (θ = 0°)
orientation of the element y-axis is automatically calculated to be parallel to the global X-Y plane. Sev-
eral orientations are shown in Figure .4.1: BEAM4 Geometry (p. 167). For the case where the element is
parallel to the global Z axis (or within a 0.01 percent slope of it), the element y axis is oriented parallel
to the global Y axis (as shown). For user control of the element orientation about the element x-axis,
use the θ angle (THETA) or the third node option. If both are defined, the third node option takes pre-
cedence. The third node (K), if used, defines a plane (with I and J) containing the element x and z axes
(as shown). If this element is used in a large deflection analysis, it should be noted that the location of
the third node (K), or the angle (THETA), is used only to initially orient the element. (For information
about orientation nodes and beam meshing, see Meshing Your Solid Model in the Modeling and Meshing
Guide.)

The initial strain in the element (ISTRN) is given by Δ/L, where Δ is the difference between the element
length, L, (as defined by the I and J node locations) and the zero strain length. The shear deflection
constants (SHEARZ and SHEARY) are used only if shear deflection is to be included. A zero value of
SHEAR_ may be used to neglect shear deflection in a particular direction.

KEYOPT(2) is used to activate the consistent tangent stiffness matrix (that is, a matrix composed of the
main tangent stiffness matrix plus the consistent stress stiffness matrix) in large deflection analyses
[NLGEOM,ON]. You can often obtain more rapid convergence in a geometrically nonlinear analysis,
such as a nonlinear buckling or postbuckling analysis, by activating this option. However, you should
not use this option if you are using the element to simulate a rigid link or a group of coupled nodes.
The resulting abrupt changes in stiffness within the structure make the consistent tangent stiffness
matrix unsuitable for such applications.

KEYOPT(7) is used to compute an unsymmetric gyroscopic damping matrix (often used for rotordynamic
analyses). The rotational frequency is input with the SPIN real constant (radians/time, positive in the
positive element x direction). The element must be symmetric with this option (for example, IYY = IZZ
and SHEARY = SHEARZ).

Element loads are described in Element Loading. Pressures may be input as surface loads on the element
faces as shown by the circled numbers on Figure .4.1: BEAM4 Geometry (p. 167). Positive normal pressures
act into the element. Lateral pressures are input as a force per unit length. End "pressures" are input
as a force. Temperatures may be input as element body loads at the eight "corner" locations shown in
Figure .4.1: BEAM4 Geometry (p. 167). The first corner temperature T1 defaults to TUNIF. If all other
temperatures are unspecified, they default to T1. If only T1 and T2 are input, T3 defaults to T2 and T4
defaults to T1. If only T1 and T4 are input, T2 defaults to T1 and T3 defaults to T4. In both cases, T5
through T8 default to T1 through T4. For any other input pattern, unspecified temperatures default to
TUNIF.

KEYOPT(9) is used to request output at intermediate locations. It is based on equilibrium (free body of
a portion of the element) considerations and is not valid if:

• stress stiffening is turned on [SSTIF,ON]

• more than one component of angular velocity is applied [OMEGA]

• any angular velocities or accelerations are applied with the CGOMGA, DOMEGA, or DCGOMG
commands.

A summary of the element input is given in "BEAM4 Input Summary" (p. 169). A general description of
element input is given in Element Input.

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 BEAM4

BEAM4 Input Summary

Nodes

I, J, K (K orientation node is optional)

Degrees of Freedom

UX, UY, UZ, ROTX, ROTY, ROTZ

Real Constants

AREA, IZZ, IYY, TKZ, TKY, THETA

ISTRN, IXX, SHEARZ, SHEARY, SPIN, ADDMAS
See Table .4.1: BEAM4 Real Constants (p. 170) for a description of the real constants.

Material Properties

EX, ALPX (or CTEX or THSX), DENS, GXY, BETD, ALPD, DMPR

Surface Loads

Pressures --

face 1 (I-J) (-Z normal direction)

face 2 (I-J) (-Y normal direction)
face 3 (I-J) (+X tangential direction)
face 4 (I) (+X axial direction)
face 5 (J) (-X axial direction)
(use negative value for opposite loading)

Body Loads

Temperatures --

T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, T7, T8

Special Features

Stress stiffening
Large deflection
Birth and death

KEYOPT(2)

Stress stiffening option:

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BEAM4

0 --

Use only the main tangent stiffness matrix when NLGEOM is ON. (Stress stiffening effects used
in linear buckling or other linear prestressed analyses must be activated separately with
PSTRES,ON.)

1 --

Use the consistent tangent stiffness matrix (that is, a matrix composed of the main tangent
stiffness matrix plus the consistent stress stiffness matrix) when NLGEOM is ON. (SSTIF,ON will
be ignored for this element when KEYOPT(2) = 1 is activated.)

KEYOPT(6)

Member force and moment output:

0 --

No printout of member forces or moments

1 --

Print out member forces and moments in the element coordinate system

KEYOPT(7)

Gyroscopic damping matrix:

0 --

No gyroscopic damping matrix

1 --

Compute gyroscopic damping matrix. Real constant SPIN must be greater than zero. IYY must
equal IZZ.

KEYOPT(9)

Output at intermediate points between ends I and J:

N --

Output at N intermediate locations (N = 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9)

Table .4.1: BEAM4 Real Constants

No. Name Description

1 AREA Cross-sectional area
2 IZZ Area moment of inertia
3 IYY Area moment of inertia
4 TKZ Thickness along Z axis
5 TKY Thickness along Y axis

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 BEAM4

No. Name Description

6 THETA Orientation about X axis
7 ISTRN Initial strain
8 IXX Torsional moment of inertia
9 SHEARZ Shear deflection constant Z [1]
10 SHEARY Shear deflection constant Y [2]
11 SPIN Rotational frequency (required if KEYOPT(7) = 1)
12 ADDMAS Added mass/unit length

1. SHEARZ goes with IZZ; if SHEARZ = 0, there is no shear deflection in the element Y direction.

2. SHEARY goes with IYY; if SHEARY = 0, there is no shear deflection in the element Z direction.

BEAM4 Output Data

The solution output associated with the element is in two forms:

• Nodal displacements included in the overall nodal solution

• Additional element output as shown in Table .4.2: BEAM4 Element Output Definitions (p. 172).

Several items are illustrated in Figure .4.2: BEAM4 Stress Output (p. 171).

The maximum stress is computed as the direct stress plus the absolute values of both bending stresses.
The minimum stress is the direct stress minus the absolute value of both bending stresses. A general
description of solution output is given in Solution Output. See the Basic Analysis Guide for ways to view
results.

Figure .4.2: BEAM4 Stress Output

z SBZT y
SDIR

I J x I J x

SDIR SBYB

The Element Output Definitions table uses the following notation:

A colon (:) in the Name column indicates that the item can be accessed by the Component Name
method (ETABLE, ESOL). The O column indicates the availability of the items in the file jobname.out.
The R column indicates the availability of the items in the results file.

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BEAM4

In either the O or R columns, “Y” indicates that the item is always available, a number refers to a table
footnote that describes when the item is conditionally available, and “-” indicates that the item is not
available.

Table .4.2: BEAM4 Element Output Definitions

Name Definition O R
EL Element number Y Y
NODES Element node number (I and J) Y Y
MAT Material number for the element Y Y
VOLU: Element volume - Y
XC, YC, ZC Location where results are reported Y 3
TEMP Temperatures at integration points T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, Y Y
T7, T8
PRES Pressure P1 at nodes I, J; OFFST1 at I, J; P2 at I, J; OFFST2 Y Y
at I, J; P3 at I, J; OFFST3 at I, J; P4 at I; P5 at J
SDIR Axial direct stress 1 1
SBYT Bending stress on the element +Y side of the beam 1 1
SBYB Bending stress on the element -Y side of the beam 1 1
SBZT Bending stress on the element +Z side of the beam 1 1
SBZB Bending stress on the element -Z side of the beam 1 1
SMAX Maximum stress (direct stress + bending stress) 1 1
SMIN Minimum stress (direct stress - bending stress) 1 1
EPELDIR Axial elastic strain at the end 1 1
EPELBYT Bending elastic strain on the element +Y side of the beam 1 1
EPELBYB Bending elastic strain on the element -Y side of the beam 1 1
EPELBZT Bending elastic strain on the element +Z side of the beam 1 1
EPELBZB Bending elastic strain on the element -Z side of the beam 1 1
EPTHDIR Axial thermal strain at the end 1 1
EPTHBYT Bending thermal strain on the element +Y side of the beam 1 1
EPTHBYB Bending thermal strain on the element -Y side of the beam 1 1
EPTHBZT Bending thermal strain on the element +Z side of the beam 1 1
EPTHBZB Bending thermal strain on the element -Z side of the beam 1 1
EPINAXL Initial axial strain in the element 1 1
MFOR(X, Y, Member forces in the element coordinate system X, Y, Z 2 Y
Z) directions
MMOM(X, Y, Member moments in the element coordinate system X, Y, 2 Y
Z) Z directions

1. The item repeats for end I, intermediate locations (see KEYOPT(9)), and end J.

2. If KEYOPT(6) = 1.

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 BEAM4

3. Available only at centroid as a *GET item.

The following tables list output available through the ETABLE command using the Sequence Number
method. See The General Postprocessor (POST1) of the Basic Analysis Guide and The Item and Sequence
Number Table of this manual for more information. The following notation is used in Table .4.3: BEAM4
Item and Sequence Numbers (KEYOPT(9) = 0) (p. 173) through Table .4.8: BEAM4 Item and Sequence
Numbers (KEYOPT(9) = 9) (p. 179):

Name

output quantity as defined in the Table .4.2: BEAM4 Element Output Definitions (p. 172)

Item

predetermined Item label for ETABLE command

sequence number for single-valued or constant element data

I,J

sequence number for data at nodes I and J

ILN

sequence number for data at Intermediate Location N

Table .4.3: BEAM4 Item and Sequence Numbers (KEYOPT(9) = 0)

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I J
Name
SDIR LS - 1 6
SBYT LS - 2 7
SBYB LS - 3 8
SBZT LS - 4 9
SBZB LS - 5 10
EPELDIR LEPEL - 1 6
EPELBYT LEPEL - 2 7
EPELBYB LEPEL - 3 8
EPELBZT LEPEL - 4 9
EPELBZB LEPEL - 5 10
SMAX NMISC - 1 3
SMIN NMISC - 2 4
EPTHDIR LEPTH - 1 6
EPTHBYT LEPTH - 2 7
EPTHBYB LEPTH - 3 8

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BEAM4

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I J
Name
EPTHBZT LEPTH - 4 9
EPTHBZB LEPTH - 5 10
EPINAXL LEPTH 11 - -
MFORX SMISC - 1 7
MFORY SMISC - 2 8
MFORZ SMISC - 3 9
MMOMX SMISC - 4 10
MMOMY SMISC - 5 11
MMOMZ SMISC - 6 12
P1 SMISC - 13 14
OFFST1 SMISC - 15 16
P2 SMISC - 17 18
OFFST2 SMISC - 19 20
P3 SMISC - 21 22
OFFST3 SMISC - 23 24
P4 SMISC - 25 -
P5 SMISC - - 26

Pseudo Node
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
TEMP LBFE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Table .4.4: BEAM4 Item and Sequence Numbers (KEYOPT(9) = 1)

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I IL1 J
Name
SDIR LS - 1 6 11
SBYT LS - 2 7 12
SBYB LS - 3 8 13
SBZT LS - 4 9 14
SBZB LS - 5 10 15
EPELDIR LEPEL - 1 6 11
EPELBYT LEPEL - 2 7 12
EPELBYB LEPEL - 3 8 13
EPELBZT LEPEL - 4 9 14
EPELBZB LEPEL - 5 10 15
SMAX NMISC - 1 3 5

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 BEAM4

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I IL1 J
Name
SMIN NMISC - 2 4 6
EPTHDIR LEPTH - 1 6 11
EPTHBYT LEPTH - 2 7 12
EPTHBYB LEPTH - 3 8 13
EPTHBZT LEPTH - 4 9 14
EPTHBZB LEPTH - 5 10 15
EPINAXL LEPTH 16 - - -
MFORX SMISC - 1 7 13
MFORY SMISC - 2 8 14
MFORZ SMISC - 3 9 15
MMOMX SMISC - 4 10 16
MMOMY SMISC - 5 11 17
MMOMZ SMISC - 6 12 18
P1 SMISC - 19 - 20
OFFST1 SMISC - 21 - 22
P2 SMISC - 23 - 24
OFFST2 SMISC - 25 - 26
P3 SMISC - 27 - 28
OFFST3 SMISC - 29 - 30
P4 SMISC - 31 - -
P5 SMISC - - - 32

Pseudo Node
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
TEMP LBFE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Table .4.5: BEAM4 Item and Sequence Numbers (KEYOPT(9) = 3)

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I IL1 IL2 IL3 J
Name
SDIR LS - 1 6 11 16 21
SBYT LS - 2 7 12 17 22
SBYB LS - 3 8 13 18 23
SBZT LS - 4 9 14 19 24
SBZB LS - 5 10 15 20 25
EPELDIR LEPEL - 1 6 11 16 21
EPELBYT LEPEL - 2 7 12 17 22

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BEAM4

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I IL1 IL2 IL3 J
Name
EPELBYB LEPEL - 3 8 13 18 23
EPELBZT LEPEL - 4 9 14 19 24
EPELBZB LEPEL - 5 10 15 20 25
SMAX NMISC - 1 3 5 7 9
SMIN NMISC - 2 4 6 8 10
EPTHDIR LEPTH - 1 6 11 16 21
EPTHBYT LEPTH - 2 7 12 17 22
EPTHBYB LEPTH - 3 8 13 18 23
EPTHBZT LEPTH - 4 9 14 19 24
EPTHBZB LEPTH - 5 10 15 20 25
EPINAXL LEPTH 26 - - - - -
MFORX SMISC - 1 7 13 19 25
MFORY SMISC - 2 8 14 20 26
MFORZ SMISC - 3 9 15 21 27
MMOMX SMISC - 4 10 16 22 28
MMOMY SMISC - 5 11 17 23 29
MMOMZ SMISC - 6 12 18 24 30
P1 SMISC - 31 - - - 32
OFFST1 SMISC - 33 - - - 34
P2 SMISC - 35 - - - 36
OFFST2 SMISC - 37 - - - 38
P3 SMISC - 39 - - - 40
OFFST3 SMISC - 41 - - - 42
P4 SMISC - 43 - - -
P5 SMISC - - - - - 44

Pseudo Node
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
TEMP LBFE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Table .4.6: BEAM4 Item and Sequence Numbers (KEYOPT(9) = 5)

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I IL1 IL2 IL3 IL4 IL5 J
Name
SDIR LS - 1 6 11 16 21 26 31
SBYT LS - 2 7 12 17 22 27 32
SBYB LS - 3 8 13 18 23 28 33

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 BEAM4

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I IL1 IL2 IL3 IL4 IL5 J
Name
SBZT LS - 4 9 14 19 24 29 34
SBZB LS - 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
EPELDIR LEPEL - 1 6 11 16 21 26 31
EPELBYT LEPEL - 2 7 12 17 22 27 32
EPELBYB LEPEL - 3 8 13 18 23 28 33
EPELBZT LEPEL - 4 9 14 19 24 29 34
EPELBZB LEPEL - 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
SMAX NMISC - 1 3 5 7 9 11 13
SMIN NMISC - 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
EPTHDIR LEPTH - 1 6 11 16 21 26 31
EPTHBYT LEPTH - 2 7 12 17 22 27 32
EPTHBYB LEPTH - 3 8 13 18 23 28 33
EPTHBZT LEPTH - 4 9 14 19 24 29 34
EPTHBZB LEPTH - 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
EPINAXL LEPTH 36 - - - - - - -
MFORX SMISC - 1 7 13 19 25 31 37
MFORY SMISC - 2 8 14 20 26 32 38
MFORZ SMISC - 3 9 15 21 27 33 39
MMOMX SMISC - 4 10 16 22 28 34 40
MMOMY SMISC - 5 11 17 23 29 35 41
MMOMZ SMISC - 6 12 18 24 30 36 42
P1 SMISC - 43 - - - - - 44
OFFST1 SMISC - 45 - - - - - 46
P2 SMISC - 47 - - - - - 48
OFFST2 SMISC - 49 - - - - - 50
P3 SMISC - 51 - - - - - 52
OFFST3 SMISC - 53 - - - - - 54
P4 SMISC - 55 - - - - - -
P5 SMISC - - - - - - - 56

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BEAM4

Pseudo Node
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
TEMP LBFE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Table .4.7: BEAM4 Item and Sequence Numbers (KEYOPT(9) = 7)

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I IL1 IL2 IL3 IL4 IL5 IL6 IL7 J
Name
SDIR LS - 1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36 41
SBYT LS - 2 7 12 17 22 27 32 37 42
SBYB LS - 3 8 13 18 23 28 33 38 43
SBZT LS - 4 9 14 19 24 29 34 39 44
SBZB LS - 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
EPELDIR LEPEL - 1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36 41
EPELBYT LEPEL - 2 7 12 17 22 27 32 37 42
EPELBYB LEPEL - 3 8 13 18 23 28 33 38 43
EPELBZT LEPEL - 4 9 14 19 24 29 34 39 44
EPELBZB LEPEL - 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
SMAX NMISC - 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17
SMIN NMISC - 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
EPTHDIR LEPTH - 1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36 41
EPTHBYT LEPTH - 2 7 12 17 22 27 32 37 42
EPTHBYB LEPTH - 3 8 13 18 23 28 33 38 43
EPTHBZT LEPTH - 4 9 14 19 24 29 34 39 44
EPTHBZB LEPTH - 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
EPINAXL LEPTH 46 - - - - - - - - -
MFORX SMISC - 1 7 13 19 25 31 37 43 49
MFORY SMISC - 2 8 14 20 26 32 38 44 50
MFORZ SMISC - 3 9 15 21 27 33 39 45 51
MMOMX SMISC - 4 10 16 22 28 34 40 46 52
MMOMY SMISC - 5 11 17 23 29 35 41 47 53
MMOMZ SMISC - 6 12 18 24 30 36 42 48 54
P1 SMISC - 55 - - - - - - - 56
OFFST1 SMISC - 57 - - - - - - - 58
P2 SMISC - 59 - - - - - - - 60
OFFST2 SMISC - 61 - - - - - - - 62
P3 SMISC - 63 - - - - - - - 64
OFFST3 SMISC - 65 - - - - - - - 66
P4 SMISC - 67 - - - - - - - -

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 BEAM4

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I IL1 IL2 IL3 IL4 IL5 IL6 IL7 J
Name
P5 SMISC - - - - - - - - - 68

Pseudo Node
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
TEMP LBFE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Table .4.8: BEAM4 Item and Sequence Numbers (KEYOPT(9) = 9)

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I IL1 IL2 IL3 IL4 IL5 IL6 IL7 IL8 IL9 J
Name
SDIR LS - 1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51
SBYT LS - 2 7 12 17 22 27 32 37 42 47 52
SBYB LS - 3 8 13 18 23 28 33 38 43 48 53
SBZT LS - 4 9 14 19 24 29 34 39 44 49 54
SBZB LS - 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55
EPELDIR LEPEL - 1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51
EPELBYT LEPEL - 2 7 12 17 22 27 32 37 42 47 52
EPELBYB LEPEL - 3 8 13 18 23 28 33 38 43 48 53
EPELBZT LEPEL - 4 9 14 19 24 29 34 39 44 49 54
EPELBZB LEPEL - 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55
SMAX NMISC - 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21
SMIN NMISC - 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
EPTHDIR LEPTH - 1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51
EPTHBYT LEPTH - 2 7 12 17 22 27 32 37 42 47 52
EPTHBYB LEPTH - 3 8 13 18 23 28 33 38 43 48 53
EPTHBZT LEPTH - 4 9 14 19 24 29 34 39 44 49 54
EPTHBZB LEPTH - 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55
EPINAXL LEPTH 56 - - - - - - - - - - -
MFORX SMISC - 1 7 13 19 25 31 37 43 49 55 61
MFORY SMISC - 2 8 14 20 26 32 38 44 50 56 62
MFORZ SMISC - 3 9 15 21 27 33 39 45 51 57 63
MMOMX SMISC - 4 10 16 22 28 34 40 46 52 58 64
MMOMY SMISC - 5 11 17 23 29 35 41 47 53 59 65
MMOMZ SMISC - 6 12 18 24 30 36 42 48 54 60 66
P1 SMISC - 67 - - - - - - - - - 68
OFFST1 SMISC - 69 - - - - - - - - - 70
P2 SMISC - 71 - - - - - - - - - 72

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BEAM4

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I IL1 IL2 IL3 IL4 IL5 IL6 IL7 IL8 IL9 J
Name
OFFST2 SMISC - 73 - - - - - - - - - 74
P3 SMISC - 75 - - - - - - - - - 76
OFFST3 SMISC - 77 - - - - - - - - - 78
P4 SMISC - 79 - - - - - - - - - -
P5 SMISC - - - - - - - - - - - 80

Pseudo Node
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
TEMP LBFE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

BEAM4 Assumptions and Restrictions

• The beam must not have a zero length or area. The moments of inertia, however, may be zero if large
deflections are not used.

• The beam can have any cross-sectional shape for which the moments of inertia can be computed.
The stresses, however, will be determined as if the distance between the neutral axis and the extreme
fiber is one-half of the corresponding thickness.

• The element thicknesses are used only in the bending and thermal stress calculations.

• The applied thermal gradients are assumed to be linear across the thickness in both directions and
along the length of the element.

• If you use the consistent tangent stiffness matrix (KEYOPT(2) = 1), take care to use realistic (that is,
"to scale") element real constants. This precaution is necessary because the consistent stress-stiffening
matrix is based on the calculated stresses in the element. If you use artificially large or small cross-
sectional properties, the calculated stresses will become inaccurate, and the stress-stiffening matrix
will suffer corresponding inaccuracies. (Certain components of the stress-stiffening matrix could even
overshoot to infinity.) Similar difficulties could arise if unrealistic real constants are used in a linear
prestressed or linear buckling analysis [PSTRES,ON].

• Eigenvalues calculated in a gyroscopic modal analysis can be very sensitive to changes in the initial
shift value, leading to potential error in either the real or imaginary (or both) parts of the eigenvalues.

BEAM4 Product Restrictions

When used in the product(s) listed below, the stated product-specific restrictions apply to this element
in addition to the general assumptions and restrictions given in the previous section.

Ansys Professional

• The SPIN real constant (R11) is not available. Input R11 as a blank.

• KEYOPT(2) can only be set to 0 (default).

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 BEAM4

• KEYOPT(7) can only be set to 0 (default).

• The only special features allowed are stress stiffening and large deflections.

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CONTAC12
2-D Point-to-Point Contact
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on
Product Restrictions (p. 190)

CONTAC12 Element Description

Although this archived element is available for use in your analysis, Ansys, Inc. recommends using a
current-technology element such as CONTA178. To use CONTA178 as you would CONTAC12, constrain
the UZ degree of freedom to simulate 2-D behavior. CONTA178 does not support the circular gap option
of CONTAC12.

CONTAC12 represents two surfaces which may maintain or break physical contact and may slide relative
to each other. The element is capable of supporting only compression in the direction normal to the
surfaces and shear (Coulomb friction) in the tangential direction. The element has two degrees of freedom
at each node: translations in the nodal x and y directions.

The element may be initially preloaded in the normal direction or it may be given a gap specification.
A specified stiffness acts in the normal and tangential directions when the gap is closed and not sliding.

Figure .12.1: CONTAC12 Geometry

I J
J
Lo <0
n

I J
s
>0
determines element n
orientation J

I s
Y
(or axial) Positive Slide
I
Nodes may be coincident (STAT or START = +2)
X (or radial)

CONTAC12 Input Data

The geometry, node locations, and the coordinate system for this element are shown in Figure .12.1: CON-
TAC12 Geometry (p. 183). The element is defined by two nodes, an angle to define the interface, two
stiffnesses (KN and KS), an initial displacement interference or gap (INTF), and an initial element status
(START). An element coordinate system (s-n) is defined on the interface. The angle θ (THETA) is input
(or calculated) in degrees and is measured from the global X axis to the element s-axis. The orientation
of the interface may be defined (KEYOPT(2)) by THETA or by the node locations.

The normal stiffness, KN, should be based upon the stiffness of the surfaces in contact. See Performing
a Node-to-Node Contact Analysis in the Contact Technology Guide for guidelines on choosing a value
for KN. In some cases (such as initial interference analyses, nonconvergence, or over penetration), it
may be useful to change the KN value between load steps or in a restart in order to obtain an accurate,
converged solution. The sticking stiffness, KS, represents the stiffness in the tangential direction when
elastic Coulomb friction is selected (µ > 0.0 and KEYOPT(1) = 0). The coefficient of friction µ is input as
material property MU and is evaluated at the average of the two node temperatures. Stiffnesses may
also be computed from the maximum expected force divided by the maximum allowable surface dis-
placement. KS defaults to KN. Stiffnesses should be on a full 360° basis for an axisymmetric analysis.

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CONTAC12

The initial displacement interference, Δ, defines the displacement interference (if positive) or the gap
size (if negative). The value may be input as a real constant (INTF) or automatically calculated from the
input node locations if KEYOPT(4) = 1. Stiffness is associated with a zero or positive interference. The
initial element status (START) is used to define the "previous" condition of the interface to be used at
the start of the first substep. This input is used to override the condition implied by the interference
specification and is useful in anticipating the final interface configuration and in reducing the number
of iterations required for convergence.

The force deflection relationships for the interface element can be separated into the normal and tan-
gential (sliding) directions as shown in Figure .12.2: CONTAC12 Force-Deflection Relationship (p. 187).
The element condition at the beginning of the first substep is determined from the START parameter.
If the interface is open, no stiffness is associated with this element for this substep. If the interface is
closed and sticking, KN is used in the gap resistance and KS is used in the sliding resistance. If the inter-
face is closed but sliding, KN is used in the gap resistance and the limit friction force µFN is used for
the sliding resistance.

In the normal direction, when the normal force (FN) is negative, the interface remains in contact and
responds as a linear spring. As the normal force becomes positive, contact is broken and no force is
transmitted.

KEYOPT(3) can be used to specify a "weak spring" across an open interface, which is useful for preventing
rigid body motion that could occur in a static analysis. The weak spring stiffness is computed by mul-
tiplying the normal stiffness KN by a reduction factor. The default reduction factor of 1E-6 can be
overridden with real constant REDFACT.

In the tangential direction, for FN < 0 and the absolute value of the tangential force (FS) less than
(µ|FN|), the interface sticks and responds as a linear spring in the tangential direction. For FN < 0 and
FS = µ|FN|, sliding occurs.

If KEYOPT(1) = 1, rigid Coulomb friction is selected, KS is not used, and the elastic sticking capability is
removed. This option is useful for displacement controlled problems or for certain dynamic problems
where sliding dominates. With this option, no tangential resistance is assumed for the first substep.

The only material property used is the interface coefficient of friction MU. A zero value should be used
for frictionless surfaces. Temperatures may be input at the element nodes (for material property evaluation
only). The node I temperature T(I) defaults to TUNIF. The node J temperature defaults to T(I). The circular
gap option (KEYOPT(2)) is useful where the final contact point (and thus the orientation angle) is not
known, such as with concentric cylinders. With this option the angular orientation THETA is initially set
to 0.0 and then internally calculated from the relative displacements of the nodes at the end of the
substep for use in the next substep. The user specified THETA (if any) is ignored. A negative interference
(gap) and a zero coefficient of friction is used with this option.

For analyses involving friction, using NROPT,UNSYM is useful (and, in fact, sometimes required) for
problems where the normal and tangential (sliding) motions are strongly coupled, such as in a wedge
insertion problem.

A summary of the element input is given in "CONTAC12 Input Summary" (p. 185). A general description
of element input is given in Element Input.

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 CONTAC12

CONTAC12 Input Summary

Nodes

I, J

Degrees of Freedom

UX, UY

Real Constants

See Table .12.1: CONTAC12 Real Constants (p. 186) for details on these real constants

Material Properties

MU

Surface Loads

None

Body Loads

Temperatures --

T(I), T(J)

Special Features

Nonlinear
Adaptive descent

KEYOPT(1)

Type of friction (only with MU > 0.0):

0 --

Elastic coulomb friction (KS used for sticking stiffness)

1 --

Rigid coulomb friction (resisting force only)

KEYOPT(2)

Orientation angle:

0 --

Orientation angle based on Theta real constant

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CONTAC12

1 --

Circular gap option (THETA orientation determined from direction of motion) (ignore THETA
real constant)

KEYOPT(3)

Weak spring across open gap:

0 --

No weak spring across an open gap

1 --

Use a weak spring across an open gap

KEYOPT(4)

Interference or gap:

0 --

Interference (or gap) based on INTF real constant

1 --

Interference (or gap) based on initial node locations (ignore INTF real constant)

KEYOPT(7)

Element level time incrementation control.

0 --

No control

1 --

Predictions are made to maintain a reasonable time (or load) increment (recommended)

2 --

Predictions are made to achieve the minimum time (or load) increment whenever a change in
contact status occurs

Table .12.1: CONTAC12 Real Constants

No. Name Description

1 THETA Interference angle
2 KN Normal stiffness
3 INTF Initial displacement interference or gap. A negative INTF
(interference) assumes an initially open gap.

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 CONTAC12

No. Name Description

4 START Initial element status

If = 0.0 or blank, initial condition of gap status is

determined from real constant INTF
If = 1.0, gap is initially closed and not sliding (if MU ≠
0.0), or sliding node J is positive (if MU = 0.0)
If = 2.0, gap is initially closed and node J is sliding to
the right of node I
If = -2.0, gap is initially closed and node J is sliding to
the left of node I
If = 3.0, gap is initially open
5 KS Sticking stiffness
6 REDFACT KN reduction factor

CONTAC12 Output Data

The solution output associated with the element is in two forms:

• nodal displacements included in the overall nodal solution

• additional element output as shown in Table .12.2: CONTAC12 Element Output Definitions (p. 188).

Several items are illustrated in Figure .12.2: CONTAC12 Force-Deflection Relationship (p. 187).

The value of USEP is determined from the normal displacement (un) (in the element x-direction) between
the interface nodes at the end of this substep. That is: USEP = (un) J - (un) I - Δ. This value is used in
determining the normal force, FN. For an axisymmetric analysis, the element forces are expressed on a
full 360° basis. The value represented by UT is the total translational displacement. The maximum value
printed for the sliding force, FS, is µ|FN|. STAT describes the status of the element at the end of this
substep. If STAT = 1, the gap is closed and no sliding occurs. If STAT = 3, the gap is open. A value of
STAT = +2 indicates the node J slides positive relative to node I as shown in Figure 4.12-1. STAT = -2
indicates a negative slide. For a frictionless surface (µ = 0.0), the element status is either STAT = ±2 or
3. The value of THETA is either the input orientation angle (if KEYOPT(2) = 0), or the calculated angle
(if KEYOPT(2) = 1). A general description of solution output is given in Solution Output. See the Basic
Analysis Guide for ways to view results.

Figure .12.2: CONTAC12 Force-Deflection Relationship

FN FS

| FN |

KS
1

(un)J - (un)I - (us)J - (us)I

KN
1
- | FN |
For FN < 0, and no
reversed loading

(a) (b)

The Element Output Definitions table uses the following notation:

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CONTAC12

A colon (:) in the Name column indicates that the item can be accessed by the Component Name
method (ETABLE, ESOL). The O column indicates the availability of the items in the file jobname.out.
The R column indicates the availability of the items in the results file.

In either the O or R columns, “Y” indicates that the item is always available, a number refers to a table
footnote that describes when the item is conditionally available, and “-” indicates that the item is not
available.

Table .12.2: CONTAC12 Element Output Definitions

Name Definition O R
EL Element Number Y Y
NODES Nodes - I, J Y Y
XC, YC Location where results are reported Y 3
TEMP Temperatures T(I), T(J) Y Y
USEP Gap size or interference Y Y
FN Normal force Y Y
STAT Element status 1 1
OLDST Stat value of the previous time step 1 1
THETA Orientation angle Y Y
MU Coefficient of friction 2 2
UT Relative displacement in tangential direction 2 2
(positive for node J moving to right of node I)
FS Tangential force 2 2

1. Element status values:

1 - Contact, no sliding

2 - Sliding contact with node J moving to right of node I

-2 - Sliding contact with node J moving to left of node I

3 - Gap open

2. Only if MU > 0.0 and KEYOPT(2) = 0.

3. Available only at centroid as a *GET item.

Table .12.3: CONTAC12 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 189) lists output available through the ETABLE
command using the Sequence Number method. See The General Postprocessor (POST1) of the Basic
Analysis Guide and The Item and Sequence Number Table of this manual for more information. The
following notation is used in Table .12.3: CONTAC12 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 189):

Name

output quantity as defined in the Table .12.2: CONTAC12 Element Output Definitions (p. 188)

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 CONTAC12

Item

predetermined Item label for ETABLE command

sequence number for single-valued or constant element data

Table .12.3: CONTAC12 Item and Sequence Numbers

ETABLE and
Output ESOL Command
Quantity Input
Name
Item E
FN SMISC 1
FS SMISC 2
STAT NMISC 1
OLDST NMISC 2
USEP NMISC 3
UT NMISC 4
MU NMISC 5
THETA NMISC 6

CONTAC12 Assumptions and Restrictions

• The 2-D interface element must be defined in an X-Y plane and the Y-axis must be the axis of symmetry
for axisymmetric analyses. An axisymmetric structure should be modeled in the +X quadrants.

• The element operates bilinearly only in a static or a nonlinear transient dynamic analysis.

• If used in other analysis types, the element maintains its initial status throughout the analysis.

• The element is nonlinear and requires an iterative solution.

• Convergence is also based on forces when friction or the circular gap option is present.

• Nodes I and J may be coincident since the orientation of the interface is defined only by the angle
THETA.

• The orientation of the interface does not change (with KEYOPT(2) = 0) during a large deflection
analysis. Use CONTA175 if this effect is desired.

• No moment effects due to noncoincident nodes are included. That is, if the nodes are offset from a
line perpendicular to the interface, moment equilibrium may not be satisfied.

• The element is defined such that a positive normal displacement (in the element coordinate system)
of node J relative to node I tends to open the gap, as shown in Figure .12.1: CONTAC12 Geo-
metry (p. 183). If, for a given set of conditions, node I and J are interchanged, or if the interface is ro-
tated by 180°, the gap element acts as a hook element, that is, the gap closes as the nodes separate.

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CONTAC12

The element may have rotated nodal coordinates since a displacement transformation into the element
coordinate system is included.

• The element stiffness KN cannot be exactly zero.

• Unreasonably high stiffness values also should be avoided.

• The rate of convergence decreases as the stiffness increases. Note that, although it is permissible to
change KN, it is not permissible to change any other real constants between load steps. Therefore,
if you plan to change KN, you cannot allow the value of KS to be defined by default, because the
program would then attempt to redefine KS as KN changed.

• You must explicitly define KS whenever KN changes, to maintain a consistent value throughout all
load steps.

• The element may not be deactivated with the EKILL command.

• If µ is nonzero, the element is nonconservative as well as nonlinear. Nonconservative elements require

that the load be applied very gradually, along the actual load history path, and in the proper sequence
(if multiple loadings exist).

CONTAC12 Product Restrictions

When used in the product(s) listed below, the stated product-specific restrictions apply to this element
in addition to the general assumptions and restrictions given in the previous section.

Ansys Professional

• This element is frictionless. Specifically, MU is not allowed as a material property and KS is

not allowed as a real constant.

• Temperature body loads are not applicable.

• KEYOPT(1) is not applicable.

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PIPE16
Elastic Straight Pipe
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on
Product Restrictions (p. 201)

PIPE16 Element Description

Although this archived element is available for use in your analysis, Ansys, Inc. recommends using a
current-technology element such as PIPE288 with KEYOPT(3) = 2.

PIPE16 is a uniaxial element with tension-compression, torsion, and bending capabilities. The element
has six degrees of freedom at two nodes: translations in the nodal x, y, and z directions and rotations
about the nodal x, y, and z axes. See PIPE16 - Elastic Straight Pipe (p. 406) for more details about this
element.

Figure .16.1: PIPE16 Geometry

PIPE16 Input Data

The geometry, node locations, and the coordinate system for this element are shown in Fig-
ure .16.1: PIPE16 Geometry (p. 191). The element input data include two or three nodes, the pipe outer
diameter and wall thickness, stress intensification and flexibility factors, internal fluid density, exterior
insulation density and thickness, corrosion thickness allowance, insulation surface area, pipe wall mass,
axial pipe stiffness, rotordynamic spin, and the isotropic material properties.

The element X-axis is oriented from node I toward node J. For the two-node option, the element Y-axis
is automatically calculated to be parallel to the global X-Y plane. Several orientations are shown in
Figure .16.1: PIPE16 Geometry (p. 191). For the case where the element is parallel to the global Z-axis (or
within a 0.01 percent slope of it), the element Y-axis is oriented parallel to the global Y-axis (as shown).
For user control of the element orientation about the element X-axis, use the third node option. The
third node (K), if used, defines a plane (with I and J) containing the element X and Z axes (as shown).
Input and output locations around the pipe circumference identified as being at 0° are located along
the element Y-axis, and similarly 90° is along the element Z-axis.

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PIPE16

The stress-intensification factor modifies the bending stress. Stress intensification factors can be input
at end I (SIFI) and end J (SIFJ), if KEYOPT(2) = 0, or determined by the program using a tee-joint calcu-
lation if KEYOPT(2) = 1, 2, or 3. Stress-intensification factor values less than 1.0 are set equal to 1.0. The
flexibility factor (FLEX) is divided into the cross-sectional moment of inertia to produce a modified
moment of inertia for the bending stiffness calculation. FLEX defaults to 1.0 but may be input as any
positive value.

The element mass is calculated from the pipe wall material, the external insulation, and the internal
fluid. The insulation and the fluid contribute only to the element mass matrix. The corrosion thickness
allowance contributes only to the stress calculations. A positive wall mass real constant overrides the
pipe wall mass calculation. A nonzero insulation area real constant overrides the insulation surface area
calculation (from the pipe outer diameter and length). A nonzero stiffness real constant overrides the
calculated axial pipe stiffness.

Element loads are described in Element Loading. Pressures may be input as surface loads on the element
faces as shown by the circled numbers on Figure .16.1: PIPE16 Geometry (p. 191). Internal pressure (PINT)
and external pressure (POUT) are input as positive values. The internal and external pressure loads are
designed for closed-loop static pressure environments and therefore include pressure loads on fictitious
"end caps" so that the pressure loads induce an axial stress and/or reaction in the pipe system. If a dy-
namic situation needs to be represented, such as a pipe venting to a lower pressure area or the internal
flow is past a constriction in the pipe, these end cap loads may need to be modified by applying a
nodal force normal to the cross-section of the pipe with the magnitude representing the change in
pressure. Alternatively, the precomputed end cap loads can be removed using KEYOPT(8) = 1 and the
appropriate end cap loads added by the user. The transverse pressures (PX, PY, and PZ) may represent
wind or drag loads (per unit length of the pipe) and are defined in the global Cartesian directions.
Positive transverse pressures act in the positive coordinate directions. The normal component or the
projected full pressure may be used (KEYOPT(5)). Tapered pressures are not recognized. Only constant
pressures are supported for this element. See PIPE16 - Elastic Straight Pipe (p. 406) for more information.

Temperatures may be input as element body loads at the nodes. Temperatures may have wall gradients
or diametral gradients (KEYOPT(1)). The average wall temperature at θ = 0° is calculated as 2 * TAVG -
T(180) and the average wall temperature at θ = -90° is calculated as 2 * TAVG - T(90). The element
temperatures are assumed to be linear along the length. The first temperature at node I (TOUT(I) or
TAVG(I)) defaults to TUNIF. If all temperatures after the first are unspecified, they default to the first. If
all temperatures at node I are input, and all temperatures at node J are unspecified, the node J temper-
atures default to the corresponding node I temperatures. For any other pattern of input temperatures,
unspecified temperatures default to TUNIF.

For piping analyses, the PIPE module of PREP7 may be used to generate the input for this element.
KEYOPT(4) is used to identify the element type for output labeling and for postprocessing operations.

KEYOPT(7) is used to compute an unsymmetric gyroscopic damping matrix (often used for rotordynamic
analyses). The rotational frequency is input with the SPIN real constant (radians/time, positive in the
positive element x direction).

A summary of the element input is given in "PIPE16 Input Summary" (p. 193). A general description of
element input is given in Element Input.

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 PIPE16

PIPE16 Input Summary

Nodes

I, J, K (K, the orientation node, is optional)

Degrees of Freedom

UX, UY, UZ, ROTX, ROTY, ROTZ

Real Constants

OD, TKWALL, SIFI, SIFJ, FLEX, DENSFL,

DENSIN, TKIN, TKCORR, AREAIN, MWALL, STIFF,
SPIN
See Table .16.1: PIPE16 Real Constants (p. 196) for a description of the real constants

Material Properties

EX, ALPX (or CTEX or THSX),

PRXY (or NUXY), DENS, GXY, BETD, ALPD, DMPR

Surface Loads

Pressures --

1-PINT, 2-PX, 3-PY, 4-PZ, 5-POUT

Body Loads

Temperatures --

TOUT(I), TIN(I), TOUT(J), TIN(J) if KEYOPT (1) = 0, or

TAVG(I), T90(I), T180(I), TAVG(J), T90(J), T180(J) if KEYOPT (1) = 1

Special Features

Stress stiffening
Large deflection
Birth and death

KEYOPT(1)

Temperatures represent:

0 --

The through-wall gradient

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PIPE16

1 --

The diametral gradient

KEYOPT(2)

Stress intensification factors:

0 --

Stress intensity factors from SIFI and SIFJ

1 --

Stress intensity factors at node I from tee joint calculation

2 --

Stress intensity factors at node J from tee joint calculation

3 --

Stress intensity factors at both nodes from tee joint calculation

KEYOPT(4)

Element identification (for output and postprocessing):

0 --

Straight pipe

1 --

Valve

2 --

Reducer

3 --

Flange

4 --

Expansion joint

5 --

Mitered bend

6 --

Tee branch

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 PIPE16

KEYOPT(5)

PX, PY, and PZ transverse pressures:

0 --

Use only the normal component of pressure

1 --

Use the full pressure (normal and shear components)

KEYOPT(6)

Member force and moment output:

0 --

Do not print member forces or moments

2 --

Print member forces and moments in the element coordinate system

KEYOPT(7)

Gyroscopic damping matrix:

0 --

No gyroscopic damping matrix

1 --

Compute gyroscopic damping matrix. Real constant SPIN must be greater than zero. DENSFL
and DENSIN must be zero.

Note:

The real constant MWALL is not used to compute the gyroscopic damping matrix.

KEYOPT(8)

End cap loads:

0 --

Internal and external pressures cause loads on end caps

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PIPE16

1 --

Internal and external pressures do not cause loads on end caps

Table .16.1: PIPE16 Real Constants

No. Name Description

1 OD Pipe outer diameter
2 TKWALL Wall thickness
3 SIFI Stress intensification factor (node I)
4 SIFJ Stress intensification factor (node J)
5 FLEX Flexibility factor
6 DENSFL Internal fluid density
7 DENSIN Exterior insulation density
8 TKIN Insulation thickness
9 TKCORR Corrosion thickness allowance
10 AREAIN Insulation surface area (replaces program-calculated value)
11 MWALL Pipe wall mass (replaces program-calculated value)
12 STIFF Axial pipe stiffness (replaces program-calculated value)
13 SPIN Rotordynamic spin (required if KEYOPT(7) = 1)

PIPE16 Output Data

The solution output associated with the element is in two forms:

• Nodal displacements included in the overall nodal solution

• Additional element output as shown in Table .16.2: PIPE16 Element Output Definitions (p. 197)

Several items are illustrated in Figure .16.2: PIPE16 Stress Output (p. 196).

The direct stress (SAXL) includes the internal pressure (closed end) effect. The direct stress does not
include the axial component of the transverse thermal stress (STH). The principal stresses and the stress
intensity include the shear force stress component, and are based on the stresses at the two extreme
points on opposite sides of the neutral axis. These quantities are calculated at the outer surface and
might not occur at the same location around the pipe circumference. Angles listed in the output are
measured as shown (θ) in Figure .16.2: PIPE16 Stress Output (p. 196). A general description of solution
output is given in Solution Output. See the Basic Analysis Guide for ways to view results.

Figure .16.2: PIPE16 Stress Output

Torsional
SBEND Moment

J SAXL J
ST
SH

SDIR
Shear
Force

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 PIPE16

The Element Output Definitions table uses the following notation:

A colon (:) in the Name column indicates that the item can be accessed by the Component Name
method (ETABLE, ESOL). The O column indicates the availability of the items in the file jobname.out.
The R column indicates the availability of the items in the results file.

In either the O or R columns, “Y” indicates that the item is always available, a number refers to a table
footnote that describes when the item is conditionally available, and “-” indicates that the item is not
available.

Table .16.2: PIPE16 Element Output Definitions

Name Definition O R
EL Element Number Y Y
NODES Nodes - I, J Y Y
MAT Material number Y Y
VOLU: Volume - Y
XC, YC, ZC Location where results are reported Y 6
CORAL Corrosion thickness allowance 1 1
TEMP TOUT(I), TIN(I), TOUT(J), TIN(J) 2 2
TEMP TAVG(I), T90(I), T180(I), TAVG(J), T90(J), T180(J) 3 3
PRES PINT, PX, PY, PZ, POUT Y Y
SFACTI, SFACTJ Stress intensification factors at nodes I and J Y Y
STH Stress due to maximum thermal gradient through Y Y
the wall thickness
SPR2 Hoop pressure stress for code calculations - Y
SMI, SMJ Moment stress at nodes I and J for code calculations - Y
SDIR Direct (axial) stress - Y
SBEND Maximum bending stress at outer surface - Y
ST Shear stress at outer surface due to torsion - Y
SSF Shear stress due to shear force - Y
S:(1MX, 3MN, Maximum principal stress, minimum principal stress, Y Y
INTMX, EQVMX) maximum stress intensity, maximum equivalent
stress (over eight points on the outside surface at
both ends of the element)
S:(AXL, RAD, H, XH) Axial, radial, hoop, and shear stresses 4 4
S:(1, 3, INT, EQV) Maximum principal stress, minimum principal stress, 4 4
stress intensity, equivalent stress
EPEL:(AXL, RAD, H, Axial, radial, hoop, and shear strains 4 4
XH)
EPTH:(AXL, RAD, H) Axial, radial, and hoop thermal strain 4 4
MFOR:(X, Y, Z) Member forces for nodes I and J (in the element 5 Y
coordinate system)

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PIPE16

Name Definition O R
MMOM:(X, Y, Z) Member moments for nodes I and J (in the element 5 Y
coordinate system)

1. If the value is greater than 0.

2. If KEYOPT(1) = 0

3. If KEYOPT(1) = 1

4. The item repeats at 0°, 45°, 90°, 135°, 180°, 225°, 270°, 315° at node I, then at node J, all at the outer
surface.

5. If KEYOPT(6) = 2

6. Available only at centroid as a *GET item.

The following tables list output available through the ETABLE command using the Sequence Number
method. See The General Postprocessor (POST1) in the Basic Analysis Guide and The Item and Sequence
Number Table of this manual for more information. The following notation is used in Table .16.3: PIPE16
Item and Sequence Numbers (Node I) (p. 198) through Table .16.5: PIPE16 Item and Sequence Num-
bers (p. 200):

Name

output quantity as defined in the Table .16.2: PIPE16 Element Output Definitions (p. 197)

Item

predetermined Item label for ETABLE command

sequence number for single-valued or constant element data

I, J

sequence number for data at nodes I and J

Table .16.3: PIPE16 Item and Sequence Numbers (Node I)

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Circumferential Location
Name Item E
0° 45° 90° 135° 180° 225° 270° 315°
SAXL LS - 1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29
SRAD LS - 2 6 10 14 18 22 26 30
SH LS - 3 7 11 15 19 23 27 31
SXH LS - 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32
EPELAXL LEPEL - 1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29
EPELRAD LEPEL - 2 6 10 14 18 22 26 30

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 PIPE16

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Circumferential Location
Name Item E
0° 45° 90° 135° 180° 225° 270° 315°
EPELH LEPEL - 3 7 11 15 19 23 27 31
EPELXH LEPEL - 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32
EPTHAXL LEPTH - 1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29
EPTHRAD LEPTH - 2 6 10 14 18 22 26 30
EPTHH LEPTH - 3 7 11 15 19 23 27 31
MFORX SMISC 1 - - - - - - - -
MFORY SMISC 2 - - - - - - - -
MFORZ SMISC 3 - - - - - - - -
MMOMX SMISC 4 - - - - - - - -
MMOMY SMISC 5 - - - - - - - -
MMOMZ SMISC 6 - - - - - - - -
SDIR SMISC 13 - - - - - - - -
ST SMISC 14 - - - - - - - -
S1 NMISC - 1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36
S3 NMISC - 3 8 13 18 23 28 33 38
SINT NMISC - 4 9 14 19 24 29 34 39
SEQV NMISC - 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
SBEND NMISC 90 - - - - - - - -
SSF NMISC 91 - - - - - - - -
TOUT LBFE - 4 - 1 - 2 - 3 -
TIN LBFE - 8 - 5 - 6 - 7 -

Table .16.4: PIPE16 Item and Sequence Numbers (Node J)

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Circumferential Location
Name Item E
0° 45° 90° 135° 180° 225° 270° 315°
SAXL LS - 33 37 41 45 49 53 57 61
SRAD LS - 34 38 42 46 50 54 58 62
SH LS - 35 39 43 47 51 55 59 63
SXH LS - 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64
EPELAXL LEPEL - 33 37 41 45 49 53 57 61
EPELRAD LEPEL - 34 38 42 46 50 54 58 62
EPELH LEPEL - 35 39 43 47 51 55 59 63
EPELXH LEPEL - 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64
EPTHAXL LEPTH - 33 37 41 45 49 53 57 61
EPTHRAD LEPTH - 34 38 42 46 50 54 58 62

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PIPE16

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Circumferential Location
Name Item E
0° 45° 90° 135° 180° 225° 270° 315°
EPTHH LEPTH - 35 39 43 47 51 55 59 63
MFORX SMISC 7 - - - - - - - -
MFORY SMISC 8 - - - - - - - -
MFORZ SMISC 9 - - - - - - - -
MMOMX SMISC 10 - - - - - - - -
MMOMY SMISC 11 - - - - - - - -
MMOMZ SMISC 12 - - - - - - - -
SDIR SMISC 15 - - - - - - - -
ST SMISC 16 - - - - - - - -
S1 NMISC - 41 46 51 56 61 66 71 76
S3 NMISC - 43 48 53 58 63 68 73 78
SINT NMISC - 44 49 54 59 64 69 74 79
SEQV NMISC - 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80
SBEND NMISC 92 - - - - - - - -
SSF NMISC 93 - - - - - - - -
TOUT LBFE - 12 - 9 - 10 - 11 -
TIN LBFE - 16 - 13 - 14 - 15 -

Table .16.5: PIPE16 Item and Sequence Numbers

ETABLE and
Output ESOL Command
Quantity Input
Name
Item E
STH SMISC 17
PINT SMISC 18
PX SMISC 19
PY SMISC 20
PZ SMISC 21
POUT SMISC 22
SFACTI NMISC 81
SFACTJ NMISC 82
SPR2 NMISC 83
SMI NMISC 84
SMJ NMISC 85
S1MX NMISC 86
S3MN NMISC 87

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 PIPE16

ETABLE and
Output ESOL Command
Quantity Input
Name
Item E
SINTMX NMISC 88
SEQVMX NMISC 89

PIPE16 Assumptions and Restrictions

• The pipe must not have a zero length or wall thickness. In addition, the OD must not be less than or
equal to zero, the ID must not be less than zero, and the corrosion thickness allowance must be less
than the wall thickness.

• The element temperatures are assumed to vary linearly along the length.

• The element may be used for both thin and thick-walled situations; however, some of the stress cal-
culations are based on thin-wall theory.

• The pipe element is assumed to have "closed ends" so that the axial pressure effect is included.

• Shear deflection capability is also included in the element formulation.

• Eigenvalues calculated in a gyroscopic modal analysis can be very sensitive to changes in the initial
shift value, leading to potential error in either the real or imaginary (or both) parts of the eigenvalues.

PIPE16 Product Restrictions

When used in the product(s) listed below, the stated product-specific restrictions apply to this element
in addition to the general assumptions and restrictions given in the previous section.

Ansys Professional

• The SPIN real constant (R13) is not available.

• The only special features allowed are stress stiffening and large deflections.

• KEYOPT(7) (gyroscopic damping) is not allowed.

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PIPE18
Elastic Curved Pipe
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on
Product Restrictions (p. 212)

PIPE18 Element Description

Although this archived element is available for use in your analysis, Ansys, Inc. recommends using a
current-technology element such as ELBOW290.

PIPE18, also known as an elbow element, is a circularly uniaxial element with tension, compression,
torsion, and bending capabilities. The element has six degrees of freedom at each node: translations
in the nodal x, y, and z directions and rotations about the nodal x, y, and z axes.

Options are available to include various flexibility and stress intensification factors in the formulation.
The element can account for insulation, contained fluid, and a corrosion allowance. See PIPE18 - Elastic
Curved Pipe (p. 415) for more details about this element.

Figure .18.1: PIPE18 Geometry

The element x-z coordinates
are in the I, J, K plane
J
K
Radius of
Curvature 2
T90 z 5
+
Px Tavg Pout
K 1
T180
Pint
y
J
Z 3 y
z
Py x Tin
I Pz
Y Tout
4
X

PIPE18 Input Data

The geometry, node locations, and the coordinate system for this element are shown in Fig-
ure .18.1: PIPE18 Geometry (p. 203). The element input data include three nodes, the pipe outer diameter,
wall thickness, radius of curvature, optional stress intensification and flexibility factors, internal fluid
density, exterior insulation density and thickness, corrosion thickness allowance, and the isotropic ma-
terial properties. The internal fluid and external insulation constants are used only to determine the
added mass effects for these components.

Although the curved pipe element has only two endpoints (nodes I and J), the third node (K) is required
to define the plane in which the element lies. This node must lie in the plane of the curved pipe and
on the center-of-curvature side of line I-J. A node point belonging to another element (such as the
other node of a connecting straight pipe element) may be used. Input and output locations around the
pipe circumference identified as being at 0° are located along the element y-axis, and similarly 90° is
along the element z-axis.

Only the lumped mass matrix is available.

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PIPE18

The flexibility and stress intensification factors included in the element are calculated as follows:

ANSYS Flexibility Factor = 1.65/(h(1 + PrXk/tE)) or 1.0 (whichever is greater) (used if

KEYOPT(3) = 0 or 1 and FLXI not input)

Karman Flexibility Factor = (10 + 12h2)/(1 + 12h2) (used if KEYOPT(3) = 2 and FLXI not
input)

User Defined Flexibility Factors = FLXI (in-plane) and FLXO (out-of-plane) (may be input
as any positive value)

FLXO defaults to FLXI for all cases.

Stress Intensification Factor = 0.9/h2/3 or 1.0 (whichever is greater) (used for SIFI or SIFJ
if factor not input or if input less than 1.0 (must be positive))

where:

h = tR/r2
t = thickness
R = radius of curvature
r = average radius
E = modulus of elasticity
Xk = 6 (r/t)4/3 (R/r)1/3 if KEYOPT(3) = 1 and R/r 1.7, otherwise Xk = 0
P = Pi - Po if Pi - Po > 0, otherwise P = 0, Pi = internal pressure, Po = external pressure

Do not use KEYOPT(3) = 1 if the included angle of the complete elbow is less than 360/(π(R/r)) degrees.

Element loads are described in Element Loading. Pressures may be input as surface loads on the element
faces as shown by the circled numbers on Figure .18.1: PIPE18 Geometry (p. 203). Internal pressure (PINT)
and external pressure (POUT) are input as positive values. The internal and external pressure loads are
designed for closed-loop static pressure environments and therefore include pressure loads on fictitious
"end caps" so that the pressure loads induce an axial stress and/or reaction in the pipe system. If a dy-
namic situation needs to be represented, such as a pipe venting to a lower pressure area or the internal
flow is past a constriction in the pipe, these end cap loads may need to be modified by applying a
nodal force normal to the cross-section of the pipe with the magnitude representing the change in
pressure. Alternatively, the precomputed end cap loads can be removed using KEYOPT(8) = 1 and the
appropriate end cap loads added by the user. Note that when using KEYOPT(8) = 1, the pressure load
will be acting on only the wall of the elbow element so that the total pressure load will not be self-
equilibrating. The transverse pressures (PX, PY, and PZ) may represent wind or drag loads (per unit
length of the pipe) and are defined in the global Cartesian directions. Positive transverse pressures act
in the positive coordinate directions. Tapered pressures are not recognized. Only constant pressures
are supported for this element.

Temperatures may be input as element body loads at the nodes. Temperatures may have wall gradients
or diametral gradients (KEYOPT(1)). The average wall temperature at θ = 0° is computed as 2 * TAVG -
T(180) and the average wall temperature at θ = -90° is computed as 2 * TAVG - T(90). The element
temperatures are assumed to be linear along the length. The first temperature at node I (TOUT(I) or
TAVG(I)) defaults to TUNIF. If all temperatures after the first are unspecified, they default to the first. If

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 PIPE18

all temperatures at node I are input, and all temperatures at node J are unspecified, the node J temper-
atures default to the corresponding node I temperatures. For any other pattern of input temperatures,
unspecified temperatures default to TUNIF.

For piping analyses, the PIPE module of PREP7 may be used to generate the input for this element.

A summary of the element input is given below. A general description of element input is given in
Element Input.

PIPE18 Input Summary

Nodes

I, J, K - where node K is in the plane of the elbow, on the center of curvature side of line I-J

Degrees of Freedom

UX, UY, UZ, ROTX, ROTY, ROTZ

Real Constants

OD, TKWALL, RADCUR, SIFI, SIFJ, FLXI,

DENSFL, DENSIN, TKIN, TKCORR, (Blank), FLXO
See Table .18.1: PIPE18 Real Constants (p. 206) for a description of the real constants

Material Properties

EX, ALPX (or CTEX or THSX), PRXY (or NUXY), DENS, GXY, ALPD, BETD, DMPR

Surface Loads

Pressures --

1-PINT, 2-PX, 3-PY, 4-PZ, 5-POUT

Body Loads

Temperatures --

TOUT(I), TIN(I), TOUT(J), TIN(J) if KEYOPT (1) = 0, or

TAVG(I), T90(I), T180(I), TAVG(J), T90(J), T180(J) if KEYOPT (1) = 1

Special Features

Large deflection
Birth and death

KEYOPT(1)

Temperatures represent:

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PIPE18

0 --

The through-wall gradient

1 --

The diametral gradient

KEYOPT(3)

Flex factor (if FLEX is not specified):

0 --

Use ANSYS flexibility factor (without pressure term)

1 --

Use ANSYS flexibility factor (with pressure term)

2 --

Use KARMAN flexibility factor

KEYOPT(6)

Member force and moment output:

0 --

Do not print member forces or moments

2 --

Print member forces and moments in the element coordinate system

KEYOPT(8)

End cap loads:

0 --

Internal and external pressures cause loads on end caps

1 --

Internal and external pressures do not cause loads on end caps

Table .18.1: PIPE18 Real Constants

No. Name Description

1 OD Pipe outer diameter
2 TKWALL Wall thickness
3 RADCUR Radius of curvature

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 PIPE18

No. Name Description

4 SIFI Stress intensification factor (node I)
5 SIFJ Stress intensification factor (node J)
6 FLXI Flexibility factor (in-plane)
7 DENSFL Internal fluid density
8 DENSIN Exterior insulation density
9 TKIN Insulation thickness
10 TKCORR Corrosion thickness allowance
11 (Blank) --
12 FLXO Flexibility factor (out-of-plane). FLXO defaults to FLXI in all cases.

PIPE18 Output Data

The solution output associated with the element is in two forms:

• Nodal displacements included in the overall nodal solution

• Additional element output as shown in Table .18.2: PIPE18 Element Output Definitions (p. 208)

Several items are illustrated in Figure .18.2: PIPE18 Stress Output (p. 207).

The stresses are computed with the outer diameter of the pipe reduced by twice the corrosion thickness
allowance. The direct stress includes the internal pressure (closed end) effect. Also printed for each end
are the maximum and minimum principal stresses and the stress intensity. These quantities are computed
at the outer surface and may not occur at the same location around the pipe circumference. Some of
these stresses are shown in Figure .18.2: PIPE18 Stress Output (p. 207). The direct stress does not include
the axial component of the transverse thermal stress. The principal stresses and the stress intensity include
the shear force stress component. Angles listed in the output are measured (θ) as shown in Fig-
ure .18.2: PIPE18 Stress Output (p. 207). A general description of solution output is given in Solution
Output. See the Basic Analysis Guide for ways to view results.

Figure .18.2: PIPE18 Stress Output

SBEND
Torsional
J Moment
ST
SAXL
SH
J
SDIR

Shear
Force

The Element Output Definitions table uses the following notation:

A colon (:) in the Name column indicates that the item can be accessed by the Component Name
method (ETABLE, ESOL). The O column indicates the availability of the items in the file jobname.out.
The R column indicates the availability of the items in the results file.

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PIPE18

In either the O or R columns, “Y” indicates that the item is always available, a number refers to a table
footnote that describes when the item is conditionally available, and “-” indicates that the item is not
available.

Table .18.2: PIPE18 Element Output Definitions

Name Definition O R
EL Element Number Y Y
NODES Nodes - I, J Y Y
MAT Material number Y Y
VOLU: Volume - Y
XC, YC, ZC Location where results are reported Y 6
CORAL Corrosion thickness allowance 1 1
TEMP TOUT(I), TIN(I), TOUT(J), TIN(J) 2 2
TEMP TAVG(I), T90(I), T180(I), TAVG(J), T90(J), T180(J) 3 3
PRES PINT, PX, PY, PZ, POUT Y Y
FFACT Element flexibility factor - Y
MFOR(X, Y, Z) Member forces for nodes I and J (in the element 4 Y
coordinate system)
MMOM(X, Y, Z) Member moments for nodes I and J (in the element 4 Y
coordinate system)
SFACTI, SFACTJ Stress intensification factors at nodes I and J Y Y
STH Stress due to maximum thermal gradient through Y Y
the wall thickness
SPR2 Hoop pressure stress for code calculations - Y
SMI, SMJ Moment stress at nodes I and J for code calculations - Y
SDIR Direct (axial) stress - Y
SBEND Maximum bending stress at outer surface - Y
ST Shear stress at outer surface due to torsion - Y
SSF Shear stress due to shear force - Y
S(1MX, 3MN,INTMX, Maximum principal stress, minimum principal stress, Y Y
EQVMX) maximum stress intensity, maximum equivalent
stress (over eight points on the outside surface at
both ends of the element)
S(1, 3, INT, EQV) Maximum principal stress, minimum principal stress, 5 5
stress intensity, equivalent stress
S(AXL, RAD, H, XH) Axial, radial, hoop, and shear stresses 5 5
EPEL(AXL, RAD, H, Axial, radial, hoop, and shear strains 5 5
XH)
EPTH(AXL, RAD, H) Axial, radial, and hoop thermal strain 5 5

1. If the value is greater than 0.

2. If KEYOPT(1) = 0

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 PIPE18

3. If KEYOPT(1) = 1

4. If KEYOPT(6) = 2

5. The item repeats at 0°, 45°, 90°, 135°, 180°, 225°, 270°, 315° at node I, then at node J (all at the outer
surface)

6. Available only at centroid as a *GET item.

The following tables list output available through the ETABLE command using the Sequence Number
method. See The General Postprocessor (POST1) in the Basic Analysis Guide and The Item and Sequence
Number Table of this manual for more information. The following notation is used in Table .18.3: PIPE18
Item and Sequence Numbers (Node I) (p. 209) through Table .18.5: PIPE18 Item and Sequence Num-
bers (p. 211):

Name

output quantity as defined in the Table .18.2: PIPE18 Element Output Definitions (p. 208)

Item

predetermined Item label for ETABLE command

sequence number for single-valued or constant element data

I,J

sequence number for data at nodes I and J

Table .18.3: PIPE18 Item and Sequence Numbers (Node I)

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Circumferential Location
Name Item E
0° 45° 90° 135° 180° 225° 270° 315°
SAXL LS - 1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29
SRAD LS - 2 6 10 14 18 22 26 30
SH LS - 3 7 11 15 19 23 27 31
SXH LS - 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32
EPELAXL LEPEL - 1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29
EPELRAD LEPEL - 2 6 10 14 18 22 26 30
EPELH LEPEL - 3 7 11 15 19 23 27 31
EPELXH LEPEL - 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32
EPTHAXL LEPTH - 1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29
EPTHRAD LEPTH - 2 6 10 14 18 22 26 30
EPTHH LEPTH - 3 7 11 15 19 23 27 31
S1 NMISC - 1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36
S3 NMISC - 3 8 13 18 23 28 33 38

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PIPE18

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Circumferential Location
Name Item E
0° 45° 90° 135° 180° 225° 270° 315°
SINT NMISC - 4 9 14 19 24 29 34 39
SEQV NMISC - 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
SBEND NMISC 91 - - - - - - - -
SSF NMISC 92 - - - - - - - -
MFORX SMISC 1 - - - - - - - -
MFORY SMISC 2 - - - - - - - -
MFORZ SMISC 3 - - - - - - - -
MMOMX SMISC 4 - - - - - - - -
MMOMY SMISC 5 - - - - - - - -
MMOMZ SMISC 6 - - - - - - - -
SDIR SMISC 13 - - - - - - - -
ST SMISC 14 - - - - - - - -
TOUT LBFE - 4 - 1 - 2 - 3 -
TIN LBFE - 8 - 5 - 6 - 7 -

Table .18.4: PIPE18 Item and Sequence Numbers (Node J)

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Circumferential Location
Name Item E
0° 45° 90° 135° 180° 225° 270° 315°
SAXL LS - 33 37 41 45 49 53 57 61
SRAD LS - 34 38 42 46 50 54 58 62
SH LS - 35 39 43 47 51 55 59 63
SXH LS - 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64
EPELAXL LEPEL - 33 37 41 45 49 53 57 61
EPELRAD LEPEL - 34 38 42 46 50 54 58 62
EPELH LEPEL - 35 39 43 47 51 55 59 63
EPELXH LEPEL - 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64
EPTHAXL LEPTH - 33 37 41 45 49 53 57 61
EPTHRAD LEPTH - 34 38 42 46 50 54 58 62
EPTHH LEPTH - 35 39 43 47 51 55 59 63
S1 NMISC - 41 46 51 56 61 66 71 76
S3 NMISC - 43 48 53 58 63 68 73 78
SINT NMISC - 44 49 54 59 64 69 74 79
SEQV NMISC - 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80
SBEND NMISC 93 - - - - - - - -
SSF NMISC 94 - - - - - - - -

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 PIPE18

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Circumferential Location
Name Item E
0° 45° 90° 135° 180° 225° 270° 315°
MFORX SMISC 7 - - - - - - - -
MFORY SMISC 8 - - - - - - - -
MFORZ SMISC 9 - - - - - - - -
MMOMX SMISC 10 - - - - - - - -
MMOMY SMISC 11 - - - - - - - -
MMOMZ SMISC 12 - - - - - - - -
SDIR SMISC 15 - - - - - - - -
ST SMISC 16 - - - - - - - -
TOUT LBFE - 12 - 9 - 10 - 11 -
TIN LBFE - 16 - 13 - 14 - 15 -

Table .18.5: PIPE18 Item and Sequence Numbers

ETABLE and
Output ESOL Command
Quantity Input
Name
Item E
SFACTI NMISC 81
SFACTJ NMISC 82
SPR2 NMISC 83
SMI NMISC 84
SMJ NMISC 85
S1MX NMISC 86
S3MN NMISC 87
SINTMX NMISC 88
SEQVMX NMISC 89
FFACT NMISC 90
STH SMISC 17
PINT SMISC 18
PX SMISC 19
PY SMISC 20
PZ SMISC 21
POUT SMISC 22

PIPE18 Assumptions and Restrictions

• The curved pipe must not have a zero length or wall thickness. In addition, the OD must not be less
than or equal to zero and the ID must not be less than zero.

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PIPE18

• The corrosion allowance must be less than the wall thickness.

• The element is limited to having an axis with a single curvature and a subtended angle of 0° < θ
90°.

• Shear deflection capability is also included in the element formulation.

• The elbow is assumed to have "closed ends" so that the axial pressure effect is included.

• When used in a large deflection analysis, the location of the third node (K) is used only to initially
orient the element.

• The element temperatures are assumed to be linear along the length. The average wall temperature
at θ = 0° is computed as 2 * TAVG - T(180) and the average wall temperature at θ = -90° is computed
as 2 * TAVG - T(90).

• Stress intensification factors input with values less than 1.0 are set to 1.0.

• The element formulation is based upon thin-walled theory. The elbow should have a large radius-to-
thickness ratio since the integration points are assumed to be located at the midthickness of the wall.

• Only the lumped mass matrix is available.

PIPE18 Product Restrictions

When used in the product(s) listed below, the stated product-specific restrictions apply to this element
in addition to the general assumptions and restrictions given in the previous section.

Ansys Professional

• The ALPD and BETD material properties are not allowed.

• The only special feature allowed is large deflection.

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PLANE42
2-D Structural Solid
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on
Product Restrictions (p. 220)

PLANE42 Element Description

Although this archived element is available for use in your analysis, Ansys, Inc. recommends using a
current-technology element such as PLANE182 (KEYOPT(1) = 3).

PLANE42 is used for 2-D modeling of solid structures. The element can be used either as a plane element
(plane stress or plane strain) or as an axisymmetric element. The element is defined by four nodes
having two degrees of freedom at each node: translations in the nodal x and y directions. The element
has plasticity, creep, swelling, stress stiffening, large deflection, and large strain capabilities.

An option is available to suppress the extra displacement shapes. See PLANE183 for a multi-node version
of this element. See SOLID272 for an axisymmetric version that accepts nonaxisymmetric loading.

Figure .42.1: PLANE42 Geometry

3
L K

K, L
4
Element coordinate
y system (shown for 2
KEYOPT(1) = 1) I
Y
(or axial) I J
x
1 J (Triangular Option -
X (or radial) not recommended)

PLANE42 Input Data

The geometry, node locations, and the coordinate system for this element are shown in Fig-
ure .42.1: PLANE42 Geometry (p. 213). The element input data includes four nodes, a thickness (for the
plane stress option only) and the orthotropic material properties. Orthotropic material directions corres-
pond to the element coordinate directions. The element coordinate system orientation is as described
in Coordinate Systems.

Element loads are described in Element Loading. Pressures may be input as surface loads on the element
faces as shown by the circled numbers on Figure .42.1: PLANE42 Geometry (p. 213). Positive pressures
act into the element. Temperatures and fluences may be input as element body loads at the nodes.
The node I temperature T(I) defaults to TUNIF. If all other temperatures are unspecified, they default to
T(I). For any other input pattern, unspecified temperatures default to TUNIF. Similar defaults occurs for
fluence except that zero is used instead of TUNIF.

The nodal forces, if any, should be input per unit of depth for a plane analysis (except for KEYOPT(3) =
3) and on a full 360° basis for an axisymmetric analysis. KEYOPT(2) is used to include or suppress the
extra displacement shapes.

KEYOPT(5) and KEYOPT(6) provide various element printout options. (See Element Solution.)

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PLANE42

You cannot set initial state conditions (INISTATE) using this element. You can set initial state conditions
using current-technology elements (such as LINK180,SHELL181). To continue using initial state conditions
in future versions of ANSYS, consider using a current element technology. For more information, see
Older vs. Current Element Technologies in the Element Reference. For more information about setting
initial state values, see the INISTATE command documentation and Initial State Loading in the Basic
Analysis Guide.

Pressure load stiffness effects are included in linear eigenvalue buckling automatically. If an unsymmetric
matrix is needed for pressure load stiffness effects, use NROPT,UNSYM.

A summary of the element input is given in "PLANE42 Input Summary" (p. 214). A general description
of element input is given in Element Input. For axisymmetric applications see Harmonic Axisymmetric
Elements.

PLANE42 Input Summary

Nodes

I, J, K, L

Degrees of Freedom

UX, UY

Real Constants

None, if KEYOPT(3) = 0, 1, or 2
THK - Thickness if KEYOPT(3) = 3

Material Properties

EX, EY, EZ, PRXY, PRYZ, PRXZ (or NUXY, NUYZ, NUXZ),
ALPX, ALPY, ALPZ (or CTEX, CTEY, CTEZ or THSX, THSY, THSZ), DENS, GXY, BETD, ALPD, DMPR

Surface Loads

Pressures --

face 1 (J-I), face 2 (K-J), face 3 (L-K), face 4 (I-L)

Body Loads

Temperatures --

T(I), T(J), T(K), T(L)

Fluences --

FL(I), FL(J), FL(K), FL(L)

Special Features

Plasticity (BISO, BKIN, DP, ANISO)

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 PLANE42

Creep (CREEP, RATE)

Swelling (SWELL)
Elasticity (MELAS)
Other material (USER)
Stress stiffening
Large deflection
Large strain
Birth and death
Adaptive descent

Items in parentheses refer to data tables associated with the TB command.

KEYOPT(1)

Element coordinate system defined:

0 --

Element coordinate system is parallel to the global coordinate system

1 --

Element coordinate system is based on the element I-J side

KEYOPT(2)

Extra displacement shapes:

0 --

Include extra displacement shapes

1 --

Suppress extra displacement shapes

KEYOPT(3)

Element behavior:

0 --

Plane stress

1 --

Axisymmetric

2 --

Plane strain (Z strain = 0.0)

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PLANE42

3 --

Plane stress with thickness input

KEYOPT(5)

Extra stress output:

0 --

Basic element solution

1 --

Repeat basic solution for all integration points

2 --

Nodal stress solution

KEYOPT(6)

Extra surface output:

0 --

Basic element solution

1 --

Surface solution for face I-J also.

2 --

Surface solution for both faces I-J and K-L also. (Surface solution available for linear materials
only)

3 --

Nonlinear solution at each integration point also.

4 --

Surface solution for faces with nonzero pressure

PLANE42 Output Data

The solution output associated with the element is in two forms:

• Nodal displacements included in the overall nodal solution

• Additional element output as shown in Table .42.1: PLANE42 Element Output Definitions (p. 217)

Several items are illustrated in Figure .42.2: PLANE42 Stress Output (p. 217).

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 PLANE42

The element stress directions are parallel to the element coordinate system. Surface stresses are available
on any face. Surface stresses on face IJ, for example, are defined parallel and perpendicular to the IJ
line and along the Z axis for a plane analysis or in the hoop direction for an axisymmetric analysis. A
general description of solution output is given in Solution Output. See the Basic Analysis Guide for ways
to view results.

Figure .42.2: PLANE42 Stress Output

L 3 K

SY
4
SX 2
Y
(or axial)
I
X (or radial) 1 J

Stress directions shown are for KEYOPT(1) = 0

The Element Output Definitions table uses the following notation:

A colon (:) in the Name column indicates that the item can be accessed by the Component Name
method (ETABLE, ESOL). The O column indicates the availability of the items in the file jobname.out.
The R column indicates the availability of the items in the results file.

In either the O or R columns, “Y” indicates that the item is always available, a number refers to a table
footnote that describes when the item is conditionally available, and “-” indicates that the item is not
available.

Table .42.1: PLANE42 Element Output Definitions

Name Definition O R
EL Element Number Y Y
NODES Nodes - I, J, K, L Y Y
MAT Material number Y Y
THICK Average thickness Y Y
VOLU: Volume Y Y
XC, YC Location where results are reported Y 3
PRES Pressures P1 at nodes J,I; P2 at K,J; P3 at L,K; P4 Y Y
at I,L
TEMP Temperatures T(I), T(J), T(K), T(L) Y Y
FLUEN Fluences FL(I), FL(J), FL(K), FL(L) Y Y
S:X, Y, Z, XY Stresses (SZ = 0.0 for plane stress elements) Y Y
S:1, 2, 3 Principal stresses Y -
S:INT Stress intensity Y -
S:EQV Equivalent stress Y Y
EPEL:X, Y, Z, XY Elastic strains Y Y
EPEL:1, 2, 3 Principal elastic strain Y -
EPEL:EQV Equivalent elastic strain [4] - Y

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PLANE42

Name Definition O R
EPTH:X, Y, Z, XY Average thermal strain Y Y
EPTH:EQV Equivalent thermal strain [4] - Y
EPPL:X, Y, Z, XY Plastic strain 1 1
EPPL:EQV Equivalent plastic strain [4] - 1
EPCR:X, Y, Z, XY Creep strains 1 1
EPCR:EQV Equivalent creep strains [4] - 1
EPSW: Swelling strain 1 1
NL:EPEQ Equivalent plastic strain 1 1
NL:SRAT Ratio of trial stress to stress on yield surface 1 1
NL:SEPL Equivalent stress on stress-strain curve 1 1
NL:HPRES Hydrostatic pressure - 1
FACE Face label 2 2
EPEL(PAR, PER, Surface elastic strains (parallel, perpendicular, 2 2
Z) Z or hoop)
TEMP Surface average temperature 2 2
S(PAR, PER, Z) Surface stresses (parallel, perpendicular, Z or 2 2
hoop)
SINT Surface stress intensity 2 2
SEQV Surface equivalent stress 2 2
LOCI:X, Y, Z Integration point locations - Y

1. Nonlinear solution, output only if the element has a nonlinear material.

2. Surface output (if KEYOPT(6) is 1,2, or 4)

3. Available only at centroid as a *GET item.

4. The equivalent strains use an effective Poisson's ratio: for elastic and thermal this value is set by the
user (MP,PRXY); for plastic and creep this value is set at 0.5.

Table .42.2: PLANE42 Miscellaneous Element Output

Description Names of Items Output O R

Integration Point Solution TEMP, SINT, SEQV, EPEL(1, 2, Y -
(KEYOPT(5) = 1) 3), S(X, Y, Z, XY), S(1, 2, 3)
Nodal Stress Solution TEMP, S(X, Y, Z, XY), S(1, 2, Y -
(KEYOPT(5) = 2) 3), SINT, SEQV
Nonlinear Integration Point EPPL, EPEQ, SRAT, SEPL, 1 -
Solution (KEYOPT(6) = 3) HPRES, EPCR, EPSW

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 PLANE42

1. Valid if the element has a nonlinear material and KEYOPT(6) = 3

Note:

For axisymmetric solutions with KEYOPT(1) = 0, the X, Y, Z, and XY stress and strain outputs
correspond to the radial, axial, hoop, and in-plane shear stresses and strains, respectively.

Table .42.3: PLANE42 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 219) lists output available through the ETABLE
command using the Sequence Number method. See The General Postprocessor (POST1) in the Basic
Analysis Guide and The Item and Sequence Number Table in this reference for more information. The
following notation is used in Table .42.3: PLANE42 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 219):

Name

output quantity as defined in the Table .42.1: PLANE42 Element Output Definitions (p. 217)

Item

predetermined Item label for ETABLE command

sequence number for single-valued or constant element data

I,J,K,L

sequence number for data at nodes I,J,K,L

Table .42.3: PLANE42 Item and Sequence Numbers

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I J K L
Name
P1 SMISC - 2 1 - -
P2 SMISC - - 4 3 -
P3 SMISC - - - 6 5
P4 SMISC - 7 - - 8
S:1 NMISC - 1 6 11 16
S:2 NMISC - 2 7 12 17
S:3 NMISC - 3 8 13 18
S:INT NMISC - 4 9 14 19
S:EQV NMISC - 5 10 15 20
FLUEN NMISC - 21 22 23 24
THICK NMISC 25 - - - -

See Surface Solution for the item and sequence numbers for surface output for the ETABLE command.

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PLANE42

PLANE42 Assumptions and Restrictions

• The area of the element must be nonzero.

• The element must lie in a global X-Y plane as shown in Figure .42.1: PLANE42 Geometry (p. 213) and
the Y-axis must be the axis of symmetry for axisymmetric analyses. An axisymmetric structure should
be modeled in the +X quadrants.

• A triangular element may be formed by defining duplicate K and L node numbers (see Degenerated
Shape Elements).

• The extra shapes are automatically deleted for triangular elements so that a constant strain element
results.

• Surface stress printout is valid only if the conditions described in Element Solution are met.

PLANE42 Product Restrictions

When used in the product(s) listed below, the stated product-specific restrictions apply to this element
in addition to the general assumptions and restrictions given in the previous section.

Ansys Professional

• Fluence body loads are not applicable.

• The only special feature allowed is stress stiffening.

• KEYOPT(6) = 3 is not applicable.

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SOLID45
3-D Structural Solid
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on
Product Restrictions (p. 229)

SOLID45 Element Description

Although this archived element is available for use in your analysis, Ansys, Inc. recommends using a
current-technology element such as SOLID185 (KEYOPT(2) = 3).

SOLID45 is used for the 3-D modeling of solid structures. The element is defined by eight nodes having
three degrees of freedom at each node: translations in the nodal x, y, and z directions.

The element has plasticity, creep, swelling, stress stiffening, large deflection, and large strain capabilities.
A reduced integration option with hourglass control is available. A higher-order version of the SOLID45
element is SOLID186.

Figure .45.1: SOLID45 Geometry

4 M O,P
P
5 N
O
I K,L
6
J
M Prism Option
Element coordinate y
N
system (shown for
2 y 3 M,N,O,P
KEYOPT(4) = 1) x
L
I
z K K,L
y
x J
I x Tetrahedral Option -
Z 1
J not recommended
Surface Coordinate System
Y
X

SOLID45 Input Data

The geometry, node locations, and the coordinate system for this element are shown in Figure .45.1: SOL-
ID45 Geometry (p. 221). The element is defined by eight nodes and the orthotropic material properties.
Orthotropic material directions correspond to the element coordinate directions. The element coordinate
system orientation is as described in Coordinate Systems.

Element loads are described in Element Loading. Pressures may be input as surface loads on the element
faces as shown by the circled numbers on Figure .45.1: SOLID45 Geometry (p. 221). Positive pressures
act into the element. Temperatures and fluences may be input as element body loads at the nodes.
The node I temperature T(I) defaults to TUNIF. If all other temperatures are unspecified, they default to
T(I). For any other input temperature pattern, unspecified temperatures default to TUNIF. Similar defaults
occurs for fluence except that zero is used instead of TUNIF.

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SOLID45

KEYOPT(1) is used to include or suppress the extra displacement shapes. KEYOPT(5) and KEYOPT(6)
provide various element printout options (see Element Solution).

This element also supports uniform reduced (1 point) integration with hourglass control when KEYOPT(2)
= 1. Using uniform reduced integration provides the following advantages when running a nonlinear
analysis:

• Less cpu time is required for element stiffness formation and stress/strain calculations to achieve
a comparable accuracy to the FULL integration option.

• The length of the element history saved record (.ESAV and .OSAV) is about 1/7th as much as
when the full integration (2 X 2 X 2) is used for the same number of elements.

• Nonlinear convergence characteristic of the option is generally far superior to the default full
integration with extra displacement shape; that is, KEYOPT(1) = 0, KEYOPT(2) = 0.

• The analysis will not suffer from volumetric locking which can be caused by plasticity or other
incompressible material properties.

An analysis using uniform reduced integration can have the following disadvantages:

• The analysis is not as accurate as the full integration method, which is apparent in the linear
analysis for the same mesh.

• The analysis cannot capture the bending behavior with a single layer of elements; for example,
in the case of a fixed-end cantilever with a lateral point load, modeled by one layer of elements
laterally. Instead, four elements are usually recommended.

When the uniform reduced integration option is used (KEYOPT(2) = 1 - this option is the same as SOL-
ID185 with KEYOPT(2) = 1), you can check the accuracy of the solution by comparing the total energy
(SENE label in ETABLE) and the artificial energy (AENE label in ETABLE) introduced by hourglass control.
If the ratio of artificial energy to total energy is less than 5%, the solution is generally acceptable. If the
ratio exceeds 5%, refine the mesh. The total energy and artificial energy can also be monitored by using
the OUTPR,VENG command in the solution phase. For more details, see Energies in the Mechanical
APDL Theory Reference.

You cannot set initial state conditions (INISTATE) using this element. You can set initial state conditions
using current-technology elements (such as LINK180,SHELL181). To continue using initial state conditions
in future versions of ANSYS, consider using a current element technology. For more information, see
Older vs. Current Element Technologies in the Element Reference. For more information about setting
initial state values, see the INISTATE command documentation and Initial State Loading in the Basic
Analysis Guide.

Pressure load stiffness effects are included in linear eigenvalue buckling automatically. If an unsymmetric
matrix is needed for pressure load stiffness effects, use NROPT,UNSYM.

A summary of the element input is given in "SOLID45 Input Summary" (p. 223). A general description of
element input is given in Element Input.

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 SOLID45

SOLID45 Input Summary

Nodes

I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P

Degrees of Freedom

UX, UY, UZ

Real Constants

HGSTF - Hourglass control factor needed only when KEYOPT(2) = 1.

Note:

The valid value for this real constant is any positive number; default = 1.0. We recommend
that you use a value between 1 and 10.

Material Properties

EX, EY, EZ, PRXY, PRYZ, PRXZ (or NUXY, NUYZ, NUXZ), GXY, GYZ, GXZ, ALPX, ALPY, ALPZ (or
CTEX, CTEY, CTEZ or THSX, THSY, THSZ), DENS, BETD, ALPD, DMPR

Surface Loads

Pressures --

face 1 (J-I-L-K), face 2 (I-J-N-M), face 3 (J-K-O-N), face 4 (K-L-P-O), face 5 (L-I-M-P), face 6 (M-N-O-
P)

Body Loads

Temperatures --

T(I), T(J), T(K), T(L), T(M), T(N), T(O), T(P)

Fluences --

FL(I), FL(J), FL(K), FL(L), FL(M), FL(N), FL(O), FL(P)

Special Features

Plasticity (BISO, BKIN, DP, ANISO)

Creep (CREEP, RATE)
Swelling (SWELL)
Elasticity (MELAS)
Other material (USER)
Stress stiffening
Large deflection

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SOLID45

Large strain
Birth and death
Adaptive descent

Items in parentheses refer to Lab data tables associated with the TB,Lab command.

KEYOPT(1)

Include or suppress extra displacement shapes:

0 --

Include extra displacement shapes

1 --

Suppress extra displacement shapes

KEYOPT(2)

Integration option:

0 --

Full integration with or without extra displacement shapes, depending on the setting of KEYOPT(1)

1 --

Uniform reduced integration with hourglass control; suppress extra displacement shapes (KEY-
OPT(1) is automatically set to 1).

KEYOPT(4)

Element coordinate system:

0 --

Element coordinate system is parallel to the global coordinate system

1 --

Element coordinate system is based on the element I-J side

KEYOPT(5)

Extra element output:

0 --

Basic element solution

1 --

Repeat basic solution for all integration points

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 SOLID45

2 --

Nodal Stress Solution

KEYOPT(6)

Extra surface output:

0 --

Basic element solution

1 --

Surface solution for face I-J-N-M also

2 --

Surface solution for face I-J-N-M and face K-L-P-O (Surface solution available for linear materials
only)

3 --

Include nonlinear solution at each integration point

4 --

Surface solution for faces with nonzero pressure

SOLID45 Output Data

The solution output associated with the element is in two forms:

• Nodal displacements included in the overall nodal solution

• Additional element output as shown in Table .45.1: SOLID45 Element Output Definitions (p. 226)

Several items are illustrated in Figure .45.2: SOLID45 Stress Output (p. 226). The element stress directions
are parallel to the element coordinate system. The surface stress outputs are in the surface coordinate
systems and are available for any face (KEYOPT(6)). The coordinate systems for faces IJNM and KLPO
are shown in Figure .45.1: SOLID45 Geometry (p. 221). The other surface coordinate systems follow sim-
ilar orientations as indicated by the pressure face node description. Surface stress printout is valid only
if the conditions described in Element Solution are met. A general description of solution output is
given in Solution Output. See the Basic Analysis Guide for ways to view results.

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SOLID45

Figure .45.2: SOLID45 Stress Output

P
O
SZ

M N
SY
SX
L
K
Z

I
Y
X J

Stress directions shown are for KEYOPT(4) = 0

When KEYOPT(2) = 1 (the element is using uniform reduced integration), all the outputs for the element
integration points are output in the same style as the full integration outputs. The number of points
for full integration is used for consistency of output within the same element type.

The Element Output Definitions table uses the following notation:

A colon (:) in the Name column indicates that the item can be accessed by the Component Name
method (ETABLE, ESOL). The O column indicates the availability of the items in the file jobname.out.
The R column indicates the availability of the items in the results file.

In either the O or R columns, “Y” indicates that the item is always available, a number refers to a table
footnote that describes when the item is conditionally available, and “-” indicates that the item is not
available.

Table .45.1: SOLID45 Element Output Definitions

Name Definition O R
EL Element Number Y Y
NODES Nodes - I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P Y Y
MAT Material number Y Y
VOLU: Volume Y Y
XC, YC, ZC Location where results are reported Y 3
PRES Pressures P1 at nodes J, I, L, K; P2 at I, J, N, M; P3 at Y Y
J, K, O, N; P4 at K, L, P, O; P5 at L, I, M, P; P6 at M, N,
O, P
TEMP Temperatures T(I), T(J), T(K), T(L), T(M), T(N), T(O), T(P) Y Y
FLUEN Fluences FL(I), FL(J), FL(K), FL(L), FL(M), FL(N), FL(O), Y Y
FL(P)
S:X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, XZ Stresses Y Y
S:1, 2, 3 Principal stresses Y Y
S:INT Stress intensity Y Y
S:EQV Equivalent stress Y Y
EPEL:X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, Elastic strains Y Y
XZ

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 SOLID45

Name Definition O R
EPEL:1, 2, 3 Principal elastic strains Y -
EPEL:EQV Equivalent elastic strain [4] Y Y
EPTH:X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, Average thermal strains - 5
XZ
EPTH:EQV Equivalent thermal strain [4] - 5
EPPL:X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, Average plastic strains 1 1
XZ
EPPL:EQV Equivalent plastic strain [4] 1 1
EPCR:X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, Average creep strains 1 1
XZ
EPCR:EQV Equivalent creep strain [4] 1 1
EPSW: Average swelling strain 1 1
NL:EPEQ Average equivalent plastic strain 1 1
NL:SRAT Ratio of trial stress to stress on yield surface 1 1
NL:SEPL Average equivalent stress from stress-strain curve 1 1
NL:HPRES Hydrostatic pressure 1
FACE Face label 2 2
AREA Face area 2 2
TEMP Surface average temperature 2 2
EPEL Surface elastic strains (X ,Y, XY) 2 2
PRESS Surface pressure 2 2
S(X, Y, XY) Surface stresses (X-axis parallel to line defined by 2 2
first two nodes which define the face)
S(1, 2, 3) Surface principal stresses 2 2
SINT Surface stress intensity 2 2
SEQV Surface equivalent stress 2 2
LOCI:X, Y, Z Integration point locations - Y

1. Nonlinear solution, output only if the element has a nonlinear material

2. Surface output (if KEYOPT(6) is 1, 2, or 4)

3. Available only at centroid as a *GET item

4. The equivalent strains use an effective Poisson's ratio: for elastic and thermal this value is set by the
user (MP,PRXY); for plastic and creep this value is set at 0.5.

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SOLID45

5. Output only if element has a thermal load.

Table .45.2: SOLID45 Miscellaneous Element Output

Description Names of Items Output O R

Nonlinear Integration Pt. EPPL, EPEQ, SRAT, SEPL, 1 -
Solution HPRES, EPCR, EPSW
Integration Point Stress TEMP, S(X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, XZ), 2 -
Solution SINT, SEQV, EPEL
Nodal Stress Solution TEMP, S(X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, XZ), 3 -
SINT, SEQV, EPEL

1. Output at each of eight integration points, if the element has a nonlinear material and KEYOPT(6)
=3

2. Output at each integration point, if KEYOPT(5) = 1

3. Output at each node, if KEYOPT(5) = 2

Table .45.3: SOLID45 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 228) lists output available through the ETABLE
command using the Sequence Number method. See The General Postprocessor (POST1) in the Basic
Analysis Guide and The Item and Sequence Number Table of this manual for more information. The
following notation is used in Table .45.3: SOLID45 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 228):

Name

output quantity as defined in the Table .45.1: SOLID45 Element Output Definitions (p. 226)

Item

predetermined Item label for ETABLE command

I,J,...,P

sequence number for data at nodes I,J,...,P

Table .45.3: SOLID45 Item and Sequence Numbers

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item I J K L M N O P
Name
P1 SMISC 2 1 4 3 - - - -
P2 SMISC 5 6 - - 8 7 - -
P3 SMISC - 9 10 - - 12 11 -
P4 SMISC - - 13 14 - - 16 15
P5 SMISC 18 - - 17 19 - - 20
P6 SMISC - - - - 21 22 23 24
S:1 NMISC 1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36
S:2 NMISC 2 7 12 17 22 27 32 37
S:3 NMISC 3 8 13 18 23 28 33 38

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 SOLID45

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item I J K L M N O P
Name
S:INT NMISC 4 9 14 19 24 29 34 39
S:EQV NMISC 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
FLUEN NMISC 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48

See Surface Solution for the item and sequence numbers for surface output for the ETABLE command.

SOLID45 Assumptions and Restrictions

• Zero volume elements are not allowed.

• Elements may be numbered either as shown in Figure .45.1: SOLID45 Geometry (p. 221) or may
have the planes IJKL and MNOP interchanged.

• The element may not be twisted such that the element has two separate volumes. This occurs
most frequently when the elements are not numbered properly.

• All elements must have eight nodes.

– A prism-shaped element may be formed by defining duplicate K and L and duplicate O

and P node numbers (see Degenerated Shape Elements).

– A tetrahedron shape is also available. The extra shapes are automatically deleted for tet-
rahedron elements.

SOLID45 Product Restrictions

When used in the product(s) listed below, the stated product-specific restrictions apply to this element
in addition to the general assumptions and restrictions given in the previous section.

Ansys Professional

• Fluence body loads are not applicable.

• The only special feature allowed is stress stiffening.

• KEYOPT(6) = 3 is not applicable.

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CONTAC52
3-D Point-to-Point Contact
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on
Product Restrictions (p. 238)

CONTAC52 Element Description

Although this archived element is available for use in your analysis, Ansys, Inc. recommends using a
current-technology element such as CONTA178.

CONTAC52 represents two surfaces which may maintain or break physical contact and may slide relative
to each other. The element is capable of supporting only compression in the direction normal to the
surfaces and shear (Coulomb friction) in the tangential direction. The element has three degrees of
freedom at each node: translations in the nodal x, y, and z directions.

The element may be initially preloaded in the normal direction or it may be given a gap specification.
A specified stiffness acts in the normal and tangential directions when the gap is closed and not sliding.

Figure .52.1: CONTAC52 Geometry

x
z x
z
y
y
J

Gap

Y z
X y
I
z x

y
x

CONTAC52 Input Data

The geometry, node locations, and the coordinate system for this element are shown in Figure .52.1: CON-
TAC52 Geometry (p. 231). The element is defined by two nodes, two stiffnesses (KN and KS), an initial
gap or interference (GAP), and an initial element status (START). The orientation of the interface is
defined by the node locations, or by a user-specified gap direction. The interface is assumed to be
perpendicular to the I-J line or to the specified gap direction. The element coordinate system has its
origin at node I and the x-axis is directed toward node J or in the user-specified gap direction. The in-
terface is parallel to the element y-z plane.

The normal stiffness, KN, should be based upon the stiffness of the surfaces in contact. See Nonlinear
Structural Analysis in the Structural Analysis Guide for guidelines on choosing a value for KN. In some
cases (such as initial interference analyses, nonconvergence, or over penetration), it may be useful to
change the KN value between load steps or in a restart in order to obtain an accurate, converged
solution. The sticking stiffness, KS, represents the stiffness in the tangential direction when elastic

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CONTAC52

Coulomb friction is selected (μ > 0.0 and KEYOPT(1) = 0). The coefficient of friction μ is input as material
property MU and is evaluated at the average of the two node temperatures. Stiffnesses may also be
computed from the maximum expected force divided by the maximum allowable surface displacement.
KS defaults to KN.

The initial gap defines the gap size (if positive) or the displacement interference (if negative). This input
is the opposite of that used for CONTAC12 (described in the Feature Archive (p. 1)). If you do not
specify the gap direction (by means of real constants NX, NY, and NZ), an interference causes the nodes
to separate. The gap size may be input as a real constant (GAP) or automatically calculated from the
input node locations (as the distance between node I and node J) if KEYOPT(4) = 1. Interference must
be input as a real constant. Stiffness is associated with a zero or negative gap. The initial element status
(START) is used to define the "previous" condition of the interface to be used at the start of the first
substep. This input is used to override the condition implied by the interference specification and is
useful in anticipating the final interface configuration and in reducing the number of iterations required
for convergence.

You can specify the gap direction by means of real constants NX, NY, and NZ (the global Cartesian X,
Y, and Z components of the gap direction vector). If you do not specify the gap direction, the program
will calculate the direction based on the initial positions of the I and J nodes, such that a positive normal
displacement (in the element coordinate system) of node J relative to node I tends to open the gap.
You should always specify the gap direction if nodes I and J have the same initial coordinates, if the
model has an initial interference condition in which the underlying elements' geometry overlaps, or if
the initial open gap distance is very small. If the gap is initially geometrically open, the correct normal
(NX, NY, NZ) usually points from node I toward node J.

The only material property used is the interface coefficient of friction μ. A zero value should be used
for frictionless surfaces. Temperatures may be specified at the element nodes (for material property
evaluation only). The node I temperature T(I) defaults to TUNIF. The node J temperature defaults to T(I).

The force deflection relationships for the interface element can be separated into the normal and tan-
gential (sliding) directions as shown in Figure .52.2: CONTAC52 Force-Deflection Relationship (p. 236).
The element condition at the beginning of the first substep is determined from the START parameter.
If the interface is closed and sticking, KN is used in the gap resistance and KS is used for sticking resist-
ance. If the interface is closed but sliding, KN is used in the gap resistance and the constant friction
force μFN is used for the sliding resistance.

In the normal direction, when the normal force (FN) is negative, the interface remains in contact and
responds as a linear spring. As the normal force becomes positive, contact is broken and no force is
transmitted.

KEYOPT(3) can be used to specify a "weak spring" across an open interface, which is useful for preventing
rigid body motion that could occur in a static analysis. The weak spring stiffness is computed by mul-
tiplying the normal stiffness KN by a reduction factor. The default reduction factor of 1E-6 can be
overridden with real constant REDFACT.

This "weak spring" capability is not analogous to overlaying an actual spring element (such as COMBIN14)
with a low stiffness value. The REDFACT capability will not limit gap separation when a tensile force is
applied.

In the tangential direction, for FN < 0 and the absolute value of the tangential force (FS) less than μ|FN|,
the interface sticks and responds as a linear spring. For FN < 0 and FS = μ|FN|, sliding occurs. If contact
is broken, FS = 0.

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 CONTAC52

If KEYOPT(1) = 1, rigid Coulomb friction is selected, KS is not used, and the elastic sticking capability is
removed. This option is useful for displacement controlled problems or for certain dynamic problems
where sliding dominates.

For analyses involving friction, using NROPT,UNSYM is useful (and, in fact, sometimes required) for
problems where the normal and tangential (sliding) motions are strongly coupled, such as in a wedge
insertion problem.

A summary of the element input is given in "CONTAC52 Input Summary" (p. 233). A general description
of element input is given in Element Input.

CONTAC52 Input Summary

Nodes

I, J

Degrees of Freedom

UX, UY, UZ

Real Constants

KN, GAP, START, KS, REDFACT, NX,

NY, NZ

See Table .52.1: CONTAC52 Real Constants (p. 234) for details on these real constants.

Material Properties

MU

Surface Loads

None

Body Loads

Temperatures --

T(I), T(J)

Special Features

Nonlinear
Adaptive descent

KEYOPT(1)

Sticking stiffness if MU > 0.0:

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CONTAC52

0 --

Elastic Coulomb friction (KS used for sticking stiffness)

1 --

Rigid Coulomb friction (resisting force only)

KEYOPT(3)

Weak spring across open gap:

0 --

No weak spring across an open gap

1 --

Use a weak spring across an open gap

KEYOPT(4)

Basis for gap size:

0 --

Gap size based on gap real constant

1 --

Gap size determined from initial node locations (ignore gap real constant)

KEYOPT(7)

Element-level time incrementation control.

0 --

No control

1 --

Change in contact predictions made to maintain a reasonable time/load increment (recommen-

ded)

2 --

Change in contact predictions made to achieve the minimum time/load increment whenever a
change in contact status occurs

Table .52.1: CONTAC52 Real Constants

No. Name Description

1 KN Normal stiffness

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 CONTAC52

No. Name Description

2 GAP Initial gap size; a negative value assumes an initial interference
condition.
Initial condition:

If = 0.0 or blank, initial status of element is determined

from gap input
3 START If = 1.0, gap is initially closed and not sliding (if MU ≠
0.0), or sliding (if MU = 0.0)
If = 2.0, gap is initially closed and sliding
If = 3.0, gap initially open
4 KS Sticking stiffness
5 REDFACT Default reduction factor 1E-6
6 NX Defined gap normal - X component
7 NY Defined gap normal - Y component
8 NZ Defined gap normal - Z component

CONTAC52 Output Data

The solution output associated with the element is in two forms:

• Nodal displacements included in the overall nodal solution

• Additional element output as shown in Table .52.2: CONTAC52 Element Output Definitions (p. 236).

Force-deflection curves are illustrated in Figure .52.2: CONTAC52 Force-Deflection Relationship (p. 236).

The value of USEP is determined from the normal displacement (un) (in the element x-direction) between
the interface nodes at the end of a substep, that is: USEP = (un)J - (un)I + GAP. This value is used in de-
termining the normal force, FN. The values represented by UT(Y, Z) are the total translational displace-
ments in the element y and z directions. The maximum value printed for the sliding force, FS, is μ|FN|.
Sliding may occur in both the element y and z directions. STAT describes the status of the element at
the end of a substep. If STAT = 1, the gap is closed and no sliding occurs. If STAT = 3, the gap is open.
A value of STAT = 2 indicates the node J slides relative to node I. For a frictionless surface (μ = 0.0), the
converged element status is either STAT = 2 or 3.

The element coordinate system orientation angles α and β (shown in Figure .52.1: CONTAC52 Geo-
metry (p. 231)) are computed by the program from the node locations. These values are printed as ALPHA
and BETA respectively. α ranges from 0° to 360° and β from -90° to +90°. Elements lying along the Z-
axis are assigned values of α = 0°, β = ± 90°, respectively. Elements lying off the Z-axis have their co-
ordinate system oriented as shown for the general α, β position. Note, for α = 90°, β → 90°, the element
coordinate system flips 90° about the Z-axis. The value of ANGLE represents the principal angle of the
friction force in the element y-z plane. A general description of solution output is given in Solution
Output. See the Basic Analysis Guide for ways to view results.

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CONTAC52

Figure .52.2: CONTAC52 Force-Deflection Relationship

FN FS

FN

(un)J - (un)I + GAP (us)J - (us)I

KN KS
1 1
FN
For FN < 0, and no
reversed loading

(a) (b)

The Element Output Definitions table uses the following notation:

A colon (:) in the Name column indicates that the item can be accessed by the Component Name
method (ETABLE, ESOL). The O column indicates the availability of the items in the file jobname.out.
The R column indicates the availability of the items in the results file.

In either the O or R columns, “Y” indicates that the item is always available, a number refers to a table
footnote that describes when the item is conditionally available, and “-” indicates that the item is not
available.

Table .52.2: CONTAC52 Element Output Definitions

Name Definition O R
EL Element Number Y Y
NODES Nodes - I, J Y Y
XC, YC, ZC Location where results are reported Y 3
TEMP T(I), T(J) Y Y
USEP Gap size Y Y
FN Normal force (along I-J line) Y Y
STAT Element status 1 1
ALPHA, BETA Element orientation angles Y Y
MU Coefficient of friction 2 2
UT(Y, Z) Displacement (node J - node I) in element y and z 2 2
directions
FS Tangential (friction) force (vector sum) 2 2
ANGLE Principal angle of friction force in element y-z plane 2 2

1. If the value of STAT is:

1 - Contact, no sliding

2 - Sliding contact

3 - Gap open

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 CONTAC52

2. If MU > 0.0

3. Available only at centroid as a *GET item.

Table .52.3: CONTAC52 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 237) lists output available through the ETABLE
command using the Sequence Number method. See The General Postprocessor (POST1) in the Basic
Analysis Guide and The Item and Sequence Number Table of this manual for more information. The
following notation is used in Table .52.3: CONTAC52 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 237):

Name

output quantity as defined in the Table .52.2: CONTAC52 Element Output Definitions (p. 236)

Item

predetermined Item label for ETABLE command

sequence number for single-valued or constant element data

Table .52.3: CONTAC52 Item and Sequence Numbers

ETABLE and
Output ESOL Command
Quantity Input
Name
Item E
FN SMISC 1
FS SMISC 2
STAT NMISC 1
OLDST NMISC 2
USEP NMISC 3
ALPHA NMISC 4
BETA NMISC 5
UTY NMISC 6
UTZ NMISC 7
MU NMISC 8
ANGLE NMISC 9

CONTAC52 Assumptions and Restrictions

• The element operates bilinearly only in the static and the nonlinear transient dynamic analyses.
If used in other analysis types, the element maintains its initial status throughout the analysis.

• The element is nonlinear and requires an iterative solution. Nonconverged substeps are not in
equilibrium.

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CONTAC52

• Unless the gap direction is specified (NX, NY, NZ), nodes I and J may not be coincident since the
nodal locations define the interface orientation. The element maintains is original orientation in
either a small or a large deflection analysis.

• The element coordinate system is defined by the initial I and J node locations or by the specified
gap direction.

• The gap value may be specified independent of the node locations.

• The element may have rotated nodal coordinates since a displacement transformation into the
element coordinate system is included.

• The element stiffness KN should not be exactly zero, and unreasonably high stiffness values also
should be avoided. The rate of convergence decreases as the stiffness increases.

• Although it is permissible to change KN, it is not permissible to change any other real constants
between load steps. Therefore, if you plan to change KN, you cannot allow the value of KS to
be defined by default, because the program would then attempt to redefine KS as KN changed.
You must explicitly define KS whenever KN changes, to maintain a consistent value throughout
all load steps.

• The element may not be deactivated with the EKILL command.

• If μ is not equal to zero, the element is nonconservative as well as nonlinear. Nonconservative

elements require that the load be applied very gradually, along the actual load history path, and
in the proper sequence (if multiple loadings exist).

CONTAC52 Product Restrictions

When used in the product(s) listed below, the stated product-specific restrictions apply to this element
in addition to the general assumptions and restrictions given in the previous section.

Ansys Professional

• This element is frictionless. MU is not allowed as a material property and KS is not allowed
as a real constant.

• Temperature body loads are not applicable in a structural analysis.

• KEYOPT(1) is not applicable.

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PIPE59
Immersed Pipe or Cable
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on
Product Restrictions (p. 256)

PIPE59 Element Description

Although this archived element is available for use in your analysis, Ansys, Inc. recommends using a
current-technology element such as PIPE288 with KEYOPT(3) = 2, along with the appropriate ocean
commands (OCxxxxxx) .

PIPE59 is a uniaxial element with tension-compression, torsion, and bending capabilities, and with
member forces simulating ocean waves and current. The element has six degrees of freedom at each
node: translations in the nodal x, y, and z directions and rotations about the nodal x, y, and z-axes. The
element loads include the hydrodynamic and buoyant effects of the water and the element mass includes
the added mass of the water and the pipe internals. A cable representation option is also available with
the element. The element has stress stiffening and large deflection capabilities.

Figure .59.1: PIPE59 Geometry

Z

J z 5
x T90
2 Tavg Pout
z PX
y 1
T180
3 PY Pint
y
J
z x PZ
Tin
I 4
y Tout
z
y
z Y
x

y x, y, z defines the element

x coordinate system orientation
X

PIPE59 Input Data

The geometry, node locations, and the coordinate system for this element are shown in Fig-
ure .59.1: PIPE59 Geometry (p. 239). The element input data (see "PIPE59 Input Summary" (p. 240)) includes
two nodes, the pipe outer diameter and wall thickness, certain loading and inertial information (described
in Table .59.1: PIPE59 Real Constants (p. 243) and Figure .59.2: PIPE59 Geometry (p. 240)), and the isotropic
material properties. An external "insulation" may be defined to represent ice loads or biofouling. The
material VISC is used only to determine Reynolds number of the fluid outside the pipe.

The element x-axis is oriented from node I toward node J. The element y-axis is automatically calculated
to be parallel to the global X-Y plane. Several orientations are shown in Figure .59.1: PIPE59 Geo-
metry (p. 239). For the case where the element is parallel to the global Z-axis (or within a 0.01 percent
slope of it), the element y-axis is oriented parallel to the global Y-axis (as shown). Input and output
locations around the pipe circumference identified as being at 0° are located along the element y-axis,
and similarly 90° is along the element z-axis.

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PIPE59

Figure .59.2: PIPE59 Geometry

Direction of Z
wave
Water surface
Z Y WL(i)
R
FSO
w
R
X
(i) A(i)
Global Cartesian
coordinate system Structure
(origin must be
at water surface)
-Z(j) Direction of DEPTH
drift current
Y
d(j) Mud Line
X

KEYOPT(1) may be used to convert the element to the cable option by deleting the bending stiffnesses.
If the element is not "torque balanced", the twist-tension option may be used (KEYOPT(1) = 2). This
option accounts for the twisting induced when a helically wound or armored structure is stretched. The
KEYOPT(2) key allows a reduced mass matrix and load vector formulation (with rotational degrees of
freedom terms deleted as described in the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference). This formulation is useful
for suppressing large deflections and improving bending stresses in long, slender members. It is also
often used with the twist-tension pipe option for cable structures.

The description of the waves, the current, and the water density are input through the water motion
table. The water motion table is associated with a material number and is explained in detail in
Table .59.2: PIPE59 Water Motion Table (p. 245). If the water motion table is not input, no water is assumed
to surround the pipe. Note that even though the word "water" is used to describe various input
quantities, the quantities may actually be characteristic of any fluid. Alternate drag coefficient and
temperature data may also be input through this table.

A summary of the element input is given in "PIPE59 Input Summary" (p. 240). A general description of
element input is given in Element Input.

PIPE59 Input Summary

Nodes

I, J

Degrees of Freedom

UX, UY, UZ, ROTX, ROTY, ROTZ if KEYOPT(1) ≠ 1, or

UX, UY, UZ if KEYOPT(1) = 1

Real Constants

DO, TWALL, CD, CM, DENSO, FSO,

CENMPL, CI, CB, CT, ISTR, DENSIN,
TKIN, TWISTTEN
See Table .59.1: PIPE59 Real Constants (p. 243) for details.

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Material Properties

EX, ALPX (or CTEX or THSX), PRXY (or NUXY), DENS, GXY, BETD, ALPD, VISC, DMPR

Surface Loads

Pressures --

1-PINT, 2-PX, 3-PY, 4-PZ, 5-POUT

Body Loads

Temperatures --

TOUT(I), TIN(I), TOUT(J), TIN(J) if KEYOPT(3) = 0

TAVG(I), T90(I), T180(I), TAVG(J), T90(J), T180(J) if KEYOPT(3) = 1

Special Features

Stress stiffening
Large deflection
Birth and death

KEYOPT(1)

Element behavior:

0 --

Pipe option

1 --

Cable option

2 --

Pipe with twist-tension option

KEYOPT(2)

Load vector and mass matrix:

0 --

Consistent mass matrix and load vector

1 --

Reduced mass matrix and load vector

KEYOPT(3)

Temperatures represent:

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PIPE59

0 --

The through-wall gradient

1 --

The diametral gradient

KEYOPT(5)

Wave force modifications:

0 --

Waves act on elements at their actual location

1 --

Elements are assumed to be at wave peak

2 --

Upward vertical wave velocity acts on element

3 --

Downward vertical wave velocity acts on element

4 --

Elements are assumed to be at wave trough

KEYOPT(6)

Member force and moment output:

0 --

No printout of member forces or moments

2 --

Print member forces and moments in the element coordinate system

KEYOPT(7)

Extra element output:

0 --

Basic element printout

1 --

Additional hydrodynamic integration point printout

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 PIPE59

KEYOPT(8)

End cap loads:

0 --

Internal and external pressures cause loads on end caps

1 --

Internal and external pressures do not cause loads on end caps

KEYOPT(9)

PX, PY, and PZ transverse pressures:

0 --

Use only the normal component of pressure

1 --

Use the full pressure (normal and shear components)

Table .59.1: PIPE59 Real Constants

No. Name Description

1 DO Outside diameter (Do)
2 TWALL Wall thickness of the pipe (defaults to Do/2.0)
3 CD Normal drag coefficient (CD). May be overridden by Constants 43
through 54 of water motion table (see Table .59.2: PIPE59 Water
Motion Table (p. 245))
4 CM Coefficient of inertia (CM)
5 DENSO Internal fluid density (used for pressure effect only) (Mass/Length3)
6 FSO Z coordinate location of the free surface of the fluid on the inside
of the pipe (used for pressure effect only)
7 CENMPL Mass per unit length of the internal fluid and additional hardware
(used for mass matrix computation)
8 CI Added-mass-used/added-mass for circular cross section (if blank
or 0, defaults to 1; if CI should be 0.0, enter negative number)
9 CB Buoyancy force ratio (Buoyancy-force based on outside diameter
and water density) (if blank or 0, defaults to 1; if CB should be 0.0,
enter negative number)
10 CT Coefficient of tangential drag (CT). May be overridden by Constants
55 through 66 of water motion table (See Table .59.2: PIPE59 Water
Motion Table (p. 245)).
11 ISTR Initial strain in axial direction.
12 DENSIN Density of external insulation[1].
13 TKIN Thickness of external insulation (ti).

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No. Name Description

14 TWISTTEN Twist tension constant (used if KEYOPT(1) = 2) (See Mechanical
APDL Theory Reference for more details).

1. Density of external insulation (ρi).

PIPE59 Water Motion Information

The data listed in Table .59.2: PIPE59 Water Motion Table (p. 245) is entered in the data table with the
TB commands. If the table is not input, no water is assumed to surround the pipe. Constants not input
are assumed to be zero. If the table is input, ACELZ must also have a positive value and remain constant
for all load steps. The constant table is started by using the TB command (with Lab = WATER). Up to
196 constants may be defined with the TBDATA commands. The constants (C1-C196) entered on the
TBDATA commands (6 per command) are:

where:

KWAVE = Wave selection key (see next section)

KCRC = Wave/current interaction key (see next section)
DEPTH = Depth of water to mud line (DEPTH > 0.0) (Length)
DENSW = Water density, ρw, (DENSW > 0.0) (Mass/Length3)
θw = Wave direction (see Figure .59.2: PIPE59 Geometry (p. 240))
Z(j) = Z coordinate of location j of drift current measurement (see Figure .59.2: PIPE59 Geo-
metry (p. 240)) (location must be input starting at the ocean floor (Z(1) = -DEPTH) and ending
at the water surface (Z(MAX) = 0.0). If the current does not change with height, only W(1) must
be defined.)
W(j) = Velocity of drift current at location j (Length/Time)
θd(j) = Direction of drift current at location j (Degrees) (see Figure .59.2: PIPE59 Geometry (p. 240))
Re(k) = Twelve Reynolds number values (if used, all 12 must be input in ascending order)
CD(k) = Twelve corresponding normal drag coefficients (if used, all 12 must be input)
CT(k) = Twelve corresponding tangential drag coefficients (if used, all 12 must be input)
T(j) = Temperature at Z(j) water depth (Degrees)
A(i) = Wave peak-to-trough height (0.0 A(i) < DEPTH) (Length) (if KWAVE = 2, A(1) is entire
wave height and A(2) through A(5) are not used)
τ(i) = Wave period (τ(i) > 0.0) (Time/Cycle)
ϕ(i) = Adjustment for phase shift (Degrees)
WL(i) = Wave length (0.0 WL(i) < 1000.0*DEPTH) (Length)

(default )

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 PIPE59

Use 0.0 with Stokes theory (KWAVE = 2).

Table .59.2: PIPE59 Water Motion Table

Constant Meaning
1-5 KWAVE KCRC DEPTH DENSW θw
7-12 Z(1) W(1) θd(1) Z(2) W(2) θd(2)
13-18 Z(3) W(3) θd(3) Z(4) W(4) θd(4)
19-24 Z(5) W(5) θd(5) Z(6) W(6) θd(6)
25-30 Z(7) W(7) θd(7) Z(8) W(8) θd(8)
31-36 Re(1) Re(2) Re(3) Re(4) Re(5) Re(6)
37-42 Re(7) Re(8) Re(9) Re(10) Re(11) Re(12)
43-48 CD(1) CD(2) CD(3) CD(4) CD(5) CD(6)
49-54 CD(7) CD(8) CD(9) CD(10) CD(11) CD(12)
55-60 CT(1) CT(2) CT(3) CT(4) CT(5) CT(6)
61-66 CT(7) CT(8) CT(9) CT(10) CT(11) CT(12)
67-72 T(1) T(2) T(3) T(4) T(5) T(6)
73-74 T(7) T(8)
79-82 A(1) τ(1) ϕ(1) WL(1) For KWAVE = 0, 1, or 2
85-88 A(2) τ(2) ϕ(2) WL(2)
For KWAVE = 2, use
etc. etc. only A(1), τ(1), ϕ(1)
193-196 A(20) τ(20) ϕ(20) WL(20)
79-81 X(1)/(H*T*G) Not Used ϕ(1) For KWAVE = 3 (See Dean for
85-86 X(2)/(H*T*G) DPT/LO definitions other than ϕ(1))
91-92 X(3)/(H*T*G) L/LO
97-98 X(4)/(H*T*G) H/DPT
103-104 X(5)/(H*T*G) Ψ/(G*H*T)
109 X(6)/(H*T*G)
etc. etc.
193 X(20)/(H*T*G)

The distributed load applied to the pipe by the hydrodynamic effects is computed from a generalized
Morison's equation. This equation includes the coefficient of normal drag (CD) (perpendicular to the
element axis) and the coefficient of tangential drag (CT), both of which are a functions of Reynolds
numbers (Re). These values are input as shown in Table .59.1: PIPE59 Real Constants (p. 243) and
Table .59.2: PIPE59 Water Motion Table (p. 245).

The Reynolds numbers are determined from the normal and tangential relative particle velocities, the
pipe geometry, the water density, and the viscosity µ (input as VISC). The relative particle velocities
include the effects of water motion due to waves and current, as well as motion of the pipe itself. If
both Re(1) and CD(1) are positive, the value of CD from the real constant table (Table .59.1: PIPE59 Real
Constants (p. 243)) is ignored and a log-log table based on Constants 31 through 54 of the water motion

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PIPE59

table (Table .59.2: PIPE59 Water Motion Table (p. 245)) is used to determine CD. If this capability is to be
used, the viscosity, Re, and CD constants must be input and none may be less than or equal to zero.

Similarly, if both Re(1) and CT(1) are positive, the value of CT from the real constant table
(Table .59.1: PIPE59 Real Constants (p. 243)) is ignored, and a log-log table based on Constants 31 through
42 and 55 through 66 of the water motion table (Table .59.2: PIPE59 Water Motion Table (p. 245)) is used
to determine CT. If this capability is to be used, the viscosity, Re, and CT constants must be input and
none may be less than or equal to zero.

Various wave theories may be selected with the KWAVE constant of the water motion table
(Table .59.2: PIPE59 Water Motion Table (p. 245)). These are:

• Small Amplitude Wave Theory with empirical modification of depth decay function (KWAVE =
0)

• Small Amplitude Airy Wave Theory without modifications (KWAVE = 1)

• Stokes Fifth Order Wave Theory (KWAVE = 2)

• Stream Function Wave Theory (KWAVE = 3).

The wave loadings can be altered (KEYOPT(5)) so that horizontal position has no effect on the wave-
induced forces.

Wave loading depends on the acceleration due to gravity (ACELZ), and it may not change between
substeps or load steps. Therefore, when performing an analysis using load steps with multiple substeps,
the gravity may only be "stepped on" [KBC,1] and not ramped.

With the stream function wave theory (KWAVE = 3), the wave is described by alternate Constants 79
through 193 as shown in Table .59.2: PIPE59 Water Motion Table (p. 245). The definitions of the constants
correspond exactly to those given in the tables in Dean for the forty cases of ratio of wave height and
water depth to the deep water wave length. The other wave-related constants that the user inputs
directly are the water density (DENSW), water depth (DEPTH), wave direction (Φ), and acceleration due
to gravity (ACELZ). The wave height, length, and period are inferred from the tables. The user should
verify the input by comparing the interpreted results (the columns headed DIMENSIONLESS under the
STREAM FUNCTION INPUT VALUES printout) with the data presented in the Dean tables. Note that this
wave theory uses the current value defined for time [TIME] (which defaults to 1.0 for the first load step).

Several adjustments to the current profile are available with the KCRC constant of the water motion
table as shown in Figure .59.3: PIPE59 Velocity Profiles for Wave-current Interactions (p. 247). The adjust-
ments are usually used only when the wave amplitude is large relative to the water depth, such that
there is significant wave/current interaction. Options include

1. use the current profile (as input) for wave locations below the mean water level and the top
current profile value for wave locations above the mean water level (KCRC = 0)

2. "stretch" (or compress) the current profile to the top of the wave (KCRC = 1)

3. same as (2) but also adjust the current profile horizontally such that total flow continuity is
maintained with the input profile (KCRC = 2) (all current directions (θ(j)) must be the same for
this option).

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 PIPE59

Figure .59.3: PIPE59 Velocity Profiles for Wave-current Interactions

Element loads are described in Element Loading. Pressures may be input as surface loads on the element
faces as shown by the circled numbers on Figure .59.1: PIPE59 Geometry (p. 239). Internal pressure (PINT)
and external pressure (POUT) are input as positive values. These pressures are in addition to the linearly
varying pressure of the fluids on the inside and outside of the pipe. In handling the pressures, each
element is assumed to be capped (that is, have closed ends). The internal and external pressure loads
are designed for closed-loop static pressure environments and therefore include pressure loads on fic-
titious "end caps" so that the pressure loads induce an axial stress and/or reaction in the pipe system.
If a dynamic situation needs to be represented, such as a pipe venting to a lower pressure area or the
internal flow is past a constriction in the pipe, these end cap loads may need to be modified by applying
a nodal force normal to the cross-section of the pipe with the magnitude representing the change in
pressure. Alternatively, the precomputed end cap loads can be removed using KEYOPT(8) = 1 and the
appropriate end cap loads added by the user. The transverse pressures (PX, PY, and PZ) may represent
wind or drag loads (per unit length of the pipe) and are defined in the global Cartesian directions.
Positive transverse pressures act in the positive coordinate directions. The normal component or the
projected full pressure may be used (KEYOPT(9)). See the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference for more
details.

Temperatures may be input as element body loads at the nodes. Temperatures may have wall gradients
or diametral gradients (KEYOPT(3)). Diametral gradients are not valid for the cable option. The average
wall temperature at θ = 0° is computed as 2 * TAVG - T(180) and the average wall temperature at θ = -
90° is computed as 2 * TAVG - T(90). The element temperatures are assumed to be linear along the
length. The first temperature at node I (TOUT(I) or TAVG(I)) defaults to TUNIF. If all temperatures after
the first are unspecified, they default to the first. If all temperatures at node I are input, and all temper-
atures at node J are unspecified, the node J temperatures default to the corresponding node I temper-
atures. For any other pattern of input temperatures, unspecified temperatures default to TUNIF.

Eight temperatures (T(j)) are read as Constants 67-74 corresponding to the eight water depths (Z(j)) input
as Constants 7-30. These temperatures override any other temperature input (except TREF) unless the
element is entirely out of the water or if all eight temperatures are input as zero. The thermal load
vector from these temperatures may not be scaled in a superelement use pass if an expansion pass is
to follow. Constants 31 through 66 may have zero values if desired. The temperatures input as Constants
67-74 are used to compute a temperature-dependent viscosity based on linear interpolation (if previous
constants are not all zero). In the case of a solid cross section (inside diameter = 0.0), they are also used
to compute the material properties of the element.

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PIPE59

For the mass matrix, the mass per unit length used for axial motion is the mass of the pipe wall (DENS),
the external insulation (DENSIN), and the internal fluid together with the added mass of any additional
hardware (CENMPL). The mass per unit length used for motion normal to the pipe is all of the above
plus the added mass of the external fluid (DENSW).

CI should be 1.0 for a circular cross section. Values for other cross sections may be found in McCormick.
The user should remember, however, that other properties of PIPE59 are based on a circular cross section.

PIPE59 Output Data

The solution output associated with the element is in two forms:

• Nodal displacements included in the overall nodal solution

• Additional element output as shown in Table .59.3: PIPE59 Element Output Definitions (p. 249)

Several items are illustrated in Figure .59.4: PIPE59 Stress Output (p. 248). Note that the output is simplified
and reduced if the cable option, KEYOPT(1) = 1, is used.

The principal stresses are computed at the two points around the circumference where the bending
stresses are at a maximum. The principal stresses and the stress intensity include the shear force stress
component. The principal stresses and the stress intensity are based on the stresses at two extreme
points on opposite sides of the neutral axis. If KEYOPT(6) = 2, the 12-member forces and moments (6
at each end) are also printed (in the element coordinate system).

The axial force (FX) excludes the hydrostatic force component, as does the MFORX member force
(printed if KEYOPT(6) = 2). If KWAVE = 2 or 3 (Stokes or Stream Function theory), additional wave inform-
ation is also printed. If KEYOPT(7) = 1, detailed hydrodynamic information is printed at the immersed
integration points. Angles listed in the output are measured (θ) as shown in Figure .59.4: PIPE59 Stress
Output (p. 248). A general description of solution output is given in Solution Output. See the Basic
Analysis Guide for ways to view results.

Figure .59.4: PIPE59 Stress Output

Torsional
SBEND Moment

J SAXL J x
x
ST
SH

SDIR
Shear
Force

The Element Output Definitions table uses the following notation:

A colon (:) in the Name column indicates that the item can be accessed by the Component Name
method (ETABLE, ESOL). The O column indicates the availability of the items in the file jobname.out.
The R column indicates the availability of the items in the results file.

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 PIPE59

In either the O or R columns, “Y” indicates that the item is always available, a number refers to a table
footnote that describes when the item is conditionally available, and “-” indicates that the item is not
available.

Table .59.3: PIPE59 Element Output Definitions

Name Definition O R
EL Element number Y Y
NODES Nodes - I, J Y Y
MAT Material number Y Y
VOLU: Volume - Y
XC, YC, ZC Location where results are reported - 9
LEN Length Y -
PRES Pressures PINTE (average effective internal pressure), Y Y
PX, PY, PZ, POUTE (average effective external
pressure)
STH Stress due to maximum thermal gradient through Y Y
the wall thickness
SPR2 Hoop pressure stress for code calculations - 1
SMI, SMJ Moment stress at nodes I and J for code calculations - 1
SDIR Direct (axial) stress - 1
SBEND Maximum bending stress at outer surface - 1
ST Shear stress at outer surface due to torsion - 1
SSF Shear stress due to shear force - 1
S(1MX, 3MN, Maximum principal stress, minimum principal stress, 1 1
INTMX, EQVMX) maximum stress intensity, maximum equivalent
stress (over eight points on the outside surface at
both ends of the element)
TEMP Temperatures TOUT(I), TIN(I), TOUT(J), TIN(J) 2 2
TEMP Temperatures TAVG(I), T90(I), T180(I), TAVG(J), T90(J), 3 3
T180(J)
S(1, 3, INT, EQV) Maximum principal stress, minimum principal stress, 4 4
stress intensity, equivalent stress
S(AXL, RAD, H, XH) Axial, radial, hoop, and shear stresses 4 4
EPEL(AXL, RAD, H, Axial, radial, hoop, and shear strains 4 4
XH)
EPTH(AXL, RAD, H) Axial, radial, and hoop thermal strain 4 4
MFOR(X, Y, Z) Member forces for nodes I and J (in the element 7 7
coordinate system)
MMOM(X, Y, Z) Member moments for nodes I and J (in the element 5 5
coordinate system)
NODE Node I or J 6 6
FAXL Axial force (excludes the hydrostatic force) 6 6

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PIPE59

Name Definition O R
SAXL Axial stress (includes the hydrostatic stress) 6 6
SRAD Radial stress 6 6
SH Hoop stress 6 6
SINT Stress intensity 6 6
SEQV Equivalent stress (SAXL minus the hydrostatic stress) 6 6
EPEL(AXL, RAD, H) Axial, radial, and hoop elastic strains (excludes the 6 6
thermal strain)
TEMP TOUT(I), TOUT(J) 6 6
EPTHAXL Axial thermal strains at nodes I and J 6 6
VR, VZ Radial and vertical fluid particle velocities (VR is 8 8
always > 0)
AR, AZ Radial and vertical fluid particle accelerations 8 8
PHDYN Dynamic fluid pressure head 8 8
ETA Wave amplitude over integration point 8 8
TFLUID Fluid temperature (printed if VISC is nonzero) 8 8
VISC Viscosity 8 8
REN, RET Normal and tangential Reynolds numbers (if VISC is 8 8
nonzero)
CT, CD, CM Input coefficients evaluated at Reynolds numbers 8 8
CTW, CDW CT*DENSW*DO/2, CD*DENSW*DO/2 8 8
CMW CM*DENSW*PI*DO**2/4 8 8
URT, URN Tangential (parallel to element axis) and normal 8 8
relative velocity
ABURN Vector sum of normal (URN) velocities 8 8
AN Accelerations normal to the element 8 8
FX, FY, FZ Hydrodynamic forces tangential and normal to 8 8
element axis
ARGU Effective position of integration point (radians) 8 8

1. Output only for the pipe option (KEYOPT(1) = 0 or 2)

2. If KEYOPT(3) = 0 or if KEYOPT(1) = 1

3. If KEYOPT(3) = 1

4. Output only for the pipe option and the item repeats at 0, 45, 90, 135, 180, 225, 270, 315° at node
I, then at node J (all at the outer surface)

5. Output only for the pipe option (KEYOPT(1) = 0 or 2) and if KEYOPT(6) = 2

6. Output only for the cable option (KEYOPT(1) = 1)

7. Output only if KEYOPT(6) = 2

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 PIPE59

8. Hydrodynamic solution (if KEYOPT(7) = 1 for immersed elements at integration points)

9. Available only at centroid as a *GET item.

Table .59.4: PIPE59 Item and Sequence Numbers (Node I) (p. 251) lists output available through the
ETABLE command using the Sequence Number method. See The General Postprocessor (POST1) in
Basic Analysis Guide and The Item and Sequence Number Table of this manual for more information.
The following notation is used in Table .59.4: PIPE59 Item and Sequence Numbers (Node I) (p. 251):

Name

output quantity as defined in the Table .59.3: PIPE59 Element Output Definitions (p. 249)

Item

predetermined Item label for ETABLE command

sequence number for single-valued or constant element data

I,J

sequence number for data at nodes I and J

Table .59.4: PIPE59 Item and Sequence Numbers (Node I)

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Circumferential Location
Name Item E
0° 45° 90° 135° 180° 225° 270° 315°
SAXL LS - 1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29
SRAD LS - 2 6 10 14 18 22 26 30
SH LS - 3 7 11 15 19 23 27 31
SXH LS - 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32
EPELAXL LEPEL - 1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29
EPELRAD LEPEL - 2 6 10 14 18 22 26 30
EPELH LEPEL - 3 7 11 15 19 23 27 31
EPELXH LEPEL - 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32
EPTHAXL LEPTH - 1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29
EPTHRAD LEPTH - 2 6 10 14 18 22 26 30
EPTHH LEPTH - 3 7 11 15 19 23 27 31
MFORX SMISC 1 - - - - - - - -
MFORY SMISC 2 - - - - - - - -
MFORZ SMISC 3 - - - - - - - -
MMOMX SMISC 4 - - - - - - - -
MMOMY SMISC 5 - - - - - - - -
MMOMZ SMISC 6 - - - - - - - -

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PIPE59

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Circumferential Location
Name Item E
0° 45° 90° 135° 180° 225° 270° 315°
SDIR SMISC 13 - - - - - - - -
ST SMISC 14 - - - - - - - -
S1 NMISC - 1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36
S3 NMISC - 3 8 13 18 23 28 33 38
SINT NMISC - 4 9 14 19 24 29 34 39
SEQV NMISC - 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
SBEND NMISC 88 - - - - - - - -
SSF NMISC 89 - - - - - - - -
TOUT LBFE - 4 - 1 - 2 - 3 -
TIN LBFE - 8 - 5 - 6 - 7 -

Table .59.5: PIPE59 Item and Sequence Numbers (Node J)

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Circumferential Location
Name Item E
0° 45° 90° 135° 180° 225° 270° 315°
SAXL LS - 33 37 41 45 49 53 57 61
SRAD LS - 34 38 42 46 50 54 58 62
SH LS - 35 39 43 47 51 55 59 63
SXH LS - 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64
EPELAXL LEPEL - 33 37 41 45 49 53 57 61
EPELRAD LEPEL - 34 38 42 46 50 54 58 62
EPELH LEPEL - 35 39 43 47 51 55 59 63
EPELXH LEPEL - 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64
EPTHAXL LEPTH - 33 37 41 45 49 53 57 61
EPTHRAD LEPTH - 34 38 42 46 50 54 58 62
EPTHH LEPTH - 35 39 43 47 51 55 59 63
MFORX SMISC 7 - - - - - - - -
MFORY SMISC 8 - - - - - - - -
MFORZ SMISC 9 - - - - - - - -
MMOMX SMISC 10 - - - - - - - -
MMOMY SMISC 11 - - - - - - - -
MMOMZ SMISC 12 - - - - - - - -
SDIR SMISC 15 - - - - - - - -
ST SMISC 16 - - - - - - - -
S1 NMISC - 41 46 51 56 61 66 71 76
S3 NMISC - 43 48 53 58 63 68 73 78

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 PIPE59

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Circumferential Location
Name Item E
0° 45° 90° 135° 180° 225° 270° 315°
SINT NMISC - 44 49 54 59 64 69 74 79
SEQV NMISC - 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80
SBEND NMISC 90 - - - - - - - -
SSF NMISC 91 - - - - - - - -
TOUT LBFE - 12 - 9 - 10 - 11 -
TIN LBFE - 16 - 13 - 14 - 15 -

Table .59.6: PIPE59 Item and Sequence Numbers (Pipe Options)

ETABLE and
Output ESOL Command
Quantity Input
Name
Item E
STH SMISC 17
PINTE SMISC 18
PX SMISC 19
PY SMISC 20
PZ SMISC 21
POUTE SMISC 22
SPR2 NMISC 81
SMI NMISC 82
SMJ NMISC 83
S1MX NMISC 84
S3MN NMISC 85
SINTMX NMISC 86
SEQVMX NMISC 87

Table .59.7: PIPE59 Item and Sequence Numbers (Cable Option)

ETABLE and ESOL Command

Output Input
Quantity
Name Item E Node Node
I J
SAXL LS 1 4
SRAD LS 2 5
SH LS 3 6
EPELAXL LEPEL 1 4
EPELRAD LEPEL 2 5
EPELH LEPEL 3 6

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PIPE59

ETABLE and ESOL Command

Output Input
Quantity
Name Item E Node Node
I J
EPTHAXL LEPTH 1 4
TOUT LBFE 1 9
TIN LBFE 5 13
SINT NMISC 4 9
SEQV NMISC 5 10
FAXL SMISC 1 6
STH SMISC 13
PINTE SMISC 14
PX SMISC 15
PY SMISC 16
PZ SMISC 17
POUTE SMISC 18

Table .59.8: PIPE59 Item and Sequence Numbers (Additional Output) (p. 254) lists additional print and
post data file output available through the ETABLE command if KEYOPT(7) = 1.

Table .59.8: PIPE59 Item and Sequence Numbers (Additional Output)

ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Output
Quantity Item E- First E- Second
Name Integration Integration
Point Point
GLOBAL NMISC N + 1, N + 2, N N + 31, N + 32,
COORD +3 N + 33
VR NMISC N+4 N + 34
VZ NMISC N+5 N + 35
AR NMISC N+6 N + 36
AZ NMISC N+7 N + 37
PHDY NMISC N+8 N + 38
ETA NMISC N+9 N + 39
TFLUID NMISC N + 10 N + 40
VISC NMISC N + 11 N + 41
REN NMISC N + 12 N + 42
RET NMISC N + 13 N + 43
CT NMISC N + 14 N + 44
CTW NMISC N + 15 N + 45
URT NMISC N + 16 N + 46
FX NMISC N + 17 N + 47

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 PIPE59

ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Output
Quantity Item E- First E- Second
Name Integration Integration
Point Point
CD NMISC N + 18 N + 48
CDW NMISC N + 19 N + 49
URN NMISC N + 20, N + 21 N + 50, N + 51
ABURN NMISC N + 22 N + 52
FY NMISC N + 23 N + 53
CM NMISC N + 24 N + 54
CMW NMISC N + 25 N + 55
AN NMISC N + 26, N + 27 N + 56, N + 57
FZ NMISC N + 28 N + 58
ARGU NMISC N + 29 N + 59

Note:

For the pipe option (KEYOPT(1) = 0 or 2): N = 99. For the cable option (KEYOPT(1) = 1): N =
10.

Material Properties -- WATER Specifications

TB,WATER (water motion table data for PIPE59)

NTEMP:

Not used.

NPTS:

Not used.

TBOPT:

Not used.

PIPE59 Assumptions and Restrictions

• The pipe must not have a zero length. In addition, the O.D. must not be less than or equal to zero
and the I.D. must not be less than zero.

• Elements input at or near the water surface should be small in length relative to the wave length.

• Neither end of the element may be input below the mud line (ocean floor). Integration points that
move below the mud line are presumed to have no hydrodynamic forces acting on them.

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PIPE59

• If the element is used out of water, the water motion table (Table .59.2: PIPE59 Water Motion
Table (p. 245)) need not be included.

• When performing a transient analysis, the solution may be unstable with small time steps due to the
nature of Morrison's equation.

• The applied thermal gradient is assumed to vary linearly along the length of the element.

• The same water motion table (Table .59.2: PIPE59 Water Motion Table (p. 245)) should not be used for
different wave theories in the same problem.

• The lumped mass matrix formulation [LUMPM,ON] is not allowed for PIPE59 when using "added
mass" on the outside of the pipe (CI 0.0).

PIPE59 Product Restrictions

There are no product-specific restrictions for this element.

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SHELL63
Elastic Shell
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on
Product Restrictions (p. 266)

SHELL63 Element Description

Although this archived element is available for use in your analysis, Ansys, Inc. recommends using a
current-technology element such as SHELL181 (KEYOPT(3) = 2).

SHELL63 has both bending and membrane capabilities. Both in-plane and normal loads are permitted.
The element has six degrees of freedom at each node: translations in the nodal x, y, and z directions
and rotations about the nodal x, y, and z-axes. Stress stiffening and large deflection capabilities are in-
cluded. A consistent tangent stiffness matrix option is available for use in large deflection (finite rotation)
analyses. See SHELL63 (p. 429) for more details about this element. Similar elements are SHELL181 (plastic
capability) and SHELL281 (midside node capability). The ETCHG command converts SHELL157 elements
to SHELL63.

Figure .63.1: SHELL63 Geometry

zIJ

2 5
8 7
K
L
3
y yIJ 4

6
4 K,L
5
Z x
I 6
J
1
Y 2 xIJ I J
X 3 1 Triangular Option

xIJ = Element x-axis if ESYS is not supplied.

x = Element x-axis if ESYS is supplied.

SHELL63 Input Data

The geometry, node locations, and the coordinate system for this element are shown in Fig-
ure .63.1: SHELL63 Geometry (p. 257). The element is defined by four nodes, four thicknesses, an elastic
foundation stiffness, and the orthotropic material properties. Orthotropic material directions correspond
to the element coordinate directions. The element coordinate system orientation is as described in
Coordinate Systems. The element x-axis may be rotated by an angle THETA (in degrees).

The thickness is assumed to vary smoothly over the area of the element, with the thickness input at
the four nodes. If the element has a constant thickness, only TK(I) need be input. If the thickness is not
constant, all four thicknesses must be input.

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SHELL63

The elastic foundation stiffness (EFS) is defined as the pressure required to produce a unit normal de-
flection of the foundation. The elastic foundation capability is bypassed if EFS is less than, or equal to,
zero.

For certain nonhomogeneous or sandwich shell applications, the following real constants are provided:
RMI is the ratio of the bending moment of inertia to be used to that calculated from the input thicknesses.
RMI defaults to 1.0. CTOP and CBOT are the distances from the middle surface to the extreme fibers to
be used for stress evaluations. Both CTOP and CBOT are positive, assuming that the middle surface is
between the fibers used for stress evaluation. If not input, stresses are based on the input thicknesses.
ADMSUA is the added mass per unit area.

Element loads are described in Element Loading. Pressures may be input as surface loads on the element
faces as shown by the circled numbers on Figure .63.1: SHELL63 Geometry (p. 257). Positive pressures
act into the element. Because shell edge pressures are input on a per-unit-length basis, per-unit-area
quantities must be multiplied by the shell thickness. The lateral pressure loading may be an equivalent
(lumped) element load applied at the nodes (KEYOPT(6) = 0) or distributed over the face of the element
(KEYOPT(6) = 2). The equivalent element load produces more accurate stress results with flat elements
representing a curved surface or elements supported on an elastic foundation since certain fictitious
bending stresses are eliminated.

Temperatures may be input as element body loads at the "corner" locations (1-8) shown in Fig-
ure .63.1: SHELL63 Geometry (p. 257). The first corner temperature T1 defaults to TUNIF. If all other
temperatures are unspecified, they default to T1. If only T1 and T2 are input, T1 is used for T1, T2, T3,
and T4, while T2 (as input) is used for T5, T6, T7, and T8. For any other input pattern, unspecified tem-
peratures default to TUNIF.

KEYOPT(1) is available for neglecting the membrane stiffness or the bending stiffness, if desired. A reduced
out-of-plane mass matrix is also used when the bending stiffness is neglected.

KEYOPT(2) is used to activate the consistent tangent stiffness matrix (that is, a matrix composed of the
main tangent stiffness matrix plus the consistent stress stiffness matrix) in large deflection analyses
[NLGEOM,ON]. You can often obtain more rapid convergence in a geometrically nonlinear analysis,
such as a nonlinear buckling or postbuckling analysis, by activating this option. However, you should
not use this option if you are using the element to simulate a rigid link or a group of coupled nodes.
The resulting abrupt changes in stiffness within the structure make the consistent tangent stiffness
matrix unsuitable for such applications.

KEYOPT(3) allows you to include (KEYOPT(3) = 0 or 2) or suppress (KEYOPT(3) = 1) extra displacement

shapes. It also allows you to choose the type of in-plane rotational stiffness used:

• KEYOPT(3) = 0 or 1 activates a spring-type in-plane rotational stiffness about the element z-axis

• KEYOPT(3) = 2 activates a more realistic in-plane rotational stiffness (Allman rotational stiffness
- the program uses default penalty parameter values of d1 = 1.0E-6 and d2 = 1.0E-3).

Using the Allman stiffness will often enhance convergence behavior in large deflection (finite rotation)
analyses of planar shell structures (that is, flat shells or flat regions of shells).

KEYOPT(7) allows a reduced mass matrix formulation (rotational degrees of freedom terms deleted).
This option is useful for improved bending stresses in thin members under mass loading.

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 SHELL63

KEYOPT(8) allows a reduced stress stiffness matrix (rotational degrees of freedom deleted). This option
can be useful for calculating improved mode shapes and a more accurate load factor in linear buckling
analyses of certain curved shell structures.

KEYOPT(11) = 2 is used to store midsurface results in the results file for single or multi-layer shell elements.
If you use SHELL,MID, you will see these calculated values, rather than the average of the TOP and
BOTTOM results. You should use this option to access these correct midsurface results (membrane results)
for those analyses where averaging TOP and BOTTOM results is inappropriate; examples include midsur-
face stresses and strains with nonlinear material behavior, and midsurface results after mode combinations
that involve squaring operations such as in spectrum analyses.

A summary of the element input is given in "SHELL63 Input Summary" (p. 259). A general description of
element input is given in Element Input.

SHELL63 Input Summary

Nodes

I, J, K, L

Degrees of Freedom

UX, UY, UZ, ROTX, ROTY, ROTZ

Real Constants

TK(I), TK(J), TK(K), TK(L), EFS, THETA,

RMI, CTOP, CBOT, (Blank), (Blank), (Blank),
(Blank), (Blank), (Blank), (Blank), (Blank), (Blank),
ADMSUA
See Table .63.1: SHELL63 Real Constants (p. 262) for a description of the real constants

Material Properties

EX, EY, EZ, (PRXY, PRYZ, PRXZ or NUXY, NUYZ, NUXZ), ALPX, ALPY, ALPZ (or CTEX, CTEY, CTEZ or
THSX, THSY, THSZ), DENS, GXY, BETD, ALPD, DMPR

Surface Loads

Pressures --

face 1 (I-J-K-L) (bottom, in +Z direction), face 2 (I-J-K-L) (top, in -Z direction),

face 3 (J-I), face 4 (K-J), face 5 (L-K), face 6 (I-L)

Body Loads

Temperatures --

T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, T7, T8

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SHELL63

Special Features

Stress stiffening
Large deflection
Birth and death

KEYOPT(1)

Element stiffness:

0 --

Bending and membrane stiffness

1 --

Membrane stiffness only

2 --

Bending stiffness only

KEYOPT(2)

Stress stiffening option:

0 --

Use only the main tangent stiffness matrix when NLGEOM is ON. (Stress stiffening effects used
in linear buckling or other linear prestressed analyses must be activated separately with
PSTRES,ON.)

1 --

Use the consistent tangent stiffness matrix (that is, a matrix composed of the main tangent
stiffness matrix plus the consistent stress stiffness matrix) when NLGEOM is ON and when
KEYOPT(1) = 0. (SSTIF,ON will be ignored for this element when KEYOPT(2) = 1 is activated.)

KEYOPT(3)

Extra displacement shapes:

0 --

Include extra displacement shapes, and use spring-type in-plane rotational stiffness about the
element z-axis (the program automatically adds a small stiffness to prevent numerical instability
for non-warped elements if KEYOPT(1) = 0).

Note:

For models with large rotation about the in-plane direction, KEYOPT(3) = 0 results in
some transfer of moment directly to ground.

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 SHELL63

1 --

Suppress extra displacement shapes, and use spring-type in-plane rotational stiffness about the
element z-axis (the program automatically adds a small stiffness to prevent numerical instability
for non-warped elements if KEYOPT(1) = 0).

2 --

Include extra displacement shapes, and use the Allman in-plane rotational stiffness about the
element z-axis). See the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference.

KEYOPT(5)

Extra stress output:

0 --

Basic element printout

2 --

Nodal stress printout

KEYOPT(6)

Pressure loading:

0 --

Reduced pressure loading (must be used if KEYOPT(1) = 1)

2 --

Consistent pressure loading

KEYOPT(7)

Mass matrix:

0 --

Consistent mass matrix

1 --

Reduced mass matrix

KEYOPT(8)

Stress stiffness matrix:

0 --

"Nearly" consistent stress stiffness matrix (default)

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SHELL63

1 --

Reduced stress stiffness matrix

KEYOPT(9)

Element coordinate system defined:

0 --

No user subroutine to define element coordinate system

4 --

Element x-axis located by user subroutine USERAN

Note:

See the Guide to User-Programmable Features for user written subroutines

KEYOPT(11)

Specify data storage:

0 --

Store data for TOP and BOTTOM surfaces only

2 --

Store data for TOP, BOTTOM, and MID surfaces

Table .63.1: SHELL63 Real Constants

No. Name Description

1 TK(I) Shell thickness at node I
2 TK(J) Shell thickness at node J
3 TK(K) Shell thickness at node K
4 TK(L) Shell thickness at node L
5 EFS Elastic foundation stiffness
6 THETA Element X-axis rotation
7 RMI Bending moment of inertia ratio
8 CTOP Distance from mid surface to top
9 CBOT Distance from mid surface to bottom
10, ..., 18 (Blank) --
19 ADMSUA Added mass/unit area

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 SHELL63

SHELL63 Output Data

The solution output associated with the element is in two forms:

• Nodal displacements included in the overall nodal solution

• Additional element output as shown in Table .63.2: SHELL63 Element Output Definitions (p. 263)

Several items are illustrated in Figure .63.2: SHELL63 Stress Output (p. 263). Printout includes the moments
about the x face (MX), the moments about the y face (MY), and the twisting moment (MXY). The moments
are calculated per unit length in the element coordinate system. The element stress directions are par-
allel to the element coordinate system. A general description of solution output is given in Solution
Output. See the Basic Analysis Guide for ways to view results.

Figure .63.2: SHELL63 Stress Output

MXY
MX
TX SY
zIJ
SX
z TXY SX(TOP)
MY MXY SX (MID)
SX (BOT)
TXY

TY
L
y
yIJ
K

x
I

xIJ
J

xIJ = Element x-axis if ESYS is not supplied.

x = Element x-axis if ESYS is supplied.

The Element Output Definitions table uses the following notation:

A colon (:) in the Name column indicates that the item can be accessed by the Component Name
method (ETABLE, ESOL). The O column indicates the availability of the items in the file jobname.out.
The R column indicates the availability of the items in the results file.

In either the O or R columns, “Y” indicates that the item is always available, a number refers to a table
footnote that describes when the item is conditionally available, and “-” indicates that the item is not
available.

Table .63.2: SHELL63 Element Output Definitions

Name Definition O R
EL Element Number Y Y
NODES Nodes - I, J, K, L Y Y
MAT Material number Y Y
AREA AREA Y Y

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SHELL63

Name Definition O R
XC, YC, ZC Location where results are reported Y 1
PRES Pressures P1 at nodes I, J, K, L; P2 at I, J, K, L; P3 Y Y
at J, I; P4 at K, J; P5 at L, K; P6 at I, L
TEMP Temperatures T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, T7, T8 Y Y
T(X, Y, XY) In-plane element X, Y, and XY forces Y Y
M(X, Y, XY) Element X, Y, and XY moments Y Y
FOUND.PRESS Foundation pressure (if nonzero) Y -
LOC Top, middle, or bottom Y Y
S:X, Y, Z, XY Combined membrane and bending stresses Y Y
S:1, 2, 3 Principal stress Y Y
S:INT Stress intensity Y Y
S:EQV Equivalent stress Y Y
EPEL:X, Y, Z, XY Average elastic strain Y Y
EPEL:EQV Equivalent elastic strain [2] - Y
EPTH:X, Y, Z, XY Average thermal strain Y Y
EPTH:EQV Equivalent thermal strain [2] - Y

1. Available only at centroid as a *GET item.

2. The equivalent strains use an effective Poisson's ratio: for elastic and thermal this value is set by the
user (MP,PRXY).

Table .63.3: SHELL63 Miscellaneous Element Output

Description Names of Items Output O R

Nodal Stress TEMP, S(X, Y, Z, XY), SINT, 1 -
Solution SEQV

1. Output at each node, if KEYOPT(5) = 2, repeats each location

Table .63.4: SHELL63 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 265) lists output available through the ETABLE
command using the Sequence Number method. See The General Postprocessor (POST1) in the Basic
Analysis Guide and The Item and Sequence Number Table in this manual for more information. The
following notation is used in Table .63.4: SHELL63 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 265):

Name

output quantity as defined in the Table .63.2: SHELL63 Element Output Definitions (p. 263)

Item

predetermined Item label for ETABLE command

sequence number for single-valued or constant element data

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 SHELL63

I,J,K,L

sequence number for data at nodes I,J,K,L

Table .63.4: SHELL63 Item and Sequence Numbers

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I J K L
Name
TX SMISC 1 - - - -
TY SMISC 2 - - - -
TXY SMISC 3 - - - -
MX SMISC 4 - - - -
MY SMISC 5 - - - -
MXY SMISC 6 - - - -
P1 SMISC - 9 10 11 12
P2 SMISC - 13 14 15 16
P3 SMISC - 18 17 - -
P4 SMISC - - 20 19 -
P5 SMISC - - - 22 21
P6 SMISC - 23 - - 24
Top
S:1 NMISC - 1 6 11 16
S:2 NMISC - 2 7 12 17
S:3 NMISC - 3 8 13 18
S:INT NMISC - 4 9 14 19
S:EQV NMISC - 5 10 15 20
Bot
S:1 NMISC - 21 26 31 36
S:2 NMISC - 22 27 32 37
S:3 NMISC - 23 28 33 38
S:INT NMISC - 24 29 34 39
S:EQV NMISC - 25 30 35 40

SHELL63 Assumptions and Restrictions

• Zero area elements are not allowed. This occurs most often whenever the elements are not numbered
properly.

• Zero thickness elements or elements tapering down to a zero thickness at any corner are not allowed.

• The applied transverse thermal gradient is assumed to vary linearly through the thickness and vary
bilinearly over the shell surface.

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SHELL63

• An assemblage of flat shell elements can produce a good approximation of a curved shell surface
provided that each flat element does not extend over more than a 15° arc. If an elastic foundation
stiffness is input, one-fourth of the total is applied at each node. Shear deflection is not included in
this thin-shell element.

• A triangular element may be formed by defining duplicate K and L node numbers as described in
Degenerated Shape Elements. The extra shapes are automatically deleted for triangular elements so
that the membrane stiffness reduces to a constant strain formulation. For large deflection analyses,
if KEYOPT(1) = 1 (membrane stiffness only), the element must be triangular.

• For KEYOPT(1) = 0 or 2, the four nodes defining the element should lie as close as possible to a flat
plane (for maximum accuracy), but a moderate amount of warping is permitted. For KEYOPT(1) = 1,
the warping limit is very restrictive. In either case, an excessively warped element may produce a
warning or error message. In the case of warping errors, triangular elements should be used (see
Degenerated Shape Elements). Shell element warping is described in detail in Warping Factor in
Mechanical APDL Theory Reference.

• If the lumped mass matrix formulation is specified [LUMPM,ON], the effect of the implied offsets on
the mass matrix is ignored for warped SHELL63 elements.

SHELL63 Product Restrictions

When used in the product(s) listed below, the stated product-specific restrictions apply to this element
in addition to the general assumptions and restrictions given in the previous section.

Ansys Professional

• The ALPD and BETD material properties are not allowed.

• The only special features allowed are stress stiffening and large deflection.

• KEYOPT(2) can only be set to 0 (default).

• KEYOPT(9) can only be set to 0 (default).

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SOLID65
3-D Reinforced Concrete Solid
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on
Product Restrictions (p. 277)

SOLID65 Element Description

Although this archived element is available for use in your analysis, Ansys, Inc. recommends using the
current-technology element SOLID185, specifying either full integration with the method (KEYOPT(3)
= 0 and KEYOPT(2) = 3), or simplified enhanced strain formulation (KEYOPT(3) = 0 and KEYOPT(2) = 0).
For more information, see Microplane in the Material Reference.

SOLID65 is used for 3-D modeling of solids with or without reinforcing bars (rebar). The solid is capable
of cracking in tension and crushing in compression. In concrete applications, for example, the solid
capability of the element may be used to model the concrete while the rebar capability is available for
modeling reinforcement behavior. Other cases for which the element is also applicable would be rein-
forced composites (such as fiberglass), and geological materials (such as rock). The element is defined
by eight nodes having three degrees of freedom at each node: translations in the nodal x, y, and z dir-
ections. Up to three different rebar specifications may be defined.

The concrete element is similar to a 3-D structural solid but with the addition of special cracking and
crushing capabilities. The most important aspect of this element is the treatment of nonlinear material
properties. The concrete is capable of cracking (in three orthogonal directions), crushing, plastic deform-
ation, and creep. The rebar are capable of tension and compression, but not shear. They are also capable
of plastic deformation and creep. See SOLID65 (p. 434) in the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference for more
details about this element.

Figure .65.1: SOLID65 Geometry

4
P
5
O M O,P
N
6
I K,L
M N Rebar
J
z 3
2 Prism Option
L y M,N,O,P
x K I
Z K,L
I J
Y 1
J Tetrahedral Option
X (not recommended)

SOLID65 Input Data

The geometry, node locations, and the coordinate system for this element are shown in Figure .65.1: SOL-
ID65 Geometry (p. 267). The element is defined by eight nodes and the isotropic material properties.
The element has one solid material and up to three rebar materials. Use the MAT command to input
the concrete material properties. Rebar specifications, which are input as real constants, include the
material number (MAT), the volume ratio (VR), and the orientation angles (THETA, PHI). The rebar orient-
ations can be graphically verified with the /ESHAPE command.

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SOLID65

The volume ratio is defined as the rebar volume divided by the total element volume. The orientation
is defined by two angles (in degrees) from the element coordinate system. The element coordinate
system orientation is as described in Coordinate Systems. A rebar material number of zero or equal to
the element material number removes that rebar capability.

Additional concrete material data, such as the shear transfer coefficients, tensile stresses, and compressive
stresses are input in the data table, for convenience, as described in Table .65.1: SOLID65 Concrete Ma-
terial Data (p. 271). Typical shear transfer coefficients range from 0.0 to 1.0, with 0.0 representing a
smooth crack (complete loss of shear transfer) and 1.0 representing a rough crack (no loss of shear
transfer). This specification may be made for both the closed and open crack. When the element is
cracked or crushed, a small amount of stiffness is added to the element for numerical stability. The
stiffness multiplier CSTIF is used across a cracked face or for a crushed element, and defaults to 1.0E-6.

Element loads are described in Element Loading. Pressures may be input as surface loads on the element
faces as shown by the circled numbers on Figure .65.1: SOLID65 Geometry (p. 267). Positive pressures
act into the element. Temperatures and fluences may be input as element body loads at the nodes.
The node I temperature T(I) defaults to TUNIF. If all other temperatures are unspecified, they default to
T(I). For any other input pattern, unspecified temperatures default to TUNIF. Similar defaults occurs for
fluence except that zero is used instead of TUNIF.

Use the BETAD command to specify the global value of damping. If MP,BETD is defined for the mater-
ial number of the element (assigned with the MAT command), it is summed with the value from the
BETAD command. Similarly, use the TREF command to supply the global value of reference temperature.
If MP,REFT is defined for the material number of the element, it is used for the element instead of the
value from the TREF command. But if MP,REFT is defined for the material number of the rebar, it is
used instead of either the global or element value.

KEYOPT(1) is used to include or suppress the extra displacement shapes. KEYOPT(5) and KEYOPT(6)
provide various element printout options. (See Element Solution.)

The stress relaxation associated with KEYOPT(7) = 1 is used only to help accelerate convergence of the
calculations when cracking is imminent. (A multiplier for the amount of tensile stress relaxation can be
input as constant C9 in the data table; see Table .65.1: SOLID65 Concrete Material Data (p. 271).) The re-
laxation does not represent a revised stress-strain relationship for post-cracking behavior. After the
solution converges to the cracked state, the modulus normal to the crack face is set to zero; therefore,
the stiffness is zero normal to the crack face.

The program warns when each unreinforced element crushes at all integration points. If this warning
is unwanted, it can be suppressed with KEYOPT(8) = 1.

If solution convergence is a problem, set KEYOPT(3) = 2 and apply the load in very small load increments.

Pressure load stiffness effects are included in linear eigenvalue buckling automatically. If an unsymmetric
matrix is needed for pressure load stiffness effects, use NROPT,UNSYM.

Follolowing is a summary of the element input. A general description of element input is given in Element
Input.

SOLID65 Input Summary

Nodes

I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P

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 SOLID65

Degrees of Freedom

UX, UY, UZ

Real Constants

MAT1, VR1, THETA1, PHI1, MAT2, VR2,

THETA2, PHI2, MAT3, VR3, THETA3, PHI3, CSTIF

(where MATn is material number, VRn is volume ratio, and THETAn and PHIn are orientation angles
for up to 3 rebar materials)

Material Properties

TB command: See Element Support for Material Models for this element.
MP command: EX, ALPX (or CTEX or THSX), PRXY or NUXY, DENS (for concrete),
EX, ALPX (or CTEX or THSX), DENS (for each rebar), ALPD
Specify BETD, DMPR, or DMPS only once for the element. (Issue the MAT command to assign
the material property set.) REFT may be specified once for the element, or may be assigned on
a per-rebar basis. See the discussion in "SOLID65 Input Data" (p. 267) for more information.

Surface Loads

Pressures --

face 1 (J-I-L-K), face 2 (I-J-N-M), face 3 (J-K-O-N),

face 4 (K-L-P-O), face 5 (L-I-M-P), face 6 (M-N-O-P)

Body Loads

Temperatures --

T(I), T(J), T(K), T(L), T(M), T(N), T(O), T(P)

Fluences --

FL(I), FL(J), FL(K), FL(L), FL(M), FL(N), FL(O), FL(P)

Special Features

Adaptive descent
Birth and death
Creep
Large deflection
Large strain
Stress stiffening

KEYOPT(1)

Extra displacement shapes:

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SOLID65

0 --

Include extra displacement shapes

1 --

Suppress extra displacement shapes

KEYOPT(3)

Behavior of totally crushed unreinforced elements:

0 --

Base

1 --

Suppress mass and applied loads, and warning message. (See KEYOPT(8).)

2 --

Features of 1 and apply consistent Newton-Raphson load vector.

KEYOPT(5)

Concrete linear solution output:

0 --

Print concrete linear solution only at centroid

1 --

Repeat solution at each integration point

2 --

Nodal stress printout

KEYOPT(6)

Concrete nonlinear solution output:

0 --

Print concrete nonlinear solution only at centroid

3 --

Print solution also at each integration point

KEYOPT(7)

Stress relaxation after cracking:

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 SOLID65

0 --

No tensile stress relaxation after cracking

1 --

Include tensile stress relaxation after cracking to help convergence

KEYOPT(8)

Warning message for totally crushed unreinforced element:

0 --

Print the warning

1 --

Suppress the warning

SOLID65 Concrete Information

The data listed in Table .65.1: SOLID65 Concrete Material Data (p. 271) is entered in the data table via
the TB commands. Data not input are assumed to be zero, except for defaults described below. The
constant table is started via TB, CONCR. Up to eight constants can be defined (TBDATA) following a
temperature definition (TBTEMP). Up to six temperatures (NTEMP = 6 maximum on the TB command)
can be defined. The constants (C1-C9) entered (six per TBDATA command), after each TBTEMP command,
are:

Table .65.1: SOLID65 Concrete Material Data

Constant Meaning
1 Shear transfer coefficients for an open crack.
2 Shear transfer coefficients for a closed crack.
3 Uniaxial tensile cracking stress.
4 Uniaxial crushing stress (positive).
5 Biaxial crushing stress (positive).
6 Ambient hydrostatic stress state for use with constants 7 and 8.
7 Biaxial crushing stress (positive) under the ambient hydrostatic stress state
(constant 6).
8 Uniaxial crushing stress (positive) under the ambient hydrostatic stress
state (constant 6).
9 Stiffness multiplier for cracked tensile condition, used if KEYOPT(7) = 1
(defaults to 0.6).

Absence of the data table removes the cracking and crushing capability. A value of -1 for constant 3
or 4 also removes the cracking or crushing capability, respectively. If constants 1-4 are input and constants
5-8 are omitted, the latter constants default as discussed in the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference. If
any one of Constants 5-8 are input, there are no defaults and all 8 constants must be input.

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SOLID65

SOLID65 Output Data

The solution output associated with the element is in two forms:

• Nodal displacements included in the overall nodal solution

• Additional element output as shown in Table .65.2: SOLID65 Element Output Definitions (p. 272)

Several items are illustrated in Figure .65.2: SOLID65 Stress Output (p. 272). The element stress directions
are parallel to the element coordinate system. Nonlinear material printout appears only if nonlinear
properties are specified. Rebar printout appears only for the rebar defined. If cracking or crushing is
possible, printout for the concrete is also at the integration points, since cracking or crushing may occur
at any integration point. The PLCRACK (p. 101) command can be used in POST1 to display the status
of the integration points. A general description of solution output is given in Solution Output. See the
Basic Analysis Guide for ways to view results.

Figure .65.2: SOLID65 Stress Output

Crack Plane
P
O

M cr cr
SZ N
S(rebar)
L
SY
K
SX
Z
I

Y J
X

The Element Output Definitions table uses the following notation:

A colon (:) in the Name column indicates that the item can be accessed by the Component Name
method (ETABLE, ESOL). The O column indicates the availability of the items in the file jobname.out.
The R column indicates the availability of the items in the results file.

In either the O or R columns, “Y” indicates that the item is always available, a number refers to a table
footnote that describes when the item is conditionally available, and “-” indicates that the item is not
available.

Table .65.2: SOLID65 Element Output Definitions

Name Definition O R
EL Element number Y Y
NODES Nodes - I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P Y Y
MAT Material number Y Y
NREINF Number of rebar Y -
VOLU: Volume Y Y
PRES Pressures P1 at nodes J, I, L, K; P2 at I, J, N, M; P3 at Y Y
J, K, O, N; P4 at K, L, P, O; P5 at L, I, M, P; P6 at M, N,
O, P

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Name Definition O R
TEMP Temperatures T(I), T(J), T(K), T(L), T(M), T(N), T(O), T(P) Y Y
FLUEN Fluences FL(I), FL(J), FL(K), FL(L), FL(M), FL(N), FL(O), Y Y
FL(P)
XC, YC, ZC Location where results are reported Y 6
S:X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, XZ Stresses 1 1
S:1, 2, 3 Principal stresses 1 1
S:INT Stress intensity 1 1
S:EQV Equivalent stress 1 1
EPEL:X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, Elastic strains 1 1
XZ
EPEL:1, 2, 3 Principal elastic strains 1 -
EPEL:EQV Equivalent elastic strains [7] 1 1
EPTH:X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, Average thermal strains 1 1
XZ
EPTH:EQV Equivalent thermal strains [7] 1 1
EPPL:X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, Average plastic strains 4 4
XZ
EPPL:EQV Equivalent plastic strains [7] 4 4
EPCR:X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, Average creep strains 4 4
XZ
EPCR:EQV Equivalent creep strains [7] 4 4
NL:EPEQ Average equivalent plastic strain 4 4
NL:SRAT Ratio of trial stress to stress on yield surface 4 4
NL:SEPL Average equivalent stress from stress-strain curve 4 4
NL:HPRES Hydrostatic pressure - 4
THETCR, PHICR THETA and PHI angle orientations of the normal to 1 1
the crack plane
STATUS Element status 2 2
IRF Rebar number 3 -
MAT Material number 3 -
VR Volume ratio 3 -
THETA Angle of orientation in X-Y plane 3 -
PHI Angle of orientation out of X-Y plane 3 -
EPEL Uniaxial elastic strain 3 -
S Uniaxial stress 3 -
EPEL Average uniaxial elastic strain 5 5
EPPL Average uniaxial plastic strain 5 5
SEPL Average equivalent stress from stress-strain curve 5 5
EPCR Average uniaxial creep strain 5 5

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SOLID65

1. Concrete solution item (output for each integration point (if KEYOPT(5) = 1) and the centroid)

2. The element status table (Table .65.4: SOLID65 Element Status Table (p. 274)) uses the following terms:

• Crushed - solid is crushed.

• Open - solid is cracked and the crack is open.

• Closed - solid is cracked but the crack is closed.

• Neither - solid is neither crushed nor cracked.

3. Rebar solution item repeats for each rebar

4. Concrete nonlinear integration point solution (if KEYOPT(6) = 3 and the element has a nonlinear
material)

5. Rebar nonlinear integration point solution (if KEYOPT(6) = 3 and the rebar has a nonlinear material)

6. Available only at centroid as a *GET item.

7. The equivalent strains use an effective Poisson's ratio: for elastic and thermal this value is set by the
user (MP,PRXY); for plastic and creep this value is set at 0.5.

Table .65.3: SOLID65 Miscellaneous Element Output

Description Names of Items Output O R

Nodal Stress Solution TEMP, S(X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, XZ), SINT, 1 -
SEQV

1. Output at each node, if KEYOPT(5) = 2

Table .65.4: SOLID65 Element Status Table

Status Status in Direction Status in Direction Status in Direction

1 2 3
1 Crushed Crushed Crushed
2 Open Neither Neither
3 Closed Neither Neither
4 Open Open Neither
5 Open Open Open
6 Closed Open Open
7 Closed Open Neither
8 Open Closed Open
9 Closed Closed Open
10 Open Closed Neither
11 Open Open Closed
12 Closed Open Closed
13 Closed Closed Neither

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 SOLID65

Status Status in Direction Status in Direction Status in Direction

1 2 3
14 Open Closed Closed
15 Closed Closed Closed
16 Neither Neither Neither

Table .65.5: SOLID65 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 275) lists output available via the ETABLE command
using the Sequence Number method. See The General Postprocessor (POST1) and The Item and Sequence
Number Table for more information. The following notation is used in Table .65.5: SOLID65 Item and
Sequence Numbers (p. 275):

Name

output quantity as defined in the Table .65.2: SOLID65 Element Output Definitions (p. 272)

Item

predetermined Item label for ETABLE command

I,J,...,P

sequence number for data at nodes I,J,...,P

IP

sequence number for Integration Point solution items

Table .65.5: SOLID65 Item and Sequence Numbers

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item Rebar Rebar Rebar
Name 1 2 3
EPEL SMISC 1 3 5
SIG SMISC 2 4 6
EPPL NMISC 41 45 49
EPCR NMISC 42 46 50
SEPL NMISC 43 47 51
SRAT NMISC 44 48 52

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item I J K L M N O P
Name
P1 SMISC 8 7 10 9 - - - -
P2 SMISC 11 12 - - 14 13 - -
P3 SMISC - 15 16 - - 18 17 -
P4 SMISC - - 19 20 - - 22 21
P5 SMISC 24 - - 23 25 - - 26

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SOLID65

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item I J K L M N O P
Name
P6 SMISC - - - - 27 28 29 30
S:1 NMISC 1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36
S:2 NMISC 2 7 12 17 22 27 32 37
S:3 NMISC 3 8 13 18 23 28 33 38
S:INT NMISC 4 9 14 19 24 29 34 39
S:EQV NMISC 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
FLUEN NMISC 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Integration Point
Name Item
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
STATUS NMISC 53 60 67 74 81 88 95 102
THETCR NMISC 54 61 68 75 82 89 96 103
Dir 1
PHICR NMISC 55 62 69 76 83 90 97 104
THETCR NMISC 56 63 70 77 84 91 98 105
Dir 2
PHICR NMISC 57 64 71 78 85 92 99 106
THETCR NMISC 58 65 72 79 86 93 100 107
Dir 3
PHICR NMISC 59 66 73 80 87 94 101 108

SOLID65 Assumptions and Restrictions

• Zero volume elements are not allowed.

• Elements may be numbered either as shown in Figure .65.1: SOLID65 Geometry (p. 267) or may have
the planes IJKL and MNOP interchanged. Also, the element may not be twisted such that the element
has two separate volumes. This occurs most frequently when the elements are not numbered properly.

• All elements must have eight nodes.

• A prism-shaped element may be formed by defining duplicate K and L and duplicate O and P node
numbers. (See Degenerated Shape Elements.) A tetrahedron shape is also available. The extra shapes
are automatically deleted for tetrahedron elements.

• Whenever the rebar capability of the element is used, the rebar are assumed to be "smeared"
throughout the element. The sum of the volume ratios for all rebar must not be greater than 1.0.

• The element is nonlinear and requires an iterative solution.

• When both cracking and crushing are used together, care must be taken to apply the load slowly to
prevent possible fictitious crushing of the concrete before proper load transfer can occur through a
closed crack. This usually happens when excessive cracking strains are coupled to the orthogonal
uncracked directions through Poisson's effect. Also, at those integration points where crushing has
occurred, the output plastic and creep strains are from the previous converged substep. Furthermore,

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 SOLID65

when cracking has occurred, the elastic strain output includes the cracking strain. The lost shear res-
istance of cracked and/or crushed elements cannot be transferred to the rebar, which have no shear
stiffness.

• The following two options are not recommended if cracking or crushing nonlinearities are present:

– Stress-stiffening effects.

– Large strain and large deflection. Results may not converge or may be incorrect, especially if signi-
ficantly large rotation is involved.

SOLID65 Product Restrictions

When used in the product(s) listed below, the stated product-specific restrictions apply to this element
in addition to the general assumptions and restrictions given in the previous section.

Ansys Mechanical Premium

• Creep is not available.

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FLUID79
2-D Contained Fluid
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on
Product Restrictions (p. 283)

FLUID79 Element Description

Although this archived element is available for use in your analysis, Ansys, Inc. recommends using a
current-technology element such as FLUID29, FLUID30, FLUID220, or FLUID221.

FLUID79 is used to model fluids contained within vessels having no net flow rate. Another fluid element
(FLUID116) is available to model fluids flowing in pipes and channels. The fluid element is particularly
well suited for calculating hydrostatic pressures and fluid/solid interactions. Acceleration effects, such
as in sloshing problems, as well as temperature effects, may be included.

The fluid element is defined by four nodes having two degrees of freedom at each node: translation in
the nodal x and y directions. The element may be used in a structural analysis as a plane element or
as an axisymmetric ring element. See FLUID79 - 2-D Contained Fluid (p. 441) for more details about this
element. See FLUID80 (p. 285) for a 3-D version of this element.

Note:

This element cannot be used in a modal analysis.

Figure .79.1: FLUID79 Geometry

Y (axial)

X (radial) 3

L K

4 2

I J

FLUID79 Input Data

The geometry, node locations, and the coordinate system for this element are shown in Figure .79.1: FLU-
ID79 Geometry (p. 279). The element input data includes four nodes and the isotropic material properties.
EX, which is interpreted as the "fluid elastic modulus", should be the bulk modulus of the fluid (approx-
imately 300,000 psi for water). The viscosity property (VISC) is used to compute a damping matrix for
dynamic analyses (typical viscosity value for water is 1.639 x 10-7 lb-sec/in2). The use of KEYOPT(2) for
gravity springs is discussed in "FLUID80 Input Data" (p. 285). Vertical acceleration (ACELY on the ACEL
command) is needed for the gravity springs.

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FLUID79

Element loads are described in Element Loading. Pressures may be input as surface loads on the element
faces as shown by the circled numbers on Figure .79.1: FLUID79 Geometry (p. 279). Positive pressures
act into the element. Temperatures may be input as element body loads at the nodes. The node I
temperature T(I) defaults to TUNIF. If all other temperatures are unspecified, they default to T(I). For any
other input pattern, unspecified temperatures default to TUNIF.

A summary of the element input is given in "FLUID79 Input Summary" (p. 280). A general description of
element input is given in Element Input. For axisymmetric applications see Harmonic Axisymmetric
Elements.

FLUID79 Input Summary

Nodes

I, J, K, L

Degrees of Freedom

UX, UY

Real Constants

None

Material Properties

MP command: EX, ALPX (or CTEX or THSX), DENS, VISC, ALPD, BETD, DMPR

Surface Loads

Pressures --

face 1 (J-I), face 2 (K-J), face 3 (L-K), face 4 (I-L)

Body Loads

Temperatures --

T(I), T(J), T(K), T(L)

Special Features

None

KEYOPT(2)

Location of gravity springs:

0 --

Place gravity springs on all sides of all elements

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 FLUID79

1 --

Place gravity springs only on face of elements located on Y = 0.0 plane (elements must not have
positive Y coordinates)

KEYOPT(3)

Element behavior:

0 --

Plane

1 --

Axisymmetric

FLUID79 Output Data

The solution output associated with the element is in two forms:

• Degree of freedom results included in the overall nodal solution

• Additional element output as shown in Table .79.1: FLUID79 Element Output Definitions (p. 281)

The pressure and temperature are evaluated at the element centroid. Nodal forces and reaction forces
are on a full 360° basis for axisymmetric models. A general description of solution output is given in
Solution Output. See the Basic Analysis Guide for ways to view results.

The Element Output Definitions table uses the following notation:

A colon (:) in the Name column indicates that the item can be accessed by the Component Name
method (ETABLE, ESOL). The O column indicates the availability of the items in the file jobname.out.
The R column indicates the availability of the items in the results file.

In either the O or R columns, “Y” indicates that the item is always available, a number refers to a table
footnote that describes when the item is conditionally available, and “-” indicates that the item is not
available.

Table .79.1: FLUID79 Element Output Definitions

Name Definition O R
EL Element Number Y Y
NODES Nodes - I, J, K, L Y Y
MAT Material number Y Y
VOLU: Volume Y Y
XC, YC Location where results are reported Y 1
PRES Pressures P1 at nodes J, I; P2 at K, J; P3 at L, K; Y Y
P4 at I, L
TEMP Temperatures T(I), T(J), T(K), T(L) Y Y
TAVG Average temperature Y -

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FLUID79

Name Definition O R
PAVG Average pressure Y Y

1. Available only at centroid as a *GET item.

Table .79.2: FLUID79 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 282) lists output available through the ETABLE
command using the Sequence Number method. See The General Postprocessor (POST1) in the Basic
Analysis Guide and The Item and Sequence Number Table for more information. The following notation
is used in Table .79.2: FLUID79 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 282):

Name

output quantity as defined in the Table .79.1: FLUID79 Element Output Definitions (p. 281)

Item

predetermined Item label for ETABLE command

sequence number for single-valued or constant element data

I,J,...,L

sequence number for data at nodes I,J,...,L

Table .79.2: FLUID79 Item and Sequence Numbers

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I J K L
Name
PRES SMISC 1 - - - -
P1 SMISC - 3 2 - -
P2 SMISC - - 5 4 -
P3 SMISC - - - 7 6
P4 SMISC - 8 - - 9

FLUID79 Assumptions and Restrictions

• The area of the element must be positive.

• The fluid element must lie in an X-Y plane as shown in Figure .79.1: FLUID79 Geometry (p. 279) and
the Y-axis must be the axis of symmetry for axisymmetric analyses.

• An axisymmetric structure should be modeled in the +X quadrants.

• Radial motion should be constrained at the centerline.

• Usually the Y-axis is oriented in the vertical direction with the top surface at Y = 0.0.

• The element temperature is taken to be the average of the nodal temperatures.

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 FLUID79

• Elements should be rectangular whenever possible, as results are known to be of lower quality for
some cases using nonrectangular shapes.

• Axisymmetric elements should always be rectangular.

• The nonlinear transient dynamic analysis should be used instead of the linear transient dynamic
analysis for this element.

• A very small stiffness (EX x 1.0E-9) is associated with the shear and rotational strains to ensure static
stability. See FLUID80 (p. 285) for more assumptions and restrictions.

• Only the lumped mass matrix is available.

FLUID79 Product Restrictions

There are no product-specific restrictions for this element.

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FLUID80
3-D Contained Fluid
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on
Product Restrictions (p. 289)

FLUID80 Element Description

Although this archived element is available for use in your analysis, Ansys, Inc. recommends using a
current-technology element such as FLUID29, FLUID30, FLUID220, or FLUID221.

FLUID80 is used to model fluids contained within vessels having no net flow rate. Another fluid element
(FLUID116) is available to model fluids flowing in pipes and channels. The fluid element is particularly
well suited for calculating hydrostatic pressures and fluid/solid interactions. Acceleration effects, such
as in sloshing problems, as well as temperature effects, may be included.

The fluid element is defined by eight nodes having three degrees of freedom at each node: translation
in the nodal x, y, and z directions. See FLUID80 - 3-D Contained Fluid (p. 442) for more details about this
element. See FLUID79 (p. 279) for a 2-D version of this element.

Note:

This element cannot be used in a modal analysis.

Figure .80.1: FLUID80 Geometry

Z
P
X 5 O
Y 6
4
M N

L
3

2 K

1 J

FLUID80 Input Data

The geometry, node locations, and the coordinate system for this element are shown in Figure .80.1: FLU-
ID80 Geometry (p. 285). The element input data includes eight nodes and the isotropic material properties.
EX, which is interpreted as the "fluid elastic modulus", should be the bulk modulus of the fluid (approx-
imately 300,000 psi for water). The viscosity property (VISC) is used to compute a damping matrix for
dynamic analyses. A typical viscosity value for water is 1.639 x 10-7 lb-sec/in2.

Element loads are described in Element Loading. Pressures may be input as surface loads on the element
faces as shown by the circled numbers on Figure .80.1: FLUID80 Geometry (p. 285). Positive pressures
act into the element. Temperatures may be input as element body loads at the nodes. The node I

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FLUID80

temperature T(I) defaults to TUNIF. If all other temperatures are unspecified, they default to T(I). For any
other input pattern, unspecified temperatures default to TUNIF.

The element also includes special surface effects, which may be thought of as gravity springs used to
hold the surface in place. This is performed by adding springs to each node, with the spring constants
being positive on the top of the element, and negative on the bottom. Gravity effects [ACEL] must be
included if a free surface exists. For an interior node, the positive and negative effects cancel out, and
at the bottom, where the fluid must be contained to keep the fluid from leaking out, the negative spring
has no effect (as long as all degrees of freedom on the bottom are fixed). If the bottom consists of a
flexible container, or if the degrees of freedom tangential to a curved surface are released, these negative
springs may cause erroneous results and "negative pivot" messages. In this case, use of KEYOPT(2) = 1
is recommended.

These surface springs, while necessary to keep the free surface in place, artificially reduce the hydrostatic
motion of the free surface. The error for a tank with vertical walls, expressed as a ratio of the computed
answer over the correct answer is 1.0/(1.0 + (bottom pressure/bulk modulus)), which is normally very
close to 1.0. Hydrodynamic results are not affected by this overstiffness.

A summary of the element input is given in "FLUID80 Input Summary" (p. 286). A general description of
element input is given in Element Input.

FLUID80 Input Summary

Nodes

I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P

Degrees of Freedom

UX, UY, UZ

Real Constants

None

Material Properties

MP command: EX, ALPX (or CTEX or THSX), DENS, VISC, ALPD, BETD, DMPR

Surface Loads

Pressures --

face 1 (J-I-L-K), face 2 (I-J-N-M), face 3 (J-K-O-N),

face 4 (K-L-P-O), face 5 (L-I-M-P), face 6 (M-N-O-P)

Body Loads

Temperatures --

T(I), T(J), T(K), T(L), T(M), T(N), T(O), T(P)

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 FLUID80

Special Features

None

KEYOPT(2)

Location of gravity springs:

0 --

Place gravity springs on all sides of all elements

1 --

Place gravity springs only on face of elements located on Z = 0.0 plane (elements must not have
positive Z coordinates)

FLUID80 Output Data

The solution output associated with the element is in two forms:

• Degree of freedom results included in the overall nodal solution

• Additional element output as shown in Table .80.1: FLUID80 Element Output Definitions (p. 287)

The pressure and temperature are evaluated at the element centroid. A general description of solution
output is given in Solution Output. See the Basic Analysis Guide for ways to view results.

The Element Output Definitions table uses the following notation:

A colon (:) in the Name column indicates that the item can be accessed by the Component Name
method (ETABLE, ESOL). The O column indicates the availability of the items in the file jobname.out.
The R column indicates the availability of the items in the results file.

In either the O or R columns, “Y” indicates that the item is always available, a number refers to a table
footnote that describes when the item is conditionally available, and “-” indicates that the item is not
available.

Table .80.1: FLUID80 Element Output Definitions

Name Definition O R
EL Element Number Y Y
NODES Nodes - I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P Y Y
MAT Material number Y Y
VOLU: Volume Y Y
XC, YC, ZC Location where results are reported Y 1
PRES Pressures P1 at nodes J, I, L, K; P2 at I, J, N, M; P3 at J, Y Y
K, O, N; P4 at K, L, P, O; P5 at L, I, M, P; P6 at M, N, O, P
TEMP Temperatures T(I), T(J), T(K), T(L), T(M), T(N), T(O), T(P) Y Y
TAVG Average temperature Y -
PAVG Average pressure Y Y

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FLUID80

1. Available only at centroid as a *GET item.

Table .80.2: FLUID80 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 288) lists output available through the ETABLE
command using the Sequence Number method. See The General Postprocessor (POST1) in the Basic
Analysis Guide and The Item and Sequence Number Table for more information. The following notation
is used in Table .80.2: FLUID80 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 288):

Name

output quantity as defined in the Table .80.1: FLUID80 Element Output Definitions (p. 287)

Item

predetermined Item label for ETABLE command

sequence number for single-valued or constant element data

I,J,...,P

sequence number for data at nodes I,J,...,P

Table .80.2: FLUID80 Item and Sequence Numbers

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I J K L M N O P
Name
PRES SMISC 1 - - - - - - - -
P1 SMISC - 3 2 5 4 - - - -
P2 SMISC - 6 7 - - 9 8 - -
P3 SMISC - - 10 11 - - 13 12 -
P4 SMISC - - - 14 15 - - 17 16
P5 SMISC - 19 - - 18 20 - - 21
P6 SMISC - - - - - 22 23 24 25

FLUID80 Assumptions and Restrictions

• Zero volume elements are not allowed.

• Elements may be numbered either as shown in Figure .80.1: FLUID80 Geometry (p. 285) or may have
the planes IJKL and MNOP interchanged.

• The element may not be twisted such that the element has two separate volumes. This occurs most
frequently when the elements are not numbered properly.

• Structures are usually modeled with the Z-axis oriented in the vertical direction and the top surface
at Z = 0.0.

• The element temperature is taken to be the average of the nodal temperatures.

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 FLUID80

• Elements should be rectangular (brick shaped) whenever possible, as results are known to be of lower
quality for some cases using nonrectangular shapes.

• The nonlinear transient dynamic analysis should be used instead of the linear transient dynamic
analysis for this element.

• The amount of flow permitted is limited to that which will not cause gross distortions in the element.

• The large deflection option should not be used with this element.

• When used for a static application, the free surface must be input flat. Gravity must be input if there
is a free surface. The element gives valid nodal forces representing hydrostatic pressure and also
valid vertical displacements at the free surface. Other nodal displacements, which may be large,
represent energy-free internal motions of the fluid.

• Fluid element at a boundary should not be attached directly to structural elements but should have
separate, coincident nodes that are coupled only in the direction normal to the interface.

• Arbitrarily small numbers are included to give the element some shear and rotational stability.

• Only the lumped mass matrix is available.

FLUID80 Product Restrictions

There are no product-specific restrictions for this element.

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FLUID81
Axisymmetric-Harmonic Contained Fluid
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on
Product Restrictions (p. 295)

FLUID81 Element Description

Although this archived element is available for use in your analysis, Ansys, Inc. recommends using a
current-technology element such as FLUID29, FLUID30, FLUID220, or FLUID221.

FLUID81 is a modification of the axisymmetric structural solid element (PLANE25). The element is used
to model fluids contained within vessels having no net flow rate. It is defined by four nodes having
three degrees of freedom at each node: translations in the nodal x, y, and z directions. The element is
used in a structural analysis as an axisymmetric ring element.

The element is a generalization of the axisymmetric version of FLUID79 (p. 279), the 2-D fluid element,
in that the loading need not be axisymmetric. Various loading cases are described in Harmonic
Axisymmetric Elements with Nonaxisymmetric Loads. The fluid element is particularly well suited for
calculating hydrostatic pressures and fluid/solid interactions. Acceleration effects, such as in sloshing
problems, as well as temperature effects, may be included. See FLUID81 - Axisymmetric-Harmonic
Contained Fluid (p. 446) for more details about this element. Another fluid element (FLUID116) is available
to model fluids flowing in pipes and channels.

Note:

This element cannot be used in a modal analysis.

Figure .81.1: FLUID81 Geometry

Y (axial)

X (radial)
3

L K

2
4

I J
1

FLUID81 Input Data

The geometry, node locations, and the coordinate system for this element are shown in Figure .81.1: FLU-
ID81 Geometry (p. 291). The element input data includes four nodes, the number of harmonic waves
(MODE on the MODE command), the symmetry condition (ISYM on the MODE command), and the
isotropic material properties. If MODE = 0 and ISYM = 1, the element behaves similar to the axisymmetric
case of FLUID79 (p. 279). The MODE and ISYM parameters are discussed in detail in Harmonic Axisym-
metric Elements with Nonaxisymmetric Loads. EX, which is interpreted as the "fluid elastic modulus,"

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FLUID81

should be the bulk modulus of the fluid (approximately 300,000 psi for water). The viscosity property
(VISC) is used to compute a damping matrix for dynamic analyses. A typical viscosity value for water is
1.639 x 10-7 lb-sec/in2. Density (DENS) must be input as a positive number.

The use of KEYOPT(2) for gravity springs is discussed in "FLUID80 Input Data" (p. 285). Vertical acceleration
(ACELY on the ACEL command) is needed for the gravity springs regardless of the value of MODE. Har-
monically varying nodal forces, if any, should be input on a full 360° basis.

Element loads are described in Element Loading. Harmonically varying pressures may be input as surface
loads on the element faces as shown by the circled numbers on Figure .81.1: FLUID81 Geometry (p. 291).
Positive pressures act into the element.

Harmonically varying temperatures may be input as element body loads at the nodes. The node I
temperature T(I) defaults to TUNIF. If all other temperatures are unspecified, they default to T(I). For any
other input pattern, unspecified temperatures default to TUNIF.

A summary of the element input is given in "FLUID81 Input Summary" (p. 292). A general description of
element input is given in Element Input.

FLUID81 Input Summary

Nodes

I, J, K, L

Degrees of Freedom

UX, UY, UZ

Real Constants

None

Material Properties

MP command: EX, ALPX (or CTEX or THSX), DENS, VISC, ALPD, BETD, DMPR

Surface Loads

Pressures --

face 1 (J-I), face 2 (K-J), face 3 (L-K), face 4 (I-L)

Body Loads

Temperatures --

T(I), T(J), T(K), T(L)

Mode Number

Number of harmonic waves around the circumference (MODE)

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 FLUID81

Loading Condition

Symmetry condition (MODE)

Special Features

None

KEYOPT(2)

Location of gravity springs:

0 --

Place gravity springs on all sides of all elements

1 --

Place gravity springs only on face of elements located on Y = 0.0 plane (element must not have
positive Y coordinates)

FLUID81 Output Data

The solution output associated with the element is in two forms:

• Degree of freedom results included in the overall nodal solution

• Additional element output as shown in Table .81.1: FLUID81 Element Output Definitions (p. 294)

The pressure and temperature are evaluated at the element centroid. Nodal forces and reaction forces
are on a full 360° basis.

In the displacement printout, the UZ component is out-of-phase with the UX and UY components. For
example, in the MODE = 1, ISYM = 1 loading case, UX and UY are the peak values at θ = 0° and UZ is
the peak value at θ = 90°. Printout for combined loading cases may be obtained from the POST1 routine.
We recommend that you always use the angle field on the SET command when postprocessing the
results. For more information about harmonic elements, see Harmonic Axisymmetric Elements with
Nonaxisymmetric Loads.

A general description of solution output is given in Solution Output. See the Basic Analysis Guide for
ways to view results.

The following notation is used in Table .81.1: FLUID81 Element Output Definitions (p. 294):

The Element Output Definitions table uses the following notation:

A colon (:) in the Name column indicates that the item can be accessed by the Component Name
method (ETABLE, ESOL). The O column indicates the availability of the items in the file jobname.out.
The R column indicates the availability of the items in the results file.

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FLUID81

In either the O or R columns, “Y” indicates that the item is always available, a number refers to a table
footnote that describes when the item is conditionally available, and “-” indicates that the item is not
available.

Table .81.1: FLUID81 Element Output Definitions

Name Definition O R
EL Element Number Y Y
NODES Nodes - I, J, K, L Y Y
MAT Material number Y Y
ISYM Loading Key 1 1
MODE Number of waves in loading Y Y
VOLU: Volume Y Y
XC, YC Location where results are reported Y 2
PRES Pressures P1 at nodes J,I; P2 at K,J; P3 at L,K; P4 Y Y
at I,L
TEMP Temperatures T(I), T(J), T(K), T(L) Y Y
TAVG Average temperature Y -
PAVG Average pressure Y Y

1. If ISYM is:

1 - Symmetric loading

-1 - Antisymmetric loading

2. Available only at centroid as a *GET item.

Table .81.2: FLUID81 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 295) lists output available through the ETABLE
command using the Sequence Number method. See The General Postprocessor (POST1) in the Basic
Analysis Guide and The Item and Sequence Number Table for more information. The following notation
is used in Table .81.2: FLUID81 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 295):

Name

output quantity as defined in the Table .81.1: FLUID81 Element Output Definitions (p. 294)

Item

predetermined Item label for ETABLE command

sequence number for single-valued or constant element data

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 FLUID81

I,J,...,L

sequence number for data at nodes I,J,...,L

Table .81.2: FLUID81 Item and Sequence Numbers

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I J K L
Name
PRES SMISC 1 - - - -
P1 SMISC - 3 2 - -
P2 SMISC - - 5 4 -
P3 SMISC - - - 7 6
P4 SMISC - 8 - - 9

FLUID81 Assumptions and Restrictions

• The area of the element must be positive.

• The fluid element must lie in an X-Y plane as shown in Figure .81.1: FLUID81 Geometry (p. 291) and
the Y-axis must be the axis of symmetry for axisymmetric analyses.

• An axisymmetric structure should be modeled in the +X quadrants.

• The Y-axis should be oriented in the vertical direction and the top surface is usually at Y = 0.0.

• The element temperature is taken to be the average of the nodal temperatures.

• Temperature-dependent material properties, if any, are evaluated at the reference temperature [TREF].

• Elements should be rectangular since results are known to be of lower quality for nonrectangular
shapes.

• The nonlinear transient dynamic analysis should be used instead of the linear transient dynamic
analysis for this element.

• A lumped mass matrix may be obtained for this element with the LUMPM command.

• See FLUID80 (p. 285) for more assumptions and restrictions.

FLUID81 Product Restrictions

There are no product-specific restrictions for this element.

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PLANE82
2-D 8-Node Structural Solid
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on
Product Restrictions (p. 303)

PLANE82 Element Description

Although this archived element is available for use in your analysis, Ansys, Inc. recommends using a
current-technology element such as PLANE183.

PLANE82 provides accurate results for mixed (quadrilateral-triangular) automatic meshes and can tolerate
irregular shapes without as much loss of accuracy. The eight-node elements have compatible displace-
ment shapes and are well suited to model curved boundaries.

The 8-node element is defined by eight nodes having two degrees of freedom at each node: translations
in the nodal x and y directions. The element may be used as a plane element or as an axisymmetric
element. The element has plasticity, creep, swelling, stress stiffening, large deflection, and large strain
capabilities. Various printout options are also available. See SOLID273 for a description of an axisymmetric
element which accepts nonaxisymmetric loading.

Figure .82.1: PLANE82 Geometry

L
3
K K, L, O
O
4
Y P P N
(or axial) 2
N I
M J
I
X (or radial) M Tri Option
J
1

PLANE82 Input Data

The geometry, node locations, and the coordinate system for this element are shown in Fig-
ure .82.1: PLANE82 Geometry (p. 297).

A triangular-shaped element may be formed by defining the same node number for nodes K, L and O.
Besides the nodes, the element input data includes a thickness (TK) (for the plane stress option only)
and the orthotropic material properties. Orthotropic material directions correspond to the element co-
ordinate directions. The element coordinate system orientation is as described in Coordinate Systems.

Element loads are described in Element Loading. Pressures may be input as surface loads on the element
faces as shown by the circled numbers on Figure .82.1: PLANE82 Geometry (p. 297). Positive pressures
act into the element. Temperatures and fluences may be input as element body loads at the nodes.
The node I temperature T(I) defaults to TUNIF. If all other temperatures are unspecified, they default to
T(I). If all corner node temperatures are specified, each midside node temperature defaults to the average
temperature of its adjacent corner nodes. For any other input temperature pattern, unspecified temper-
atures default to TUNIF. Similar defaults occurs for fluence except that zero is used instead of TUNIF.

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PLANE82

The nodal forces, if any, should be input per unit of depth for a plane analysis (except for KEYOPT(3) =
3) and on a full 360° basis for an axisymmetric analysis. KEYOPT(5) and KEYOPT(6) parameters provide
various element printout options (see Element Solution).

You cannot set initial state conditions (INISTATE) using this element. You can set initial state conditions
using current-technology elements (such as LINK180,SHELL181). To continue using initial state conditions
in future versions of ANSYS, consider using a current element technology. For more information, see
Older vs. Current Element Technologies in the Element Reference. For more information about setting
initial state values, see the INISTATE command documentation and Initial State Loading in the Basic
Analysis Guide.

Pressure load stiffness effects are included in linear eigenvalue buckling automatically. If an unsymmetric
matrix is needed for pressure load stiffness effects, use NROPT,UNSYM.

A summary of the element input is given in "PLANE82 Input Summary" (p. 298). A general description
of element input is given in Element Input. For axisymmetric applications see Harmonic Axisymmetric
Elements.

PLANE82 Input Summary

Nodes

I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P

Degrees of Freedom

UX, UY

Real Constants

None, if KEYOPT (3) = 0, 1, or 2

THK - Thickness, if KEYOPT (3) = 3

Material Properties

EX, EY, EZ, PRXY, PRYZ, PRXZ (or NUXY, NUYZ, NUXZ),
ALPX, ALPY, ALPZ (or CTEX, CTEY, CTEZ or THSX, THSY, THSZ), DENS, GXY, BETD, ALPD, DMPR

Surface Loads

Pressures --

face 1 (J-I), face 2 (K-J), face 3 (I-K), face 4 (I-L)

Body Loads

Temperatures --

T(I), T(J), T(K), T(L), T(M), T(N), T(O), T(P)

Fluences --

FL(I), FL(J), FL(K), FL(L), FL(M), FL(N), FL(O), FL(P)

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 PLANE82

Special Features

Plasticity (BISO, BKIN, DP, ANISO)

Creep (CREEP, RATE)
Swelling (SWELL)
Elasticity (MELAS)
Other material (USER)
Stress stiffening
Large deflection
Large strain
Birth and death
Adaptive descent

Items in parentheses refer to Lab data tables associated with the TB,Lab command.

KEYOPT(3)

Element behavior:

0 --

Plane stress

1 --

Axisymmetric

2 --

Plane strain (Z strain = 0.0)

3 --

Plane stress with thickness (TK) real constant input

KEYOPT(5)

Extra element output:

0 --

Basic element solution

1 --

Repeat basic solution for all integration points

2 --

Nodal Stress Solution

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PLANE82

KEYOPT(6)

Extra surface output:

0 --

Basic element solution

1 --

Surface solution for face I-J also

2 --

Surface solution for both faces I-J and K-L also (surface solution valid for linear materials only)

3 --

Nonlinear solution at each integration point also

4 --

Surface solution for faces with nonzero pressure

PLANE82 Output Data

The solution output associated with the element is in two forms:

• Nodal displacements included in the overall nodal solution

• Additional element output as shown in Table .82.1: PLANE82 Element Output Definitions (p. 301)

Several items are illustrated in Figure .82.2: PLANE82 Stress Output (p. 300).

The element stress directions are parallel to the element coordinate system. Surface stresses are available
on any face. Surface stresses on face IJ, for example, are defined parallel and perpendicular to the IJ
line and along the Z axis for a plane analysis or in the hoop direction for an axisymmetric analysis. A
general description of solution output is given in Solution Output. See the Basic Analysis Guide for ways
to view results.

Figure .82.2: PLANE82 Stress Output

L O K

SY
P

Y SX N
(or axial)
I

X (or radial) J
M

The Element Output Definitions table uses the following notation:

A colon (:) in the Name column indicates that the item can be accessed by the Component Name
method (ETABLE, ESOL). The O column indicates the availability of the items in the file jobname.out.
The R column indicates the availability of the items in the results file.

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 PLANE82

In either the O or R columns, “Y” indicates that the item is always available, a number refers to a table
footnote that describes when the item is conditionally available, and “-” indicates that the item is not
available.

Table .82.1: PLANE82 Element Output Definitions

Name Definition O R
EL Element Number Y Y
NODES Corner nodes - I, J, K, L Y Y
MAT Material number Y Y
THICK Average thickness Y Y
VOLU: Volume Y Y
XC, YC Location where results are reported Y 3
PRES Pressures P1 at nodes J,I; P2 at K,J; P3 at L,K; P4 at Y Y
I,L
TEMP Temperatures T(I), T(J), T(K), T(L), T(M), T(N), T(O), T(P) Y Y
FLUEN Fluences FL(I), FL(J), FL(K), FL(L), FL(M), FL(N), FL(O), Y Y
FL(P)
S:X, Y, Z, XY Stresses (SZ = 0.0 for plane stress elements) Y Y
S:1, 2, 3 Principal stresses Y -
S:INT Stress intensity Y -
S:EQV Equivalent stress Y Y
EPEL:X, Y, Z, XY Elastic strains Y Y
EPEL:1, 2, 3 Principal elastic strains Y -
EPEL:EQV Equivalent elastic strain [4] - Y
EPTH:X, Y, Z, XY Average thermal strains Y Y
EPTH:EQV Equivalent thermal strain [4] - Y
EPPL:X, Y, XY, Z Average plastic strains 2 2
EPPL:EQV Equivalent plastic strain [4] - 2
EPCR:X, Y, XY, Z Average creep strains 2 2
EPCR:EQV Equivalent creep strain [4] - 2
EPSW: Swelling strain 2 2
NL:EPEQ Equivalent plastic strain 2 2
NL:SRAT Ratio of trial stress to stress on yield surface 2 2
NL:SEPL Equivalent stress on stress-strain curve 2 2
NL:HPRES Hydrostatic pressure - 2
FACE Face label 1 1
EPEL(PAR, PER, Z) Surface elastic strains (parallel, perpendicular, Z or 1 1
hoop)
TEMP Surface average temperature 1 1
S(PAR, PER, Z) Surface stresses (parallel, perpendicular, Z or hoop) 1 1

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PLANE82

Name Definition O R
SINT Surface stress intensity 1 1
SEQV Surface equivalent stress 1 1
LOCI:X, Y, Z Integration point locations - Y

1. Surface output (if KEYOPT(6) is 1, 2 or 4)

2. Nonlinear solution (if the element has a nonlinear material)

3. Available only at centroid as a *GET item.

4. The equivalent strains use an effective Poisson's ratio: for elastic and thermal this value is set by the
user (MP,PRXY); for plastic and creep this value is set at 0.5.

Table .82.2: PLANE82 Miscellaneous Element Output

Description Names of Items Output O R

Nonlinear Integration Pt. Solution EPPL, EPEQ, SRAT, SEPL, HPRES, 1 -
EPCR, EPSW
Integration Point Stress Solution TEMP, SINT, SEQV, EPEL, S 2 -
Nodal Stress Solution TEMP, S, SINT, SEQV 3 -

1. Output at each integration point, if the element has a nonlinear material and KEYOPT(6) = 3

2. Output at each integration point, if KEYOPT(5) = 1

3. Output at each vertex node, if KEYOPT(5) = 2

Note:

For axisymmetric solutions, the X, Y, XY, and Z stress and strain outputs correspond to the
radial, axial, in-plane shear, and hoop stresses and strains.

Table .82.3: PLANE82 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 303) lists output available through the ETABLE
command using the Sequence Number method. See Creating an Element Table in the Basic Analysis
Guide and The Item and Sequence Number Table in this manual for more information. The following
notation is used in Table .82.3: PLANE82 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 303):

Name

output quantity as defined in the Table .82.1: PLANE82 Element Output Definitions (p. 301)

Item

predetermined Item label for ETABLE command

sequence number for single-valued or constant element data

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 PLANE82

I,J,...,P

sequence number for data at nodes I,J,...,P

Table .82.3: PLANE82 Item and Sequence Numbers

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I J K L M N O P
Name
P1 SMISC - 2 1 - - - - - -
P2 SMISC - - 4 3 - - - - -
P3 SMISC - - - 6 5 - - - -
P4 SMISC - 7 - - 8 - - - -
S:1 NMISC - 1 6 11 16 - - - -
S:2 NMISC - 2 7 12 17 - - - -
S:3 NMISC - 3 8 13 18 - - - -
S:INT NMISC - 4 9 14 19 - - - -
S:EQV NMISC - 5 10 15 20 - - - -
FLUEN NMISC - 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
THICK NMISC 29 - - - - - - - -

See Surface Solution for the item and sequence numbers for surface output for the ETABLE command.

PLANE82 Assumptions and Restrictions

• The area of the element must be positive.

• The element must lie in a global X-Y plane as shown in Figure .82.1: PLANE82 Geometry (p. 297) and
the Y-axis must be the axis of symmetry for axisymmetric analyses. An axisymmetric structure should
be modeled in the +X quadrants.

• A face with a removed midside node implies that the displacement varies linearly, rather than para-
bolically, along that face. See Quadratic Elements (Midside Nodes) in the Modeling and Meshing Guide
for more information about the use of midside nodes.

PLANE82 Product Restrictions

When used in the product(s) listed below, the stated product-specific restrictions apply to this element
in addition to the general assumptions and restrictions given in the previous section.

Ansys Professional

• The ALPD and BETD material properties are not allowed.

• Fluence body loads are not applicable.

• The only special feature allowed is stress stiffening.

• KEYOPT(6) = 3 is not applicable.

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SOLID92
3-D 10-Node Tetrahedral Structural Solid
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on
Product Restrictions (p. 310)

SOLID92 Element Description

Although this archived element is available for use in your analysis, Ansys, Inc. recommends using a
current-technology element such as SOLID187.

SOLID92 has a quadratic displacement behavior and is well suited to model irregular meshes (such as
produced from various CAD/CAM systems).

The element is defined by ten nodes having three degrees of freedom at each node: translations in the
nodal x, y, and z directions. The element also has plasticity, creep, swelling, stress stiffening, large de-
flection, and large strain capabilities.

Figure .92.1: SOLID92 Geometry

L

4
R
P
Q 3
Y 2
O K

X I N
M
Z
1
J

SOLID92 Input Data

The geometry, node locations, and the coordinate system for this element are shown in Figure .92.1: SOL-
ID92 Geometry (p. 305).

Beside the nodes, the element input data includes the orthotropic material properties. Orthotropic
material directions correspond to the element coordinate directions. The element coordinate system
orientation is as described in Coordinate Systems.

Element loads are described in Element Loading. Pressures may be input as surface loads on the element
faces as shown by the circled numbers on Figure .92.1: SOLID92 Geometry (p. 305). Positive pressures
act into the element. Temperatures and fluences may be input as element body loads at the nodes.
The node I temperature T(I) defaults to TUNIF. If all other temperatures are unspecified, they default to
T(I). If all corner node temperatures are specified, each midside node temperature defaults to the average
temperature of its adjacent corner nodes. For any other input temperature pattern, unspecified temper-
atures default to TUNIF. Similar defaults occurs for fluence except that zero is used instead of TUNIF.

You cannot set initial state conditions (INISTATE) using this element. You can set initial state conditions
using current-technology elements only (such as LINK180,SHELL181). To continue using initial state
conditions in future versions of ANSYS, consider using a current element technology. For more inform-
ation, see Older vs. Current Element Technologies in the Element Reference. For more information about

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SOLID92

setting initial state values, see the INISTATE command documentation and Initial State Loading in the
Basic Analysis Guide.

Pressure load stiffness effects are included in linear eigenvalue buckling automatically. If an unsymmetric
matrix is needed for pressure load stiffness effects, use NROPT,UNSYM.

A summary of the element input is given in "SOLID92 Input Summary" (p. 306). A general description of
element input is given in Element Input.

SOLID92 Input Summary

Nodes

I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R

Degrees of Freedom

UX, UY, UZ

Real Constants

None

Material Properties

EX, EY, EZ, ALPX, ALPY, ALPZ (or CTEX, CTEY, CTEZ or THSX, THSY, THSZ), PRXY, PRYZ, PRXZ (or NUXY,
NUYZ, NUXZ), DENS, GXY, GYZ, GXZ, BETD, ALPD, DMPR

Surface Loads

Pressures --

face 1 (J-I-K), face 2 (I-J-L), face 3 (J-K-L), face 4 (K-I-L)

Body Loads

Temperatures --

T(I), T(J), T(K), T(L), T(M), T(N), T(O), T(P), T(Q), T(R)

Fluences --

FL(I), FL(J), FL(K), FL(L), FL(M), FL(N), FL(O), FL(P), FL(Q), FL(R)

Special Features

Plasticity (BISO, BKIN, DP, ANISO)

Creep (CREEP, RATE)
Swelling (SWELL)
Elasticity (MELAS)
Other material (USER)
Stress stiffening

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 SOLID92

Large deflection
Large strain
Birth and death
Adaptive descent

Items in parentheses refer to Lab data tables associated with the TB,Lab command.

KEYOPT(5)

Extra element output:

0 --

Basic element printout

1 --

Integration point printout

2 --

Nodal stress printout

KEYOPT(6)

Extra surface output:

0 --

Basic element printout

4 --

Surface printout for faces with nonzero pressure

SOLID92 Output Data

The solution output associated with the element is in two forms:

• Nodal displacements included in the overall nodal solution

• Additional element output as shown in Table .92.1: SOLID92 Element Output Definitions (p. 308)

Several items are illustrated in Figure .92.2: SOLID92 Stress Output (p. 308). The element stress directions
are parallel to the element coordinate system. The surface stress outputs are in the surface coordinate
system and are available for any face (KEYOPT(6)). The coordinate system for face J-I-K is shown in Fig-
ure .92.2: SOLID92 Stress Output (p. 308). The other surface coordinate systems follow similar orientations
as indicated by the pressure face node description. Surface stress printout is valid only if the conditions
described in Element Solution are met. A general description of solution output is given in Solution
Output. See the Basic Analysis Guide for ways to view results.

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SOLID92

Figure .92.2: SOLID92 Stress Output

L

SY
R
P
Y SX
Q
SZ O K
X
I x y N
Z
M
Surface Coordinate System
J

The Element Output Definitions table uses the following notation:

A colon (:) in the Name column indicates that the item can be accessed by the Component Name
method (ETABLE, ESOL). The O column indicates the availability of the items in the file jobname.out.
The R column indicates the availability of the items in the results file.

In either the O or R columns, “Y” indicates that the item is always available, a number refers to a table
footnote that describes when the item is conditionally available, and “-” indicates that the item is not
available.

Table .92.1: SOLID92 Element Output Definitions

Name Definition O R
EL Element Number Y Y
NODES Corner nodes - I, J, K, L Y Y
MAT Material number Y Y
VOLU: Volume Y Y
XC, YC, ZC Location where results are reported Y 3
PRES Pressures P1 at nodes J, I, K; P2 at I, J, L; P3 at J, K, Y Y
L; P4 at K, I, L
TEMP Temperatures T(I), T(J), T(K), T(L) Y Y
FLUEN Fluences FL(I), FL(J), FL(K), FL(L), FL(M), FL(N), FL(O), Y Y
FL(P), FL(Q), FL(R)
S:X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, XZ Stresses Y Y
S:1, 2, 3 Principal stresses Y Y
S:INT Stress intensity Y Y
S:EQV Equivalent stress Y Y
EPEL:X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, Elastic strains Y Y
XZ
EPEL:1, 2, 3 Principal elastic strains Y Y
EPEL:EQV Equivalent elastic strains [4] Y -
EPTH:X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, Thermal strains 1 1
XZ
EPTH:EQV Equivalent thermal strains [4] 1 1

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 SOLID92

Name Definition O R
EPPL:X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, Plastic strains 1 1
XZ
EPPL:EQV Equivalent plastic strains [4] 1 1
EPCR:X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, Creep strains 1 1
XZ
EPCR:EQV Equivalent creep strains [4] 1 1
EPSW: Swelling strain 1 1
NL:EPEQ Average equivalent plastic strain 1 1
NL:SRAT Ratio of trial stress to stress on yield surface 1 1
NL:SEPL Equivalent stress from stress-strain curve 1 1
NL:HPRES Hydrostatic pressure - 1
FACE Face label 2 2
TRI Nodes on this face 2 -
AREA Face area 2 2
TEMP Face average temperature 2 2
EPEL(X, Y, XY) Surface elastic strains 2 2
PRES Surface pressure 2 2
S(X, Y, XY) Surface stresses 2 2
S(1, 2, 3) Surface principal stresses 2 2
SINT Surface stress intensity 2 2
SEQV Surface equivalent stress 2 2
LOCI:X, Y, Z Integration point locations - Y

1. Nonlinear solution (output if the element has a nonlinear material)

2. Surface output (if KEYOPT(6) = 4 and a nonzero pressure face)

3. Available only at centroid as a *GET item.

4. The equivalent strains use an effective Poisson's ratio: for elastic and thermal this value is set by the
user (MP,PRXY); for plastic and creep this value is set at 0.5.

Table .92.2: SOLID92 Miscellaneous Element Output

Description Names of Items Output O R

Integration Point Stress Solution TEMP, SINT, SEQV, EPEL, S, EPPL, 1 -
EPCR, EPSW, EPEQ, SRAT, SEPL,
HPRES
Nodal Stress Solution LOCATION, TEMP, SINT, SEQV, S 2 -

1. Output at each integration point, if KEYOPT(5) = 1

2. Output at each vertex node, if KEYOPT(5) = 2

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SOLID92

Table .92.3: SOLID92 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 310) lists output available through the ETABLE
command using the Sequence Number method. See The General Postprocessor (POST1) in the Basic
Analysis Guide and The Item and Sequence Number Table in this manual for more information. The
following notation is used in Table .92.3: SOLID92 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 310):

Name

output quantity as defined in the Table .92.1: SOLID92 Element Output Definitions (p. 308)

Item

predetermined Item label for ETABLE command

I,J,...,R

sequence number for data at nodes I,J,...,R

Table .92.3: SOLID92 Item and Sequence Numbers

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item I J K L M,...,R
Name
P1 SMISC 2 1 3 - -
P2 SMISC 4 5 - 6 -
P3 SMISC - 7 8 9 -
P4 SMISC 11 - 10 12 -
S:1 NMISC 1 6 11 16 -
S:2 NMISC 2 7 12 17 -
S:3 NMISC 3 8 13 18 -
S:INT NMISC 4 9 14 19 -
S:EQV NMISC 5 10 15 20 -

See Surface Solution for the item and sequence numbers for surface output for the ETABLE command.

SOLID92 Assumptions and Restrictions

• The element must not have a zero volume. Elements may be numbered either as shown in Fig-
ure .92.1: SOLID92 Geometry (p. 305) or may have node L below the I-J-K plane.

• An edge with a removed midside node implies that the displacement varies linearly, rather than
parabolically, along that edge. See Quadratic Elements (Midside Nodes) in the Modeling and Meshing
Guide for information about the use of midside nodes.

SOLID92 Product Restrictions

When used in the product(s) listed below, the stated product-specific restrictions apply to this element
in addition to the general assumptions and restrictions given in the previous section.

Ansys Professional

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 SOLID92

• Fluence body loads are not applicable.

• The only special feature allowed is stress stiffening.

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SOLID95
3-D 20-Node Structural Solid
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on
Product Restrictions (p. 320)

SOLID95 Element Description

Although this archived element is available for use in your analysis, Ansys, Inc. recommends using a
current-technology element such as SOLID186 (KEYOPT(2) = 1, or KEYOPT(2) = 0 for nonlinear analyses).

SOLID95 is a higher-order version of the 3-D 8-node solid element SOLID45. It can tolerate irregular
shapes without as much loss of accuracy. SOLID95 elements have compatible displacement shapes and
are well suited to model curved boundaries.

The element is defined by 20 nodes having three degrees of freedom per node: translations in the
nodal x, y, and z directions. The element may have any spatial orientation. SOLID95 has plasticity, creep,
stress stiffening, large deflection, and large strain capabilities. Various printout options are also available.

Figure .95.1: SOLID95 Geometry

M,N,O,P,U,V,W,X
Y A,B
Z
K,L,S
I T R
5 P 4 Q
J
W
X Tetrahedral Option
O
6 M,N,O,P,U,V,W,X
M
B V A
Y B Z
U
N T
A K
L S
Y 2 3 I
R
L S Q J
T Z Pyramid Option
K X
I O,P,W
Z M
R
Q 1 U V A,B
J Y N
Y Z
I K,L,S
X T
Q R
J
Prism Option

SOLID95 Input Data

The geometry, node locations, and the coordinate system for this element are shown in Figure .95.1: SOL-
ID95 Geometry (p. 313). A prism-shaped element may be formed by defining the same node numbers
for nodes K, L, and S; nodes A and B; and nodes O, P, and W. A tetrahedral-shaped element and a pyr-
amid-shaped element may also be formed as shown in Figure .95.1: SOLID95 Geometry (p. 313). A similar,
but 10-node tetrahedron, element is SOLID187.

Besides the nodes, the element input data includes the orthotropic material properties. Orthotropic
material directions correspond to the element coordinate directions. The element coordinate system
orientation is as described in Coordinate Systems.

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SOLID95

Element loads are described in Element Loading. Pressures may be input as surface loads on the element
faces as shown by the circled numbers on Figure .95.1: SOLID95 Geometry (p. 313). Positive pressures
act into the element. Temperatures may be input as element body loads at the nodes. The node I
temperature T(I) defaults to TUNIF. If all other temperatures are unspecified, they default to T(I). If all
corner node temperatures are specified, each midside node temperature defaults to the average tem-
perature of its adjacent corner nodes. For any other input temperature pattern, unspecified temperatures
default to TUNIF.

A lumped mass matrix formulation, which may be useful for certain analyses, may be obtained with
LUMPM. While the consistent matrix gives good results for most applications, the lumped matrix may
give better results with reduced analyses using Guyan reduction. The KEYOPT(5) and (6) parameters
provide various element printout options (see Element Solution).

You cannot set initial state conditions (INISTATE) using this element. You can set initial state conditions
using current-technology elements only (such as LINK180,SHELL181). To continue using initial state
conditions in future releases, consider using a current element technology. For more information, see
Older vs. Current Element Technologies in the Element Reference. For more information about setting
initial state values, see the INISTATE command documentation and Initial State Loading in the Basic
Analysis Guide.

If an unsymmetric matrix is needed for pressure load stiffness effects, use NROPT,UNSYM.

A summary of the element input is given in "SOLID95 Input Summary" (p. 314). A general description of
element input is given in Element Input.

SOLID95 Input Summary

Nodes

I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z, A, B

Degrees of Freedom

UX, UY, UZ

Real Constants

None

Material Properties

EX, EY, EZ, ALPX, ALPY, ALPZ (or CTEX, CTEY, CTEZ or THSX, THSY, THSZ), PRXY, PRYZ, PRXZ (or NUXY,
NUYZ, NUXZ), DENS, GXY, GYZ, GXZ, BETD, ALPD, DMPR

Surface Loads

Pressures --

face 1 (J-I-L-K), face 2 (I-J-N-M), face 3 (J-K-O-N),

face 4 (K-L-P-O), face 5 (L-I-M-P), face 6 (M-N-O-P)

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 SOLID95

Body Loads

Temperatures --

T(I), T(J), ..., T(Z), T(A), T(B)

Special Features

Plasticity (BISO, BKIN, DP, ANISO)

Creep (CREEP, RATE)
Swelling (SWELL)
Elasticity (MELAS)
Other material (USER)
Stress stiffening
Large deflection
Large strain
Birth and death
Adaptive descent

Items in parentheses refer to Lab data tables associated with the TB,Lab command.

KEYOPT(5)

Extra element output:

0 --

Basic element printout

1 --

Repeat basic solution for all integration points

2 --

Nodal stress printout

KEYOPT(6)

Extra surface output:

0 --

Basic element printout

1 --

Surface printout for face I-J-N-M

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SOLID95

2 --

Surface printout for face I-J-N-M and face K-L-P-O (Surface printout valid for linear materials
only)

3 --

Nonlinear printout at each integration point

4 --

Surface printout for faces with nonzero pressure

KEYOPT(11)

Integration rule:

0 --

No reduced integration (default)

1 --

2 x 2 x 2 reduced integration option for brick shape

See Failure Criteria in the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference for an explanation of the three predefined
failure criteria. For a complete discussion of failure criteria, please refer to Failure Criteria.

SOLID95 Output Data

The solution output associated with the element is in two forms:

• Nodal displacements included in the overall nodal solution

• Additional element output as shown in Table .95.1: SOLID95 Element Output Definitions (p. 317)

Several items are illustrated in Figure .95.2: SOLID95 Stress Output (p. 317).

The element stress directions are parallel to the element coordinate system. The surface stress outputs
are in the surface coordinate systems and are available for any face (KEYOPT(6)). The coordinate systems
for faces I-J-N-M and K-L-P-O are shown in Figure .95.2: SOLID95 Stress Output (p. 317). The other surface
coordinate systems follow similar orientations as indicated by the pressure face node description. Surface
printout is valid only if the conditions described in Element Solution are met. The SXY component is
the in-plane shear stress on that face. A general description of solution output is given in Solution
Output. See the Basic Analysis Guide for ways to view results.

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 SOLID95

Figure .95.2: SOLID95 Stress Output

5 P 4
W
X
O
SZ 6
M V y
B
y
U N x
A
Y 2 SY 3
L SX
S
x Z
T K
I
Z R
Q 1
J
Y Surface Coordinate System
X

The Element Output Definitions table uses the following notation:

A colon (:) in the Name column indicates that the item can be accessed by the Component Name
method (ETABLE, ESOL). The O column indicates the availability of the items in the file jobname.out.
The R column indicates the availability of the items in the results file.

In either the O or R columns, “Y” indicates that the item is always available, a number refers to a table
footnote that describes when the item is conditionally available, and “-” indicates that the item is not
available.

Table .95.1: SOLID95 Element Output Definitions

Name Definition O R
EL Element number and name Y Y
CORNER NODES Nodes - I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P Y Y
MAT Material number Y Y
VOLU: Volume Y Y
XC, YC, ZC Location where results are reported Y 3
PRES Pressures P1 at nodes J, I, L, K; P2 at I, J, N, M; P3 Y Y
at J, K, O, N; P4 at K, L, P, O; P5 at L, I, M, P; P6 at
M, N, O, P
TEMP Temperatures T(I), T(J), ..., T(Z), T(A), T(B) Y Y
S:X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, XZ Stresses Y Y
S:1, 2, 3 Principal stresses Y Y
S:INT Stress intensity Y Y
S:EQV Equivalent stress Y Y
EPEL:X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, Elastic strains Y Y
XZ
EPEL:1, 2, 3 Principal elastic strains Y -
EPEL:EQV Equivalent elastic strain [4] Y Y
EPTH:X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, Average thermal strains 1 1
XZ
EPTH:EQV Equivalent thermal strain [4] 1 1

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SOLID95

Name Definition O R
EPPL:X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, Average plastic strains 1 1
XZ
EPPL:EQV Equivalent plastic strain [4] 1 1
EPCR:X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, Average creep strains 1 1
XZ
EPCR:EQV Equivalent creep strain [4] 1 1
EPSW: Swelling strain 1 1
NL:EPEQ Average equivalent plastic strain 1 1
NL:SRAT Ratio of trial stress to stress on yield surface 1 1
NL:SEPL Average equivalent stress from stress-strain curve 1 1
NL:HPRES Hydrostatic pressure - 1
FACE Face label 2 2
AREA Face area 2 2
TEMP Face average temperature 2 2
EPEL(X, Y, XY) Surface elastic strains 2 2
PRES Surface pressure 2 2
S(X, Y, XY) Surface stresses (X-axis parallel to line defined by 2 2
first two nodes which define the face)
S(1, 2, 3) Surface principal stresses 2 2
SINT Surface stress intensity 2 2
SEQV Surface equivalent stress 2 2
LOCI:X, Y, Z Integration point locations - Y

1. Nonlinear solution (output only if the element has a nonlinear material)

2. Surface output (if KEYOPT(6) is 1, 2, or 4)

3. Available only at centroid as a *GET item

4. The equivalent strains use an effective Poisson's ratio: for elastic and thermal this value is set by the
user (MP,PRXY); for plastic and creep this value is set at 0.5.

Table .95.2: SOLID95 Miscellaneous Element Output

Description Names of Items Output O R

Nonlinear Integration Pt. Solution EPPL, EPEQ, SRAT, SEPL, HPRES, 1 -
EPCR
Integration Point Stress Solution TEMP, S, SINT, SEQV, EPEL 2 -
Nodal Stress Solution TEMP, S, SINT, SEQV, EPEL 3 -

1. Output at each integration point, if the element has a nonlinear material and KEYOPT(6) = 3

2. Output at each integration point, if KEYOPT(5) = 1

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 SOLID95

3. Output at each node, if KEYOPT(5) = 2

Table .95.3: SOLID95 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 319) lists output available through the ETABLE
command using the Sequence Number method. See The General Postprocessor (POST1) in the Basic
Analysis Guide and The Item and Sequence Number Table in this manual for more information. The
following notation is used in Table .95.3: SOLID95 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 319):

Name

output quantity as defined in Table .95.1: SOLID95 Element Output Definitions (p. 317)

Item

predetermined Item label for ETABLE command

I,J,...,P

sequence number for data at nodes I,J,...,P

Table .95.3: SOLID95 Item and Sequence Numbers

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item I J K L M N O P
Name
P1 SMISC 2 1 4 3 - - - -
P2 SMISC 5 6 - - 8 7 - -
P3 SMISC - 9 10 - - 12 11 -
P4 SMISC - - 13 14 - - 16 15
P5 SMISC 18 - - 17 19 - - 20
P6 SMISC - - - - 21 22 23 24
S:1 NMISC 1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36
S:2 NMISC 2 7 12 17 22 27 32 37
S:3 NMISC 3 8 13 18 23 28 33 38
S:INT NMISC 4 9 14 19 24 29 34 39
S:EQV NMISC 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Note:

N refers to the failure criterion number: N = 1 for the first failure criterion, N = 2 for the
second failure criterion, and so on.

See Surface Solution for the item and sequence numbers for surface output for the ETABLE command.

SOLID95 Assumptions and Restrictions

• The element must not have a zero volume.

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SOLID95

• The element may not be twisted such that the element has two separate volumes. This occurs most
frequently when the element is not numbered properly.

• Elements may be numbered either as shown in Figure .95.1: SOLID95 Geometry (p. 313) or may have
the planes IJKL and MNOP interchanged.

• An edge with a removed midside node implies that the displacement varies linearly, rather than
parabolically, along that edge. See Quadratic Elements (Midside Nodes) in the Modeling and Meshing
Guide for more information on the use of midside nodes.

• Degeneration to the form of pyramid should be used with caution. The element sizes, when degen-
erated, should be small in order to minimize the stress gradients. Pyramid elements are best used as
filler elements or in meshing transition zones.

SOLID95 Product Restrictions

When used in the product(s) listed below, the stated product-specific restrictions apply to this element
in addition to the general assumptions and restrictions given in the previous section.

Ansys Professional

• The only special feature allowed is stress stiffening.

• KEYOPT(6) = 3 is not applicable.

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CONTA171
2-D 2-Node Surface-to-Surface Contact
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on
Product Restrictions (p. 345)

CONTA171 Element Description

Although this archived element is available for use in your analysis, Ansys, Inc. recommends using the
more general-purpose CONTA172 element, which can be used with or without midside nodes.

CONTA171 is used to represent contact and sliding between 2-D target surfaces and a deformable surface,
defined by this element. The element is applicable to 2-D structural and coupled-field contact analyses.
It can be used for both pair-based contact and general contact.

In the case of pair-based contact, the target surface is defined by the 2-D target element type, TARGE169.
In the case of general contact, the target surface can be defined by CONTA171 elements (for deformable
surfaces) or TARGE169 elements (for rigid bodies only).

This element is located on the surfaces of 2-D solid, shell, or beam elements without midside nodes
(for example, PLANE182, INTER192, SHELL208, CPT212, MATRIX50).

The element has the same geometric characteristics as the solid, shell, or beam element face with which
it is connected (see Figure .171.1: CONTA171 Geometry (p. 321)). Contact occurs when the element surface
penetrates an associated target surface.

Coulomb friction, shear stress friction, user-defined friction with the USERFRIC subroutine, and user-
defined contact interaction with the USERINTER subroutine are allowed. This element also allows
separation of bonded contact to simulate interface delamination.

Figure .171.1: CONTA171 Geometry

Associated Target Surface

Contact normal Contact Element

Surface of Solid/Shell/Beam Element

J I
Y

CONTA171 Input Data

The geometry and node locations are shown in Figure .171.1: CONTA171 Geometry (p. 321). The element
is defined by two nodes (the underlying solid, shell, or beam element has no midside nodes). If the
underlying solid, shell, or beam elements do have midside nodes, use CONTA172.

The element x-axis is along the I-J line of the element. The correct node ordering of the contact element
is critical for proper detection of contact. The nodes must be ordered such that the target lies to the
right side of the contact element when moving from the first contact element node to the second
contact element node as in Figure .171.1: CONTA171 Geometry (p. 321).

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CONTA171

Pair-Based Contact versus General Contact

There are two methods to define a contact interaction: the pair-based contact definition and the gen-
eral contact definition. Both contact definitions can exist in the same model. CONTA171 can be used
in either type of contact definition.

The pair-based contact definition is usually more efficient and more robust than the general contact
definition; it supports more options and specific contact features.

Pair-Based Contact

In a pair-based contact definition, the 2-D contact surface elements (CONTA171 and CONTA172) are
associated with the 2-D target segment elements (TARGE169) via a shared real constant set. The program
looks for contact only between surfaces with the same real constant set ID (which is greater than zero).
The material ID associated with the contact element is used to specify interaction properties (such as
friction coefficient) defined by MP or TB commands.

If more than one target surface will make contact with the same boundary of solid elements, you must
define several contact elements that share the same geometry but relate to separate targets (targets
which have different real constant numbers). Alternatively, you can combine several target surfaces into
one (that is, multiple targets sharing the same real constant number). See Identifying Contact Pairs in
the Contact Technology Guide for more information.

For rigid-flexible and flexible-flexible contact, one of the deformable surfaces must be represented by
a contact surface. See Designating Contact and Target Surfaces in the Contact Technology Guide for
more information.

See Generating Contact Elements in the Contact Technology Guide for more information on generating
elements automatically using the ESURF command.

General Contact

CONTA171 can be used in a general contact definition, although it is not directly generated by the
GCGEN command. In a general contact definition, the general contact surfaces are generated automat-
ically by the GCGEN command based on physical parts and geometric shapes in the model. The program
overlays contact surface elements (CONTA172) on 2-D deformable bodies (on both lower- and higher-
order elements) and vertex-to-surface elements (CONTA175) on convex corners of 2-D solid bodies
and/or shell structures. The general contact definition may also contain target elements (TARGE169)
overlaid on the surfaces of standalone rigid bodies and lower-order contact surface elements (CONTA171)
overlaid on 2-D deformable bodies.

The GCGEN command automatically assigns section IDs and element type IDs for each general contact
surface. As a result, each general contact surface consists of contact or target elements that are easily
identified by a unique section ID number. The real constant ID and material ID are always set to zero
for contact and target elements in the general contact definition.

The program looks for contact interaction among all surfaces and within each surface. You can further
control contact interactions between specific surfaces that could potentially be in contact by using the
GCDEF command. The material ID and real constant ID input on GCDEF identify interface properties
(defined by MP or TB commands) and contact control parameters (defined by the R command) for a
specific contact interaction. Unlike a pair-based contact definition, the contact and target elements in
the general contact definition are not associated with these material and real constant ID numbers.

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If both pair-based contact and general contact are defined in a model, the pair-based contact definitions
are preserved, and the general contact definition automatically excludes overlapping interactions
wherever pair-based contact exists.

Some element key options are not used or are set automatically for general contact. See the individual
KEYOPT descriptions in "CONTA171 Input Summary" (p. 324) for details.

Friction
To model isotropic friction, use the TB,FRIC,,,,ISO command. You can define a coefficient of friction that
is dependent on temperature, time, normal pressure, sliding distance, or sliding relative velocity by using
the TBFIELD command along with TB,FRIC,,,,ISO. See Contact Friction in the Material Reference for more
information.

To implement a user-defined friction model, use the TB,FRIC command with TBOPT = USER to specify
friction properties and write a USERFRIC subroutine to compute friction forces. See Writing Your Own
Friction Law (USERFRIC) in the Contact Technology Guide for more information on how to use this
feature. See also the Guide to User-Programmable Features in the Programmer's Reference for a detailed
description of the USERFRIC subroutine.

Other Input
The contact interaction subroutine USERINTER is available for user-defined interface interactions, in-
cluding interactions in the normal and tangential directions as well as coupled-field interactions. See
Defining Your Own Contact Interaction (USERINTER) in the Contact Technology Guide for more inform-
ation on how to use this feature. See also the Guide to User-Programmable Features in the Programmer's
Reference for a detailed description of the USERINTER subroutine.

To model fluid penetration loads, use the SFE command to specify the fluid pressure and fluid penetration
starting points. For more information, see Applying Fluid Pressure-Penetration Loads in the Contact
Technology Guide.

To model proper momentum transfer and energy balance between contact and target surfaces, impact
constraints should be used in transient dynamic analysis. See the description of KEYOPT(7) below and
the contact element discussion in the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference for details.

To model separation of bonded contact with KEYOPT(12) = 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, use the TB command with
the CZM label. See Debonding in the Contact Technology Guide for more information.

To model wear at the contact surface, use the TB command with the WEAR label. See Contact Surface
Wear in the Contact Technology Guide for more information.

This element supports various 2-D stress states, including plane stress, plane strain, and axisymmetric
states. The stress state is automatically detected according to the stress state of the underlying element.
However, if the underlying element is a superelement, you must use KEYOPT(3) to specify the stress
state.

Two types of geometry correction are available for this element: surface smoothing and bolt thread
modeling. Surface smoothing is a geometry correction technique that eliminates inaccuracies introduced
by linear elements on a curved (circular or nearly circular) contact surface. Bolt thread modeling provides
a method for simulating contact between a threaded bolt and bolt hole without having to model the
detailed thread geometry. Both of these geometry correction techniques are implemented through

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section definitions (SECTYPE, SECDATA, and SECNUM commands). For more information, see Geometry
Correction for Contact and Target Surfaces in the Contact Technology Guide.

A summary of the element input is given in "CONTA171 Input Summary" (p. 324). A general description
of element input is given in Element Input. For axisymmetric applications see Harmonic Axisymmetric
Elements.

CONTA171 Input Summary

Nodes

I, J

Degrees of Freedom

Set by KEYOPT(1)

Real Constants

R1, R2, FKN, FTOLN, ICONT, PINB,

PZER, CZER, TAUMAX, CNOF, FKOP, FKT,
COHE, TCC, FHTG, SBCT, RDVF, FWGT,
ECC, FHEG, FACT, DC, SLTO, TNOP,
TOLS, , PPCN, FPAT, COR, STRM,
FDMN, FDMT, , , TBND, WBID,
PCC, PSEE, ABPP, FPFT, FPWT, DCC,
DCON, ABDC, , , TFOR, TEND
See Table .171.1: CONTA171 Real Constants (p. 334) for descriptions of the real constants.

Material Properties

TB command: CZM, FRIC, INTER, WEAR

MP command: MU, EMIS, DMPR, DMPS

Surface Loads

Pressure, Face 1 (I-J) (opposite to contact normal direction); used for fluid pressure penetration
loading. On the SFE command use LKEY = 1 to specify the pressure values, and use LKEY = 2
to specify starting points and penetrating points.
Convection, Face 1 (I-J)
Heat Flux, Face 1 (I-J)

Special Features

Birth and death

Debonding
Fluid pressure penetration

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Isotropic friction
Large deflection
Linear perturbation
Nonlinear adaptivity
Nonlinearity
Rezoning
User-defined contact interaction
User-defined friction

KEYOPTs

Presented below is a list of KEYOPTS available for this element. Included are links to sections in the
Contact Technology Guide where more information is available on a particular topic.

KEYOPT(1)

Selects degrees of freedom:

0 --

UX, UY

1 --

UX, UY, TEMP

2 --

TEMP

3 --

UX, UY, TEMP, VOLT

4 --

TEMP, VOLT

5 --

UX, UY, VOLT

6 --

VOLT

7 --

AZ

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8 --

UX, UY, PRES

9 --

UX, UY, PRES, TEMP

10 --

PRES

11 --

UX, UY, CONC, TEMP

12 --

UX, UY, CONC, TEMP, VOLT

13 --

UX, UY, CONC

14 --

CONC

Note:

For general contact, the GCGEN command automatically sets KEYOPT(1) based on the
degrees of freedom of the underlying solid or shell elements.

KEYOPT(2)

Contact algorithm:

0 --

Augmented Lagrangian (default)

1 --

Penalty function

2 --

Multipoint constraint (MPC); see Multipoint Constraints and Assemblies in the Contact Technology
Guide for more information

3 --

Lagrange multiplier on contact normal and penalty on tangent

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4 --

Pure Lagrange multiplier on contact normal and tangent

Note:

For general contact, the GCGEN command automatically sets KEYOPT(2) = 1 (penalty
function).

KEYOPT(3)

Units of normal contact stiffness:

0 --

FORCE/LENGTH3 (default)

1 --

FORCE/LENGTH

Note:

KEYOPT(3) = 1 is valid only when a penalty-based algorithm is used (KEYOPT(2) = 0 or

1) and the absolute normal contact stiffness value is explicitly specified (that is, a negative
value input for real constant FKN).

Note:

KEYOPT(3) is not supported for contact elements used in a general contact definition.

If superelements are present in a 2-D model, KEYOPT(3) does not control units of normal contact
stiffness. Instead, KEYOPT(3) specifies the stress state as follows: KEYOPT(3) = 1 for axisymmetric;
KEYOPT(3) = 2 for plane stress/plane strain with unit thickness; KEYOPT(3) = 3 for plane stress with
thickness input. (KEYOPT(3) = 0 indicates no superelements.)

KEYOPT(4)

Location of contact detection point:

0 --

On Gauss point (for general cases)

1 --

On nodal point - normal from contact surface

2 --

On nodal point - normal to target surface

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3 --

On nodal point - normal from contact surface (projection-based method)

Note:

Certain restrictions apply when the surface projection-based method (KEYOPT(4) = 3) is

defined. See Using the Surface Projection Based Contact Method (KEYOPT(4) = 3) for
more information.

Note:

When using the multipoint constraint (MPC) approach to define surface-based constraints,
use KEYOPT(4) in the following way:

Set KEYOPT(4) = 1 for a force-distributed constraint. (This option also applies to

a force-distributed constraint based on the Lagrange multiplier method.)
Set KEYOPT(4) = 2 for a rigid surface constraint.
Set KEYOPT(4) = 3 for a coupling constraint.
See Surface-based Constraints for more information.

KEYOPT(5)

CNOF/ICONT Automated adjustment:

0 --

No automated adjustment

(There is an exception when KEYOPT(12) = 6 is set for bonded initial contact; in this case, auto
ICONT is applied by default. See Selecting Surface Interaction Models for more information.)

1 --

Close gap with auto CNOF

2 --

Reduce penetration with auto CNOF

3 --

Close gap/reduce penetration with auto CNOF

4 --

Auto ICONT

KEYOPT(6)

Contact stiffness variation (used to enhance stiffness updating when KEYOPT(10) ≠ 1):

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0 --

Use default range for stiffness updating

1 --

Make a nominal refinement to the allowable stiffness range

2 --

Make an aggressive refinement to the allowable stiffness range

3 --

Use an exponential pressure-penetration relationship

KEYOPT(7)

Element level time incrementation control / impact constraints:

0 --

No control

1 --

Automatic bisection of increment

2 --

Change in contact predictions made to maintain a reasonable time/load increment

3 --

Change in contact predictions made to achieve the minimum time/load increment whenever a
change in contact status occurs

4 --

Use impact constraints for standard or rough contact (KEYOPT(12) = 0 or 1) in a transient dynamic
analysis with automatic adjustment of time increment

Note:

KEYOPT(7) = 4 is not supported for contact elements used in a general contact definition.

KEYOPT(8)

Symmetric contact behavior:

0 --

Both symmetric pairs are active. However, each pair has its own contact characteristics.

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1 --

Both symmetric pairs are active and have the same contact characteristics.

2 --

The program internally selects which asymmetric contact pair is used at the solution stage (used
only when symmetric contact is defined). However, the contact stiffness of the active contact
pair is influenced by the underlying element stiffness of the inactive pair.

3 --

The program internally selects which asymmetric contact pair is used at the solution stage (used
only when symmetric contact is defined). The contact characteristics of the active contact pair
are completely independent of the inactive pair.

Note:

KEYOPT(8) settings are ignored for asymmetric contact pairs and rigid-to-rigid contact
pairs.

Note:

KEYOPT(8) is ignored for contact elements used in a general contact definition. Instead,
use the command GCDEF,AUTO to enable auto-asymmetric pairing logic.

KEYOPT(9)

Effect of initial penetration or gap:

0 --

Include both initial geometrical penetration or gap and offset

1 --

Exclude both initial geometrical penetration or gap and offset

2 --

Include both initial geometrical penetration or gap and offset, but with ramped effects

3 --

Include offset only (exclude initial geometrical penetration or gap)

4 --

Include offset only (exclude initial geometrical penetration or gap), but with ramped effects

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5 --

Include offset only (exclude initial geometrical penetration or gap) regardless of the initial contact
status (near-field or closed)

6 --

Include offset only (exclude initial geometrical penetration or gap), but with ramped effects re-
gardless of the initial contact status (near-field or closed)

Note:

The effects of KEYOPT(9) are dependent on settings for other KEYOPTs. The indicated
initial gap effect is considered only if KEYOPT(12) = 4 or 5. See the discussion on using
KEYOPT(9) in the Contact Technology Guide for more information.

Note:

KEYOPT(9) is not supported for contact elements used in a general contact definition.
Instead, use the command TBDATA,,C1 in conjunction with TB,INTER to specify the effect
of initial penetration or gap. If TBDATA,,C1 is not specified, the default for general contact
is to exclude initial penetration/gap and offset. For more information, see Interaction
Options for General Contact Definitions in the Material Reference.

KEYOPT(10)

Contact stiffness update:

0 --

Each iteration based on the current mean stress of underlying elements. The actual elastic slip
never exceeds the maximum allowable limit (SLTO) during the entire solution.

1 --

Each load step if FKN is redefined during the load step.

2 --

Each iteration based on the current mean stress of underlying elements. The actual elastic slip
does not exceed the maximum allowable limit (SLTO) within a substep.

Note:

For general contact, the GCGEN command automatically sets KEYOPT(10) = 0.

KEYOPT(11)

Beam/Shell thickness effect:

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CONTA171

0 --

Exclude

1 --

Include

Note:

For general contact, the GCGEN command automatically sets KEYOPT(11) = 1.

KEYOPT(12)

Behavior of contact surface:

0 --

Standard

1 --

Rough

2 --

No separation (sliding permitted)

3 --

Bonded

4 --

No separation (always)

5 --

Bonded (always)

6 --

Bonded (initial contact)

Note:

When KEYOPT(12) = 5 or 6 is used with the MPC algorithm to model surface-based con-
straints, the KEYOPT(12) setting will have an effect on the local coordinate system of the

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contact element nodes. See Specifying a Local Coordinate System in the Contact Techno-
logy Guide for more information.

Note:

KEYOPT(12) is not supported for contact elements used in a general contact definition.
Instead, use the command TB,INTER with the appropriate TBOPT label to specify the
behavior at the contact surface. For more information, see Interaction Options for General
Contact Definitions in the Material Reference.

KEYOPT(14)

Behavior of fluid pressure penetration load. KEYOPT(14) is valid only if a fluid pressure penetration
load (SFE,,,PRES) is applied to the contact element:

0 --

Fluid pressure penetration load is applied based on the contact status of the current iteration.
Any contact detection point which was previously exposed to the fluid pressure remains in the
condition of “penetrating” (default).

1 --

Fluid pressure penetration load is applied based on the contact status of the last converged
substep. Any contact detection point which was previously exposed to the fluid pressure remains
in the condition of “penetrating”.

2 --

Fluid pressure penetration load is applied based on the contact status of the current iteration.
At each iteration, the fluid pressure penetration load is newly applied from the initial starting
points.

3 --

Fluid pressure penetration load is applied based on the contact status of the last converged
substep. At each iteration, the fluid pressure penetration load is newly applied from the initial
starting points.

Note:

KEYOPT(14) is not supported for contact elements used in a general contact definition.

KEYOPT(15)

Effect of contact stabilization damping:

0 --

Damping is activated only in the first load step (default).

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1 --

Deactivate automatic damping.

2 --

Damping is activated for all load steps.

3 --

Damping is activated at all times regardless of the contact status of previous substeps.

Note:

Normal stabilization damping is only applied to the contact element when the current
contact status of the contact detection point is near-field. When KEYOPT(15) = 0, 1, or 2,
normal stabilization damping is not applied in the current substep if any contact detection
point has a closed status. However, when KEYOPT(15) = 3, normal stabilization damping
is always applied as long as the current contact status of the contact detection point is
near-field. Tangential stabilization damping is automatically activated when normal
damping is activated. Tangential damping can also be applied independent of normal
damping for sliding contact. See Applying Contact Stabilization Damping in the Contact
Technology Guide for more information.

KEYOPT(18)

Sliding behavior:

0 --

Finite sliding (default). The contacting interface can undergo separation, relative large sliding,
and arbitrary rotation.

1 --

Small sliding. The contacting interface can undergo only small sliding; arbitrary rotation is per-
mitted.

Table .171.1: CONTA171 Real Constants

No. Name Description For more information, see

this section in the Contact
Technology Guide . . .
1 R1 Target circle radius Defining the Target
Surface
2 R2 Superelement thickness Defining the Target
Surface
3 FKN Normal penalty stiffness factor [1] [2] Determining Contact
[3] Stiffness and
Penetration

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No. Name Description For more information, see

this section in the Contact
Technology Guide . . .
4 FTOLN Penetration tolerance factor Determining Contact
Stiffness and
Penetration
5 ICONT Initial contact closure Adjusting Initial
Contact Conditions
6 PINB Pinball region Determining Contact
Status and the Pinball
Region
or

Defining Influence
Range (PINB)
7 PZER Pressure at zero penetration [1] [2] Exponential
Pressure-Penetration
Relationship (KEYOPT(6) =
3)
8 CZER Initial contact clearance Exponential
Pressure-Penetration
Relationship (KEYOPT(6) =
3)
9 TAUMAX Maximum friction stress [1] [2] Choosing a Friction
Model
10 CNOF Contact surface offset [1] [2] Adjusting Initial
Contact Conditions
11 FKOP Contact opening stiffness [1] [2] Selecting Surface
Interaction Models
12 FKT Tangent penalty stiffness factor [1] [2] Determining Contact
Stiffness
13 COHE Contact cohesion Choosing a Friction
Model
14 TCC Thermal contact conductance [1] [2] Modeling Conduction
15 FHTG Frictional heating factor Modeling Heat
Generation Due to
Friction
16 SBCT Stefan-Boltzmann constant Modeling Radiation
17 RDVF Radiation view factor [1] [2] Modeling Radiation
18 FWGT Heat distribution weighing factor Modeling Heat
Generation Due to
Friction (thermal)
or

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No. Name Description For more information, see

this section in the Contact
Technology Guide . . .
Heat Generation Due to
Electric Current
(electric)
19 ECC Electric contact conductance or electric Modeling Surface
contact capacitance [1] [2] [4] Interaction
20 FHEG Joule dissipation weight factor Heat Generation Due to
Electric Current
21 FACT Static/dynamic ratio Static and Dynamic
Friction Coefficients
22 DC Exponential decay coefficient Static and Dynamic
Friction Coefficients
23 SLTO Allowable elastic slip Using FKT and SLTO
24 TNOP Maximum allowable tensile contact Chattering Control
pressure Parameters
25 TOLS Target edge extension factor Selecting Location of
Contact Detection
27 PPCN Pressure penetration criterion [1] Specifying a Pressure
[2] Penetration Criterion
28 FPAT Fluid penetration acting time Specifying a Fluid
Penetration Acting
Time
29 COR Coefficient of restitution Impact Between Rigid
Bodies
30 STRM Load step number for ramping Modeling Interference
penetration Fit

or

Starting time for contact stiffness

ramping
31 FDMN Normal stabilization damping factor [1] [2] Applying Contact
Stabilization Damping
32 FDMT Tangential stabilization damping factor [1] Applying Contact
[2] Stabilization Damping
35 TBND Critical bonding temperature [1] [2] Using TBND
36 WBID Internal contact pair ID (used by Ansys
Workbench)
37 PCC Pore fluid contact permeability coefficient Modeling Pore Fluid
[1] [2] Flow at the Contact
Interface

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No. Name Description For more information, see

this section in the Contact
Technology Guide . . .
38 PSEE Pore fluid seepage coefficient [1] [2] Modeling Pore Fluid
Flow at the Contact
Interface
39 ABPP Ambient pore pressure[1] [2] Modeling Pore Fluid
Flow at the Contact
Interface
40 FPFT Gap pore fluid flow participation factor [1] Modeling Pore Fluid
[2] Flow at the Contact
Interface
41 FPWT Gap pore fluid flow distribution weighting Modeling Pore Fluid
factor Flow at the Contact
Interface
42 DCC Contact diffusivity coefficient [1] [2] Modeling Diffusion
Flow at the Contact
Interface
43 DCON Diffusive convection coefficient [1] [2] Modeling Diffusion
Flow at the Contact
Interface
44 ABDC Ambient concentration [1] [2] Modeling Diffusion
Flow at the Contact
Interface
47 TFOR Pair-based force tolerance Checking Contact
Pair-Based Force
Convergence
48 TEND Ending time for ramping contact stiffness Modeling Interference
Fit

1. This real constant can be defined as a function of certain primary variables.

2. This real constant can be defined by the user subroutine USERCNPROP.F.

3. When CONTA171 is used as part of a forced-distributed constraint and KEYOPT(7) = 2 on the

TARGE169 element, FKN is used to define weighting factors in tabular format with node number as
the primary variable.

4. ECC is electric contact conductance per unit area in a current-based electric analysis, or electric
contact capacitance per unit area in a charge-based electric analysis (see Modeling Surface Interaction).

CONTA171 Output Data

The solution output associated with the element is in two forms:

• Nodal displacements included in the overall nodal solution

• Additional element output as shown in Table .171.2: CONTA171 Element Output Definitions (p. 338)

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CONTA171

A general description of solution output is given in Solution Output. See the Basic Analysis Guide for
ways to view results.

The Element Output Definitions table uses the following notation:

A colon (:) in the Name column indicates that the item can be accessed by the Component Name
method (ETABLE, ESOL). The O column indicates the availability of the items in the file jobname.out.
The R column indicates the availability of the items in the results file.

In either the O or R columns, “Y” indicates that the item is always available, a number refers to a table
footnote that describes when the item is conditionally available, and “-” indicates that the item is not
available.

Table .171.2: CONTA171 Element Output Definitions (p. 338) gives element output. In the results file, the
nodal results are obtained from its closest integration point.

Table .171.2: CONTA171 Element Output Definitions

Name Definition O R
EL Element Number Y Y
NODES Nodes I, J Y Y
XC, YC Location where results are reported Y 5
TEMP Temperatures T(I), T(J) Y Y
LENGTH Element length Y -
VOLU AREA Y Y
NPI Number of integration points Y -
ITRGET Target surface number (assigned by the program) Y -
ISOLID Underlying solid, shell, or beam element number Y -
CONT:STAT Current contact statuses 1 1
OLDST Old contact statuses 1 1
NX, NY Surface normal vector components Y -
ISEG Current contacting target element number Y Y
OLDSEG Underlying old target number Y -
CONT:PENE Current penetration (gap = 0; penetration = positive value) Y Y
CONT:GAP Current gap (gap = negative value; penetration = 0) Y Y
NGAP New or current gap at current converged substep (gap = Y -
negative value; penetration = positive value)
OGAP Old gap at previously converged substep (gap = negative value; Y -
penetration = positive value)
IGAP Initial gap at start of current substep (gap = negative value; Y Y
penetration = positive value)
GGAP Geometric gap at current converged substep (gap = negative - Y
value; penetration = positive value)
CONT:PRES Normal contact pressure Y Y
CONT:SFRIC Tangential contact stress Y Y

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 CONTA171

Name Definition O R
3
KN Current normal contact stiffness (Force/Length ) Y Y
3
KT Current tangent contact stiffness (Force/Length ) Y Y
MU Friction coefficient Y Y
CONT:SLIDE Total accumulated sliding (algebraic sum) 3 3
ASLIDE Total accumulated sliding (absolute sum) 3 3
TOLN Penetration tolerance Y Y
CONT:STOTAL Total stress, SQRT (PRES**2+SFRIC**2) Y Y
FDDIS Frictional energy dissipation rate 6 6
ELSI Total elastic slip distance - Y
PLSI Total accumulated plastic slip due to frictional sliding - Y
GSLID Algebraic sum sliding - 7
VREL Sliding velocity (slip rate) - Y
DBA Penetration variation Y Y
PINB Pinball Region - Y
CONT:CNOS Total number of contact status changes during substep Y Y
TNOP Maximum allowable tensile contact pressure Y Y
SLTO Allowable elastic slip Y Y
CAREA Contacting area - Y
CONT:FPRS Actual applied fluid penetration pressure - Y
FSTART Fluid penetration starting time - Y
DTSTART Load step time during debonding Y Y
DPARAM Debonding parameter Y Y
DENERI [10] Energy released due to separation in normal direction - mode Y Y
I debonding
DENERII [10] Energy released due to separation in tangential direction - Y Y
mode II debonding
DENER [11] Total energy released due to debonding Y Y
CNFX [8] Contact element force-X component - 4
CNFY [8] Contact element force-Y component - 4
CNTX [9] Contact element force due to tangential stresses - X component - 4
CNTY [9] Contact element force due to tangential stresses - Y component - 4
SDAMP Stabilization damping coefficient - Y
WEARX, WEARY Wear correction - X and Y components - Y
CONV Convection coefficient Y Y
RAC Radiation coefficient Y Y
TCC Conductance coefficient Y Y
TEMPS Temperature at contact point Y Y
TEMPT Temperature at target surface Y Y

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CONTA171

Name Definition O R
FXCV Heat flux due to convection Y Y
FXRD Heat flux due to radiation Y Y
FXCD Heat flux due to conductance Y Y
CONT:FLUX Total heat flux at contact surface Y Y
FXNP Flux input - Y
CNFH Contact element heat flow - Y
JCONT Contact current density (Current/Unit Area) Y Y
CCONT Contact charge density (Charge/Unit Area) Y Y
HJOU Contact power/area Y Y
ECURT Current per contact element - Y
ECHAR Charge per contact element - Y
ECC Electric contact conductance (for electric current DOF), or Y Y
electric contact capacitance per unit area (for piezoelectric or
electrostatic DOFs)
VOLTS Voltage on contact nodes Y Y
VOLTT Voltage on associated target Y Y
PCC Pore fluid contact permeability coefficient Y Y
PSEE Pore fluid seepage coefficient Y Y
PRESS Pore pressure on contact nodes Y Y
PREST Pore pressure on associated target Y Y
PFLUX Pore volume flux density per unit area flow into contact surface Y Y
EPELX Pore volume flux per contact element - Y
DCC Contact diffusivity coefficient Y Y
DCON Diffusive convection coefficient Y Y
CONCS Concentration on contact nodes Y Y
CONCT Concentration on associated target Y Y
DFLUX Diffusion flux density per unit area flow into contact surface Y Y
EDELX Diffusion flux per contact element - Y

1. The possible values of STAT and OLDST are:

0 = Open and not near contact

1 = Open but near contact
2 = Closed and sliding
3 = Closed and sticking

2. The program will evaluate model to detect initial conditions.

3. Only accumulates the sliding for sliding and closed contact (STAT = 2,3).

4. Contact element forces are defined in the global Cartesian system.

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 CONTA171

5. Available only at centroid as a *GET item.

6. FDDIS = (contact friction stress)*(sliding distance of substep)/(time increment of substep)

7. Accumulated sliding distance for near-field, sliding, and closed contact (STAT = 1,2,3).

8. The contact element force values (CNFX, CNFY) are calculated based on the individual contact element
plus the surrounding contact elements. Therefore, the contact force values may not equal the contact
element area times the contact pressure (CAREA * PRES).

9. CNTX and CNTY report the total contact element forces due to tangential stresses. Since CNFX and
CNFY report the total contact element forces, the contact element forces due to normal pressure
are (CNFX-CNTX) and (CNFY-CNTY).

10. DENERI and DENERII are available only when one of the following material models is used:
TB,CZM,,,,CBDD or TB,CZM,,,,CBDE.

11. DENER is available only when one of the following material models is used: TB,CZM,,,,BILI or
TB,CZM,,,,EXPO.

Note:

If ETABLE is used for the CONT items, the reported data is averaged across the element.

Note:

Contact results (including all element results) are generally not reported for elements that
have a status of "open and not near contact" (far-field).

Table .171.3: CONTA171 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 342) lists output available through the ETABLE
command using the Sequence Number method. See Creating an Element Table in the Basic Analysis
Guide and The Item and Sequence Number Table in the Element Reference for more information. The
following notation is used in Table .171.3: CONTA171 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 342):

Name

output quantity as defined in the Table .171.2: CONTA171 Element Output Definitions (p. 338)

Item

predetermined Item label for ETABLE command

sequence number for single-valued or constant element data

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CONTA171

I,J

sequence number for data at nodes I, J

Table .171.3: CONTA171 Item and Sequence Numbers

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command

Quantity Input
Name Item E I J
PRES SMISC 5 1 2
SFRIC SMISC - 3 4
FLUX [3] SMISC - 6 7
FDDIS SMISC - 8 9
[3]
FXCV [3] SMISC - 10 11
FXRD [3] SMISC - 12 13
FXCD [3] SMISC - 14 15
FXNP SMISC - 16 17
JCONT/CCONT/PFLUX
SMISC - 18 19
[3]
HJOU SMISC - 20 21
DFLUX SMISC - 22 23
[3]
STAT [1] NMISC 19 1 2
OLDST NMISC - 3 4
PENE [2] NMISC - 5 6
DBA NMISC - 7 8
SLIDE NMISC - 9 10
KN NMISC - 11 12
KT NMISC - 13 14
TOLN NMISC - 15 16
IGAP NMISC - 17 18
PINB NMISC 20 - -
CNFX NMISC 21 - -
CNFY NMISC 22 - -
CNTX NMISC 91 - -
CNTY NMISC 92 - -
ISEG [4] NMISC - 23 24
ASLIDE NMISC - 25 26
CAREA NMISC 27 28 89
MU NMISC - 29 30
DTSTART NMISC - 31 32

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Output ETABLE and ESOL Command

Quantity Input
Name Item E I J
DPARAM NMISC - 33 34
FPRS NMISC - 35 36
TEMPS NMISC - 37 38
TEMPT NMISC - 39 40
CONV NMISC - 41 42
RAC NMISC - 43 44
TCC NMISC - 45 46
CNFH NMISC 47 - -
ECURT/ECHAR/EPELX
NMISC 48 - -
ECC/PCC/PSEE
NMISC - 49 50
VOLTS/PRESSNMISC - 51 52
VOLTT/PRESTNMISC - 53 54
CNOS NMISC - 55 56
TNOP NMISC - 57 58
SLTO NMISC - 59 60
DCC NMISC - 61 62
CONCS NMISC - 63 64
CONCT NMISC - 65 66
ELSI NMISC - 67 68
DENERI NMISC - 69 70
or
DENER
DENERII NMISC - 71 72
FSTART NMISC - 73 74
GGAP NMISC - 75 76
VREL NMISC - 77 78
SDAMP NMISC - 79 80
PLSI NMISC - 81 82
GSLID NMISC - 83 84
WEARX NMISC - 85 86
WEARY NMISC - 87 88C
EDELX NMISC 90 - -

1. Element Status = highest value of status of integration points within the element

2. Penetration = positive value, gap = negative value

3. A positive value of flux corresponds to flow into the contact surface.

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CONTA171

4. The floating point output format for large integers may lead to incorrect ISEG values. You should
verify the NMISC values via the *GET command. For example, *GET,Par,ELEM,N,NMISC,23 returns
the ISEG value for node I of element N.

You can display or list contact results through several POST1 postprocessor commands. The contact
specific items for the PLNSOL, PLESOL, PRNSOL, and PRESOL commands are listed below:

STAT Contact status

PENE Contact penetration
PRES Contact pressure
SFRIC Contact friction stress
STOT Contact total stress (pressure plus friction)
SLIDE Contact sliding distance
GAP Contact gap distance
FLUX Total heat flux at contact surface
CNOS Total number of contact status changes during
substep
FPRS Actual applied fluid penetration pressure

CONTA171 Assumptions and Restrictions

• The 2-D contact element must be defined in the global X-Y plane as shown in Figure .171.1: CONTA171
Geometry (p. 321), and the Y-axis must be the axis of symmetry for axisymmetric analyses.

• An axisymmetric structure should be modeled in the +X quadrants.

• This 2-D contact element works with any 3-D elements in your model.

• Do not use this element in any model that contains axisymmetric harmonic elements.

• Node numbering must coincide with the external surface of the underlying solid, shell, or beam ele-
ment, or with the original elements comprising the superelement.

• This element is nonlinear and requires a full Newton iterative solution, regardless of whether large
or small deflections are specified. An exception to this is when MPC bonded contact is specified
(KEYOPT(2) = 2 and KEYOPT(12) = 5 or 6).

• The normal contact stiffness factor (FKN) must not be so large as to cause numerical instability.

• FTOLN, PINB, and FKOP can be changed between load steps or during restart stages.

• You can use this element in nonlinear static or nonlinear full transient analyses. In addition, you can
use it in modal analyses, eigenvalue buckling analyses, and harmonic analyses. For these analysis
types, the program assumes that the initial status of the element (that is, the status at the completion
of the static prestress analysis, if any) does not change.

• When nodal detection is used and the contact node is on the axis of symmetry in an axisymmetric
analysis, the contact pressure on that node is not accurate since the area of the node is zero. The
contact force is accurate in this situation.

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 CONTA171

• Certain contact features are not supported when this element is used in a general contact definition.
For details, see General Contact in the Contact Technology Guide.

CONTA171 Product Restrictions

When used in the product(s) listed below, the stated product-specific restrictions apply to this element
in addition to the general assumptions and restrictions given in the previous section.

Ansys Mechanical Pro

• The AZ DOF (KEYOPT(1) = 7) is not available.

• Birth and death is not available.

• Debonding is not available.

• User-defined contact is not available.

• User-defined friction is not available.

Ansys Mechanical Premium

• The AZ DOF (KEYOPT(1) = 7) is not available.

• Debonding is not available.

• User-defined contact is not available.

• User-defined friction is not available.

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CONTA173
3-D 4-Node Surface-to-Surface Contact
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on
Product Restrictions (p. 373)

CONTA173 Element Description

Although this archived element is available for use in your analysis, Ansys, Inc. recommends using the
more general-purpose CONTA174 element, which can be used with or without midside nodes.

CONTA173 is used to represent contact and sliding between 3-D target surfaces and a deformable surface
defined by this element. The element is applicable to 3-D structural and coupled-field contact analyses.
It can be use for both pair-based contact and general contact.

In the case of pair-based contact, the target surface is defined by the 3-D target element type, TARGE170.
In the case of general contact, the target surface can be defined by CONTA173 elements (for deformable
surfaces) or TARGE170 elements (for rigid bodies only).

This element is located on the surfaces of 3-D solid or shell elements without midside nodes (for example,
SOLID185, SOLSH190, SOLID285, SHELL181, INTER205, CPT215, MATRIX50).

The element has the same geometric characteristics as the solid or shell element face with which it is
connected (see Figure .173.1: CONTA173 Geometry (p. 347)). Contact occurs when the element surface
penetrates an associated target surface.

Coulomb friction, shear stress friction, user-defined friction with the USERFRIC subroutine, and user-
defined contact interaction with the USERINTER subroutine are allowed. This element also allows
separation of bonded contact to simulate interface delamination.

Figure .173.1: CONTA173 Geometry

Associated Target Surfaces

Contact Elements
L
S
y K
K,L
I xo R
Z x yo I
J
Y J
X Surface of Solid/Shell Element

R = Element x-axis for isotropic friction

xo = Element axis for orthotropic friction if ESYS is not supplied (parallel to global X-
axis)

x = Element axis for orthotropic friction if ESYS is supplied

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CONTA173

CONTA173 Input Data

The geometry and node locations are shown in Figure .173.1: CONTA173 Geometry (p. 347). The element
is defined by four nodes (the underlying solid or shell element has no midside nodes). It can degenerate
to a three node element depending on the shape of the underlying solid or shell elements. If the un-
derlying solid or shell elements do have midside nodes, use CONTA174.

The node ordering is consistent with the node ordering for the underlying solid or shell element. The
positive normal is given by the right-hand rule going around the nodes of the element and is identical
to the external normal direction of the underlying solid or shell element surface. For shell elements,
the same nodal ordering between shell and contact elements defines upper surface contact; otherwise,
it represents bottom surface contact. The contact surface's outward normal should point toward the
target surface.

Pair-Based Contact versus General Contact

There are two methods to define a contact interaction: the pair-based contact definition and the gen-
eral contact definition. Both contact definitions can exist in the same model. CONTA173 can be used
in either type of contact definition.

The pair-based contact definition is usually more efficient and more robust than the general contact
definition; it supports more options and specific contact features.

Pair-Based Contact

In a pair-based contact definition, the 3-D contact surface elements (CONTA173, CONTA174) are associated
with the 3-D target segment elements (TARGE170) via a shared real constant set. The program looks
for contact only between surfaces with the same real constant set ID (which is greater than zero). The
material ID associated with the contact element is used to specify interaction properties (such as friction
coefficient) defined by MP or TB commands.

If more than one target surface will make contact with the same boundary of solid elements, you must
define several contact elements that share the same geometry but relate to separate targets (targets
which have different real constant numbers). Alternatively, you can combine several target surfaces into
one (that is, multiple targets sharing the same real constant numbers). See Identifying Contact Pairs in
the Contact Technology Guide for more information.

For rigid-flexible and flexible-flexible contact, one of the deformable surfaces must be represented by
a contact surface. See Designating Contact and Target Surfaces in the Contact Technology Guide for
more information.

See Generating Contact Elements in the Contact Technology Guide for information on generating elements
automatically using the ESURF command.

General Contact

CONTA173 can be used in a general contact definition, although it is not directly generated by the
GCGEN command. In a general contact definition, the general contact surfaces are generated automat-
ically by the GCGEN command based on physical parts and geometric shapes in the model. The program
overlays contact surface elements (CONTA174) on 3-D deformable bodies (on both lower- and higher-
order elements); 3-D contact line elements (CONTA177) on 3-D beams, on feature edges of 3-D deform-
able bodies, and on perimeter edges of shell structures; and vertex-to-surface elements (CONTA175)

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 CONTA173

on convex corners of 3-D solid bodies and/or shell structures. The general contact definition may also
contain target elements (TARGE170) overlaid on the surfaces of standalone rigid bodies and lower-order
contact surface elements (CONTA173) overlaid on 3-D deformable bodies.

The GCGEN command automatically assigns section IDs and element type IDs for each general contact
surface. As a result, each general contact surface consists of contact or target elements that are easily
identified by a unique section ID number. The real constant ID and material ID are always set to zero
for contact and target elements in the general contact definition.

The program looks for contact interaction among all surfaces and within each surface. You can further
control contact interactions between specific surfaces that could potentially be in contact by using the
GCDEF command. The material ID and real constant ID input on GCDEF identify interface properties
(defined by MP or TB commands) and contact control parameters (defined by the R command) for a
specific contact interaction. Unlike a pair-based contact definition, the contact and target elements in
the general contact definition are not associated with these material and real constant ID numbers.

If both pair-based contact and general contact are defined in a model, the pair-based contact definitions
are preserved, and the general contact definition automatically excludes overlapping interactions
wherever pair-based contact exists.

Some element key options are not used or are set automatically for general contact. See the individual
KEYOPT descriptions in "CONTA173 Input Summary" (p. 350) for details.

Friction
CONTA173 supports isotropic and orthotropic Coulomb friction. For isotropic friction, specify a single
coefficient of friction, MU, using either TB command input (recommended) or the MP command. For
orthotropic friction, specify two coefficients of friction, MU1 and MU2, in two principal directions using
TB command input. (See Contact Friction in the Material Reference for more information.)

For isotropic friction, the applicable coordinate system is the default element coordinate system (noted
by the R and S axes in the above figure).

For orthotropic friction, the principal directions are determined as follows. The global coordinate system
is used by default, or you may define a local element coordinate system with the ESYS command.
(These are depicted by the xoand x axes in the above figure.) The first principal direction is defined by
projecting the first direction of the chosen coordinate system onto the contact surface. The second
principal direction is defined by taking a cross product of the first principal direction and the contact
normal. These directions also follow the rigid body rotation of the contact element to correctly model
the directional dependence of friction. Be careful to choose the coordinate system (global or local) so
that the first direction of that system is within 45° of the tangent to the contact surface.

If you want to set the coordinate directions for isotropic friction (to the global Cartesian system or an-
other system via ESYS), you can define orthotropic friction and set MU1 = MU2.

To define a coefficient of friction for isotropic or orthotropic friction that is dependent on temperature,
time, normal pressure, sliding distance, or sliding relative velocity, use the TBFIELD command along
with TB,FRIC. See Contact Friction in the Material Reference for more information.

To implement a user-defined friction model, use the TB,FRIC command with TBOPT = USER to specify
friction properties and write a USERFRIC subroutine to compute friction forces. See Writing Your Own
Friction Law (USERFRIC) in the Contact Technology Guide for more information on how to use this

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CONTA173

feature. See also the Guide to User-Programmable Features in the Programmer's Reference for a detailed
description of the USERFRIC subroutine.

Other Input
The contact interaction subroutine USERINTER is available for user-defined interface interactions, in-
cluding interactions in the normal and tangential directions as well as coupled-field interactions. See
Defining Your Own Contact Interaction (USERINTER) in the Contact Technology Guide for more inform-
ation on how to use this feature. See also the Guide to User-Programmable Features in the Programmer's
Reference for a detailed description of the USERINTER subroutine.

To model fluid penetration loads, use the SFE command to specify the fluid pressure and fluid penetration
starting points. For more information, see Applying Fluid Pressure-Penetration Loads in the Contact
Technology Guide.

To model proper momentum transfer and energy balance between contact and target surfaces, impact
constraints should be used in transient dynamic analysis. See the description of KEYOPT(7) below and
the contact element discussion in the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference for details.

To model separation of bonded contact with KEYOPT(12) = 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, use the TB command with
the CZM label. See Debonding in the Contact Technology Guide for more information.

To model wear at the contact surface, use the TB command with the WEAR label. See Contact Surface
Wear in the Contact Technology Guide for more information.

Two types of geometry correction are available for this element: surface smoothing and bolt thread
modeling. Surface smoothing is a geometry correction technique that eliminates inaccuracies introduced
by faceted elements on a curved (spherical or revolute) contact surface. Bolt thread modeling provides
a method for simulating contact between a threaded bolt and bolt hole without having to model the
detailed thread geometry. Both of these geometry correction techniques are implemented through
section definitions (SECTYPE, SECDATA, and SECNUM commands). For more information, see Geometry
Correction for Contact and Target Surfaces in the Contact Technology Guide.

A summary of the element input is given in "CONTA173 Input Summary" (p. 350). A general description
of element input is given in Element Input.

CONTA173 Input Summary

Nodes

I, J, K, L

Degrees of Freedom

Set by KEYOPT(1)

Real Constants

R1, R2, FKN, FTOLN, ICONT, PINB,

PZER, CZER, TAUMAX, CNOF, FKOP, FKT,
COHE, TCC, FHTG, SBCT, RDVF, FWGT,

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 CONTA173

ECC, FHEG, FACT, DC, SLTO, TNOP,

TOLS, MCC, PPCN, FPAT, COR, STRM,
FDMN, FDMT, FDMD, FDMS, TBND, WBID,
PCC, PSEE, ABPP, FPFT, FPWT, DCC,
DCON, ABDC, , , TFOR, TEND
See Table .173.1: CONTA173 Real Constants (p. 363) for descriptions of the real constants.

Material Properties

TB command: CZM, FRIC, INTER, WEAR

MP command: MU, EMIS, DMPR, DMPS

Surface Loads

Pressure, Face 1 (I-J-K-L) (opposite to contact normal direction); used for fluid pressure penetration
loading. On the SFE command use LKEY = 1 to specify the pressure values, and use LKEY = 2
to specify starting points and penetrating points.
Convection, Face 1 (I-J-K-L)
Heat Flux, Face 1 (I-J-K-L)

Special Features

Birth and death

Debonding
Fluid pressure penetration
Isotropic friction
Large deflection
Linear perturbation
Nonlinear adaptivity
Nonlinearity
Rezoning
Orthotropic friction
Section definition for geometry correction of spherical and revolute surfaces
User-defined contact interaction
User-defined friction

KEYOPTs

Presented below is a list of KEYOPTS available for this element. Included are links to sections in the
Contact Technology Guide where more information is available on a particular topic.

KEYOPT(1)

Selects degrees of freedom:

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CONTA173

0 --

UX, UY, UZ

1 --

UX, UY, UZ, TEMP

2 --

TEMP (or a combination of TBOT, TTOP, and TEMP set by KEYOPT(13))

3 --

UX, UY, UZ, TEMP, VOLT

4 --

TEMP, VOLT

5 --

UX, UY, UZ, VOLT

6 --

VOLT

7 --

MAG

8 --

UX, UY, UZ, PRES

9 --

UX, UY, UZ, PRES, TEMP

10 --

PRES

11 --

UX, UY, UZ, CONC, TEMP

12 --

UX, UY, UZ, CONC, TEMP, VOLT

13 --

UX, UY, UZ, CONC

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 CONTA173

14 --

CONC

Note:

For general contact, the GCGEN command automatically sets KEYOPT(1) based on the
degrees of freedom of the underlying solid or shell elements.

KEYOPT(2)

Contact algorithm:

0 --

Augmented Lagrangian (default)

1 --

Penalty function

2 --

Multipoint constraint (MPC); see Multipoint Constraints and Assemblies in the Contact Technology
Guide for more information

3 --

Lagrange multiplier on contact normal and penalty on tangent

4 --

Pure Lagrange multiplier on contact normal and tangent

Note:

For general contact, the GCGEN command automatically sets KEYOPT(2) = 1 (penalty
function).

KEYOPT(3)

Units of normal contact stiffness:

0 --

FORCE/LENGTH3 (default)

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CONTA173

1 --

FORCE/LENGTH

Note:

KEYOPT(3) = 1 is valid only when a penalty-based algorithm is used (KEYOPT(2) = 0 or

1) and the absolute normal contact stiffness value is explicitly specified (that is, a negative
value input for real constant FKN).

Note:

KEYOPT(3) is not supported for contact elements used in a general contact definition.

KEYOPT(4)

Location of contact detection point:

0 --

On Gauss point (for general cases)

1 --

On nodal point - normal from contact surface

2 --

On nodal point - normal to target surface

3 --

On nodal point - normal from contact surface (projection-based method)

Note:

Certain restrictions apply when the surface-projection-based method (KEYOPT(4) = 3) is

defined. See Using the Surface Projection Based Contact Method (KEYOPT(4) = 3) for
more information.

Note:

When using the multipoint constraint (MPC) approach to define surface-based constraints,
use KEYOPT(4) in the following way:

Set KEYOPT(4) = 1 for a force-distributed constraint. (This option also applies to

a force-distributed constraint based on the Lagrange multiplier method.)
Set KEYOPT(4) = 2 for a rigid surface constraint.
Set KEYOPT(4) = 3 for a coupling constraint.

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 CONTA173

See Surface-based Constraints for more information.

KEYOPT(5)

CNOF/ICONT automated adjustment:

0 --

No automated adjustment

(There is an exception when KEYOPT(12) = 6 is set for bonded initial contact; in this case, auto
ICONT is applied by default. See Selecting Surface Interaction Models for more information.)

1 --

Close gap with auto CNOF

2 --

Reduce penetration with auto CNOF

3 --

Close gap/reduce penetration with auto CNOF

4 --

Auto ICONT

KEYOPT(6)

Contact stiffness variation (used to enhance stiffness updating when KEYOPT(10) ≠ 1):

0 --

Use default range for stiffness updating

1 --

Make a nominal refinement to the allowable stiffness range

2 --

Make an aggressive refinement to the allowable stiffness range

3 --

Use an exponential pressure-penetration relationship

KEYOPT(7)

Element level time incrementation control / impact constraints:

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CONTA173

0 --

No control

1 --

Automatic bisection of increment

2 --

Change in contact predictions made to maintain a reasonable time/load increment

3 --

Change in contact predictions made to achieve the minimum time/load increment whenever a
change in contact status occurs

4 --

Use impact constraints for standard or rough contact (KEYOPT(12) = 0 or 1) in a transient dynamic
analysis with automatic adjustment of time increment

Note:

KEYOPT(7) = 4 is not supported for contact elements used in a general contact definition.

KEYOPT(8)

Symmetric contact behavior:

0 --

Both symmetric pairs are active. However, each pair has its own contact characteristics.

1 --

Both symmetric pairs are active and have the same contact characteristics.

2 --

The program internally selects which asymmetric contact pair is used at the solution stage (used
only when symmetric contact is defined). However, the contact stiffness of the active contact
pair is influenced by the underlying element stiffness of the inactive pair.

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3 --

The program internally selects which asymmetric contact pair is used at the solution stage (used
only when symmetric contact is defined). The contact characteristics of the active contact pair
are completely independent of the inactive pair.

Note:

KEYOPT(8) settings are ignored for asymmetric contact pairs and rigid-to-rigid contact
pairs.

Note:

KEYOPT(8) is ignored for contact elements used in a general contact definition. Instead,
use the command GCDEF,AUTO to enable auto-asymmetric pairing logic.

KEYOPT(9)

Effect of initial penetration or gap:

0 --

Include both initial geometrical penetration or gap and offset

1 --

Exclude both initial geometrical penetration or gap and offset

2 --

Include both initial geometrical penetration or gap and offset, but with ramped effects

3 --

Include offset only (exclude initial geometrical penetration or gap)

4 --

Include offset only (exclude initial geometrical penetration or gap), but with ramped effects

5 --

Include offset only (exclude initial geometrical penetration or gap) regardless of the initial contact
status (near-field or closed)

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6 --

Include offset only (exclude initial geometrical penetration or gap), but with ramped effects re-
gardless of the initial contact status (near-field or closed)

Note:

The effects of KEYOPT(9) are dependent on settings for other KEYOPTs. The indicated
initial gap effect is considered only if KEYOPT(12) = 4 or 5. See the discussion on using
KEYOPT(9) in the Contact Technology Guide for more information.

Note:

KEYOPT(9) is not supported for contact elements used in a general contact definition.
Instead, use the command TBDATA,,C1 in conjunction with TB,INTER to specify the effect
of initial penetration or gap. If TBDATA,,C1 is not specified, the default for general contact
is to exclude initial penetration/gap and offset. For more information, see Interaction
Options for General Contact Definitions in the Material Reference.

KEYOPT(10)

Contact stiffness update:

0 --

Each iteration based on the current mean stress of underlying elements. The actual elastic slip
never exceeds the maximum allowable limit (SLTO) during the entire solution.

1 --

Each load step if FKN is redefined during the load step.

2 --

Each iteration based on the current mean stress of underlying elements. The actual elastic slip
does not exceed the maximum allowable limit (SLTO) within a substep.

Note:

For general contact, the GCGEN command automatically sets KEYOPT(10) = 0.

KEYOPT(11)

Shell thickness effect:

0 --

Exclude

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1 --

Include

Note:

For general contact, the GCGEN command automatically sets KEYOPT(11) = 1.

KEYOPT(12)

Behavior of contact surface:

0 --

Standard

1 --

Rough

2 --

No separation (sliding permitted)

3 --

Bonded

4 --

No separation (always)

5 --

Bonded (always)

6 --

Bonded (initial contact)

Note:

When KEYOPT(12) = 5 or 6 is used with the MPC algorithm to model surface-based con-
straints, the KEYOPT(12) setting will have an effect on the local coordinate system of the
contact element nodes. See Specifying a Local Coordinate System in the Contact Techno-
logy Guide for more information.

Note:

KEYOPT(12) is not supported for contact elements used in a general contact definition.
Instead, use the command TB,INTER with the appropriate TBOPT label to specify the

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behavior at the contact surface. For more information, see Interaction Options for General
Contact Definitions in the Material Reference.

KEYOPT(13)

Degree-of- freedom control for contact involving thermal shells:

0 --

TEMP for contact surface

TEMP for target surface

1 --

TBOT for contact surface

TBOT for target surface

2 --

TTOP for contact surface

TTOP for target surface

3 --

TBOT for contact surface

TEMP for target surface

4 --

TEMP for contact surface

TBOT for target surface

5 --

TTOP for contact surface

TEMP for target surface

6 --

TEMP for contact surface

TTOP for target surface

7 --

TBOT for contact surface

TTOP for target surface

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8 --

TTOP for contact surface

TBOT for target surface

Note:

KEYOPT(13) is only used when the pure thermal contact option is set (KEYOPT(1) = 2)
and the element is being used to model thermal transfer between thermal shells
(SHELL131, SHELL132) or between thermal shells and thermal solids.

Note:

KEYOPT(13) is not supported for contact elements used in a general contact definition.

KEYOPT(14)

Behavior of fluid pressure penetration load. KEYOPT(14) is valid only if a fluid pressure penetration
load (SFE,,,PRES) is applied to the contact element:

0 --

Fluid pressure penetration load is applied based on the contact status of the current iteration.
Any contact detection point which was previously exposed to the fluid pressure remains in the
condition of “penetrating” (default).

1 --

Fluid pressure penetration load is applied based on the contact status of the last converged
substep. Any contact detection point which was previously exposed to the fluid pressure remains
in the condition of “penetrating”.

2 --

Fluid pressure penetration load is applied based on the contact status of the current iteration.
At each iteration, the fluid pressure penetration load is newly applied from the initial starting
points.

3 --

Fluid pressure penetration load is applied based on the contact status of the last converged
substep. At each iteration, the fluid pressure penetration load is newly applied from the initial
starting points.

Note:

KEYOPT(14) is not supported for contact elements used in a general contact definition.

KEYOPT(15)

Effect of contact stabilization damping:

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0 --

Damping is activated only in the first load step (default).

1 --

Deactivate automatic damping.

2 --

Damping is activated for all load steps.

3 --

Damping is activated at all times regardless of the contact status of previous substeps.

Note:

Normal stabilization damping is only applied to the contact element when the current
contact status of the contact detection point is near-field. When KEYOPT(15) = 0, 1, or 2,
normal stabilization damping is not applied in the current substep if any contact detection
point has a closed status. However, when KEYOPT(15) = 3, normal stabilization damping
is always applied as long as the current contact status of the contact detection point is
near-field. Tangential stabilization damping is automatically activated when normal
damping is activated. Tangential damping can also be applied independent of normal
damping for sliding contact. See Applying Contact Stabilization Damping in the Contact
Technology Guide for more information.

KEYOPT(16)

Squeal damping controls for interpretation of real constants FDMD and FDMS:

0 --

FDMD and FDMS are scaling factors for destabilizing and stabilizing damping (default).

1 --

FDMD is a constant friction-sliding velocity gradient. FDMS is the stabilization damping coefficient.

2 --

FDMD and FDMS are the destabilizing and stabilization damping coefficients.

Note:

KEYOPT(16) is not supported for contact elements used in a general contact definition.

KEYOPT(18)

Sliding behavior:

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0 --

Finite sliding (default). The contacting interface can undergo separation, relative large sliding,
and arbitrary rotation.

1 --

Small sliding. The contacting interface can undergo only small sliding; arbitrary rotation is per-
mitted.

Table .173.1: CONTA173 Real Constants

No. Name Description For more information, see

this section in the Contact
Technology Guide . . .
1 R1 Target radius for cylinder, cone, or Defining the Target
sphere Surface
2 R2 Target radius at second node of cone Defining the Target
Surface
3 FKN Normal penalty stiffness factor [1] [2] Determining Contact
[3] Stiffness and
Penetration
4 FTOLN Penetration tolerance factor Determining Contact
Stiffness and
Penetration
5 ICONT Initial contact closure Adjusting Initial
Contact Conditions
6 PINB Pinball region Determining Contact
Status and the Pinball
Region
or

Defining Influence
Range (PINB)
7 PZER Pressure at zero penetration [1] [2] Exponential
Pressure-Penetration
Relationship (KEYOPT(6) =
3)
8 CZER Initial contact clearance Exponential
Pressure-Penetration
Relationship (KEYOPT(6) =
3)
9 TAUMAX Maximum friction stress [1] [2] Choosing a Friction
Model
10 CNOF Contact surface offset [1] [2] Adjusting Initial
Contact Conditions
11 FKOP Contact opening stiffness [1] [2] Selecting Surface
Interaction Models

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No. Name Description For more information, see

this section in the Contact
Technology Guide . . .
12 FKT Tangent penalty stiffness factor [1] [2] Determining Contact
Stiffness
13 COHE Contact cohesion Choosing a Friction
Model
14 TCC Thermal contact conductance [1] [2] Modeling Conduction
15 FHTG Frictional heating factor Modeling Heat
Generation Due to
Friction
16 SBCT Stefan-Boltzmann constant Modeling Radiation
17 RDVF Radiation view factor [1] [2] Modeling Radiation
18 FWGT Heat distribution weighing factor Modeling Heat
Generation Due to
Friction (thermal)
or

Heat Generation Due to

Electric Current
(electric)
19 ECC Electric contact conductance or electric Modeling Surface
contact capacitance [1] [2] [4] Interaction
20 FHEG Joule dissipation weight factor Heat Generation Due to
Electric Current
21 FACT Static/dynamic ratio Static and Dynamic
Friction Coefficients
22 DC Exponential decay coefficient Static and Dynamic
Friction Coefficients
23 SLTO Allowable elastic slip Using FKT and SLTO
24 TNOP Maximum allowable tensile contact pressure Chattering Control
Parameters
25 TOLS Target edge extension factor Selecting Location of
Contact Detection
26 MCC Magnetic contact permeance [1] [2] Modeling Magnetic
Contact
27 PPCN Pressure penetration criterion [1] [2] Specifying a Pressure
Penetration Criterion
28 FPAT Fluid penetration acting time Specifying a Fluid
Penetration Acting
Time
29 COR Coefficient of restitution Impact Between Rigid
Bodies
30 STRM Load step number for ramping Modeling Interference
penetration Fit

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No. Name Description For more information, see

this section in the Contact
Technology Guide . . .
or

Starting time for contact stiffness

ramping
31 FDMN Normal stabilization damping factor [1] [2] Applying Contact
Stabilization Damping
32 FDMT Tangential stabilization damping factor [1] Applying Contact
[2] Stabilization Damping
33 FDMD Destabilizing squeal damping factor Forced Frictional
Sliding Using Velocity
Input
34 FDMS Stabilizing squeal damping factor Forced Frictional
Sliding Using Velocity
Input
35 TBND Critical bonding temperature [1] [2] Using TBND
36 WBID Internal contact pair ID (used by Ansys
Workbench)
37 PCC Pore fluid contact permeability coefficient Modeling Pore Fluid
[1] [2] Flow at the Contact
Interface
38 PSEE Pore fluid seepage coefficient [1] [2] Modeling Pore Fluid
Flow at the Contact
Interface
39 ABPP Ambient pore pressure [1] [2] Modeling Pore Fluid
Flow at the Contact
Interface
40 FPFT Gap pore fluid flow participation factor [1] Modeling Pore Fluid
[2] Flow at the Contact
Interface
41 FPWT Gap pore fluid flow distribution weighting Modeling Pore Fluid
factor Flow at the Contact
Interface
42 DCC Contact diffusivity coefficient [1] [2] Modeling Diffusion
Flow at the Contact
Interface
43 DCON Diffusive convection coefficient [1] [2] Modeling Diffusion
Flow at the Contact
Interface
44 ABDC Ambient concentration [1] [2] Modeling Diffusion
Flow at the Contact
Interface

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No. Name Description For more information, see

this section in the Contact
Technology Guide . . .
47 TFOR Pair-based force tolerance Checking Contact
Pair-Based Force
Convergence
48 TEND Ending time for ramping contact stiffness Modeling Interference Fit

1. This real constant can be defined as a function of certain primary variables.

2. This real constant can be defined by the user subroutine USERCNPROP.F.

3. When CONTA173 is used as part of a forced-distributed constraint and KEYOPT(7) = 2 on the

TARGE170 element, FKN is used to define weighting factors in tabular format with node number as
the primary variable.

4. ECC is electric contact conductance per unit area in a current-based electric analysis, or electric
contact capacitance per unit area in a charge-based electric analysis (see Modeling Surface Interaction).

CONTA173 Output Data

The solution output associated with the element is in two forms:

• Nodal displacements included in the overall nodal solution

• Additional element output as shown in Table .173.2: CONTA173 Element Output Definitions (p. 366)

A general description of solution output is given in Solution Output. See the Basic Analysis Guide for
ways to view results.

The Element Output Definitions table uses the following notation:

A colon (:) in the Name column indicates that the item can be accessed by the Component Name
method (ETABLE, ESOL). The O column indicates the availability of the items in the file jobname.out.
The R column indicates the availability of the items in the results file.

In either the O or R columns, “Y” indicates that the item is always available, a number refers to a table
footnote that describes when the item is conditionally available, and “-” indicates that the item is not
available.

Table .173.2: CONTA173 Element Output Definitions (p. 366) gives element output at the element level.
In the results file, the nodal results are obtained from its closest integration point.

Table .173.2: CONTA173 Element Output Definitions

Name Definition O R
EL Element Number Y Y
NODES Nodes I, J, K, L Y Y
XC, YC, ZC Location where results are reported Y 5
TEMP Temperatures T(I), T(J), T(K), T(L) Y Y

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Name Definition O R
VOLU AREA Y Y
NPI Number of integration points Y -
ITRGET Target surface number (assigned by the program) Y -
ISOLID Underlying solid or shell element number Y -
CONT:STAT Current contact statuses 1 1
OLDST Old contact statuses 1 1
ISEG Current contacting target element number Y Y
OLDSEG Underlying old target number Y -
CONT:PENE Current penetration (gap = 0; penetration = positive value) Y Y
CONT:GAP Current gap (gap = negative value; penetration = 0) Y Y
NGAP New or current gap at current converged substep (gap = Y -
negative value; penetration = positive value)
OGAP Old gap at previously converged substep (gap = negative value; Y -
penetration = positive value)
IGAP Initial gap at start of current substep (gap = negative value; Y Y
penetration = positive value)
GGAP Geometric gap at current converged substep (gap = negative - Y
value; penetration = positive value)
CONT:PRES Normal contact pressure Y Y
TAUR/TAUS [7] Tangential contact stresses Y Y
3
KN Current normal contact stiffness (Force/Length ) Y Y
3
KT Current tangent contact stiffness (Force/Length ) Y Y
MU [8] Friction coefficient Y Y
TASS/TASR [7] Total (algebraic sum) sliding in S and R directions 3 3
AASS/AASR [7] Total (absolute sum) sliding in S and R directions 3 3
TOLN Penetration tolerance Y Y
CONT:SFRIC Frictional stress, SQRT (TAUR**2+TAUS**2) Y Y
CONT:STOTAL Total stress, SQRT (PRES**2+TAUR**2+TAUS**2) Y Y
CONT:SLIDE Amplitude of total accumulated sliding, SQRT 3 3
(TASS**2+TASR**2)
FDDIS Frictional energy dissipation rate 6 6
ELSI Total equivalent elastic slip distance - Y
PLSI Total (accumulated) equivalent plastic slip due to frictional - Y
sliding
GSLID Amplitude of total accumulated sliding (including near-field) - 9
VREL Equivalent sliding velocity (slip rate) - Y
DBA Penetration variation Y Y
PINB Pinball Region - Y
CONT:CNOS Total number of contact status changes during substep Y Y

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Name Definition O R
TNOP Maximum allowable tensile contact pressure Y Y
SLTO Allowable elastic slip Y Y
CAREA Contacting area - Y
CONT:FPRS Actual applied fluid penetration pressure - Y
FSTART Fluid penetration starting time - Y
DTSTART Load step time during debonding Y Y
DPARAM Debonding parameter Y Y
DENERI [12] Energy released due to separation in normal direction - mode Y Y
I debonding
DENERII [12] Energy released due to separation in tangential direction - Y Y
mode II debonding
DENER [13] Total energy released due to debonding Y Y
CNFX [10] Contact element force-X component - 4
CNFY [10] Contact element force-Y component - 4
CNFZ [10] Contact element force-Z component - 4
CNTX [11] Contact element force due to tangential stresses - X component - 4
CNTY [11] Contact element force due to tangential stresses - Y component - 4
CNTZ [11] Contact element force due to tangential stresses - Z component - 4
SDAMP Squeal damping coefficient / Stabilization damping coefficient - Y
WEARX, WEARY, Wear correction - X, Y, and Z components - Y
WEARZ
CONV Convection coefficient Y Y
RAC Radiation coefficient Y Y
TCC Conductance coefficient Y Y
TEMPS Temperature at contact point Y Y
TEMPT Temperature at target surface Y Y
FXCV Heat flux due to convection Y Y
FXRD Heat flux due to radiation Y Y
FXCD Heat flux due to conductance Y Y
CONT:FLUX Total heat flux at contact surface Y Y
FXNP Flux input - Y
CNFH Contact element heat flow - Y
JCONT Contact current density (Current/Unit Area) Y Y
CCONT Contact charge density (Charge/Unit Area) Y Y
HJOU Contact power/area Y Y
ECURT Current per contact element - Y
ECHAR Charge per contact element - Y

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Name Definition O R
ECC Electric contact conductance (for electric current DOF), or Y Y
electric contact capacitance per unit area (for piezoelectric or
electrostatic DOFs)
VOLTS Voltage on contact nodes Y Y
VOLTT Voltage on associated target Y Y
MCC Magnetic contact permeance Y Y
MFLUX Magnetic flux density Y Y
MAGT Magnetic potential on associated target Y Y
PCC Pore fluid contact permeability coefficient Y Y
PSEE Pore fluid seepage coefficient Y Y
PRESS Pore pressure on contact nodes Y Y
PREST Pore pressure on associated target Y Y
PFLUX Pore volume flux density per unit area flow into contact surface Y Y
EPELX Pore volume flux per contact element - Y
DCC Contact diffusivity coefficient Y Y
DCON Diffusive convection coefficient Y Y
CONCS Concentration on contact nodes Y Y
CONCT Concentration on associated target Y Y
DFLUX Diffusion flux density per unit area flow into contact surface Y Y
EDELX Diffusion flux per contact element - Y

1. The possible values of STAT and OLDST are:

0 = Open and not near contact

1 = Open but near contact
2 = Closed and sliding
3 = Closed and sticking

2. The program will evaluate model to detect initial conditions.

3. Only accumulates the sliding for sliding and closed contact (STAT = 2,3).

4. Contact element forces are defined in the global Cartesian system

5. Available only at centroid as a *GET item.

6. FDDIS = (contact friction stress)*(sliding distance of substep)/(time increment of substep)

7. For the case of orthotropic friction, components are defined in the global Cartesian system (default)
or in the local element coordinate system specified by ESYS.

8. For orthotropic friction, an equivalent coefficient of friction is output.

9. Accumulated sliding distance for near-field, sliding, and closed contact (STAT = 1,2,3).

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10. The contact element force values (CNFX, CNFY, CNFZ) are calculated based on the individual contact
element plus the surrounding contact elements. Therefore, the contact force values may not equal
the contact element area times the contact pressure (CAREA * PRES).

11. CNTX, CNTY, and CNTZ report the total contact element forces due to tangential stresses. Since
CNFX, CNFY, and CNFZ report the total contact element forces, the contact element forces due to
normal pressure are (CNFX-CNTX), (CNFY-CNTY), and (CNFZ-CNTZ).

12. DENERI and DENERII are available only when one of the following material models is used:
TB,CZM,,,,CBDD or TB,CZM,,,,CBDE.

13. DENER is available only when one of the following material models is used: TB,CZM,,,,BILI or
TB,CZM,,,,EXPO.

Note:

If ETABLE is used for the CONT items, the reported data is averaged across the element.

Note:

Contact results (including all element results) are generally not reported for elements that
have a status of "open and not near contact" (far-field).

Table .173.3: CONTA173 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 370) lists output available through the ETABLE
command using the Sequence Number method. See Creating an Element Table in the Basic Analysis
Guide and The Item and Sequence Number Table in the Element Reference for more information. The
following notation is used in Table .173.3: CONTA173 Item and Sequence Numbers (p. 370):

Name

output quantity as defined in the Table .173.2: CONTA173 Element Output Definitions (p. 366)

Item

predetermined Item label for ETABLE command

sequence number for single-valued or constant element data

I,J,K,L

sequence number for data at nodes I,J,K,L

Table .173.3: CONTA173 Item and Sequence Numbers

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I J K L
Name
PRES SMISC 13 1 2 3 4
TAUR SMISC - 5 6 7 8

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 CONTA173

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I J K L
Name
TAUS SMISC - 9 10 11 12
FLUX [3] SMISC - 14 15 16 17
FDDIS SMISC - 18 19 20 21
[3]
FXCV [3] SMISC 22 23 24 25
FXRD [3] SMISC - 26 27 28 29
FXCD [3] SMISC - 30 31 32 33
FXNP SMISC - 34 35 36 37
JCONT/CCONT/PFLUX
SMISC - 38 39 40 41
[3]
HJOU SMISC - 42 43 44 45
MFLUX/DFLUX
SMISC - 46 47 48 49
[3]
STAT [1] NMISC 41 1 2 3 4
OLDST NMISC - 5 6 7 8
PENE [2] NMISC - 9 10 11 12
DBA NMISC - 13 14 15 16
TASR NMISC - 17 18 19 20
TASS NMISC - 21 22 23 24
KN NMISC - 25 26 27 28
KT NMISC - 29 30 31 32
TOLN NMISC - 33 34 35 36
IGAP NMISC - 37 38 39 40
PINB NMISC 42 - - - -
CNFX NMISC 43 - - - -
CNFY NMISC 44 - - - -
CNFZ NMISC 45 - - - -
CNTX NMISC 186 - - - -
CNTY NMISC 187 - - - -
CNTZ NMISC 188 - - - -
ISEG [4] NMISC - 46 47 48 49
AASR NMISC - 50 51 52 53
AASS NMISC - 54 55 56 57
CAREA NMISC 58 59 60 61 184
MU NMISC - 62 63 64 65
DTSTART NMISC - 66 67 68 69
DPARAM NMISC - 70 71 72 73

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Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I J K L
Name
FPRS NMISC - 74 75 76 77
TEMPS NMISC - 78 79 80 81
TEMPT NMISC - 82 83 84 85
CONV NMISC - 86 87 88 89
RAC NMISC - 90 91 92 93
TCC NMISC - 94 95 96 97
CNFH NMISC 98 - - - -
ECURT/ECHAR/EPELX
NMISC 99 - - - -
ECC/PCC/PSEE
NMISC - 100 101 102 103
VOLTS/PRESSNMISC - 104 105 106 107
VOLTT/PRESTNMISC - 108 109 110 111
CNOS NMISC - 112 113 114 115
TNOP NMISC - 116 117 118 119
SLTO NMISC - 120 121 122 123
MCC/DCC NMISC - 124 125 126 127
MAGS/CONCS
NMISC - 128 129 130 131
MAGT/CONCT
NMISC - 132 133 134 135
ELSI NMISC - 136 137 138 139
DENERI NMISC - 140 141 142 143
or
DENER
DENERII NMISC - 144 145 146 147
FSTART NMISC - 148 140 150 151
GGAP NMISC - 152 153 154 155
VREL NMISC - 156 157 158 159
SDAMP NMISC - 160 161 162 163
PLSI NMISC - 164 165 166 167
GSLID NMISC - 168 169 170 171
WEARX NMISC - 172 173 174 175
WEARY NMISC - 176 177 178 179
WEARZ NMISC - 180 181 182 183
EDELX NMISC 185 - - - -

1. Element Status = highest value of status of integration points within the element

2. Penetration = positive value, gap = negative value

3. A positive value of flux corresponds to flow into the contact surface.

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 CONTA173

4. The floating point output format for large integers may lead to incorrect ISEG values. You should
verify the NMISC values via the *GET command. For example, *GET,Par,ELEM,N,NMISC,46 returns
the ISEG value for node I of element N.

You can display or list contact results through several POST1 postprocessor commands. The contact
specific items for the PLNSOL, PLESOL, PRNSOL, and PRESOL commands are listed below:

STAT Contact status

PENE Contact penetration
PRES Contact pressure
SFRIC Contact friction stress
STOT Contact total stress (pressure plus friction)
SLIDE Contact sliding distance
GAP Contact gap distance
FLUX Total heat flux at contact surface
CNOS Total number of contact status changes during
substep
FPRS Actual applied fluid penetration pressure

CONTA173 Assumptions and Restrictions

• The 3-D contact element must coincide with the external surface of the underlying solid or shell
element or with the original elements comprising the superelement.

• This element is nonlinear and requires a full Newton iterative solution, regardless of whether large
or small deflections are specified. An exception to this is when MPC bonded contact is specified
(KEYOPT(2) = 2 and KEYOPT(12) = 5 or 6).

• The normal contact stiffness factor (FKN) must not be so large as to cause numerical instability.

• FTOLN, PINB, and FKOP can be changed between load steps or during restart stages.

• You can use this element in nonlinear static or nonlinear full transient analyses. In addition, you can
use it in modal analyses, eigenvalue buckling analyses, and harmonic analyses. For these analysis
types, the program assumes that the initial status of the element (that is, the status at the completion
of the static prestress analysis, if any) does not change.

• Certain contact features are not supported when this element is used in a general contact definition.
For details, see General Contact in the Contact Technology Guide.

CONTA173 Product Restrictions

When used in the product(s) listed below, the stated product-specific restrictions apply to this element
in addition to the general assumptions and restrictions given in the previous section.

Ansys Mechanical Pro

• The MAG DOF (KEYOPT(1) = 7) is not available.

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CONTA173

• Birth and death is not available.

• Debonding is not available.

• User-defined contact is not available.

• User-defined friction is not available.

Ansys Mechanical Premium

• The MAG DOF (KEYOPT(1) = 7) is not available.

• Debonding is not available.

• User-defined contact is not available.

• User-defined friction is not available.

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3-D Line-to-Line Contact
Valid Products: Pro | Premium | Enterprise | PrepPost | Solver | AS add-on
Product Restrictions (p. 393)

CONTA176 Element Description

Although this archived element is available for use in your analysis, Ansys, Inc. recommends using the
more general-purpose CONTA177 element, which supports line-to-line and line-to-surface contact.

CONTA176 is used to represent contact and sliding between 3-D line segments (TARGE170) and a de-
formable line segment, defined by this element. The element is applicable to 3-D beam-beam structural
contact analyses. This element is located on the surfaces of 3-D beam or pipe elements with or without
midside nodes (such as BEAM188 or BEAM189). Contact occurs when the element surface penetrates
one of the 3-D straight line or parabolic line segment elements (TARGE170) on a specified target surface.
Coulomb friction, shear stress friction, user-defined friction with the USERFRIC subroutine, and user-
defined contact interaction with the USERINTER subroutine are allowed. This element also allows
separation of bonded contact to simulate interface delamination. To model beam-to-surface contact,
use the line-to-surface contact element, CONTA177.

Figure .176.1: CONTA176 Geometry

CONTA176
Y
J
X K
Z
I

3-D associated target

line segments (TARGE170)

CONTA176 Input Data

The geometry and node locations are shown in Figure .176.1: CONTA176 Geometry (p. 375). The element
is defined by two nodes (if the underlying beam element does not have a midside node) or three nodes
(if the underlying beam element has a midside node). The element x-axis is along the I-J line of the
element. Correct node ordering of the contact element is critical for proper detection of contact. The
nodes must be ordered in a sequence that defines a continuous line. See Generating Contact Elements
in the Contact Technology Guide for more information on generating elements automatically using the
ESURF command.

Three different scenarios can be modeled by CONTA176:

• Internal contact where one beam (or pipe) slides inside another hollow beam (or pipe) (see Fig-
ure .176.2: Beam Sliding Inside a Hollow Beam (p. 376))

• External contact between two beams that lie next to each other and are roughly parallel (see Fig-
ure .176.3: Parallel Beams in Contact (p. 376))

• External contact between two beams that cross (see Figure .176.4: Crossing Beams in Contact (p. 376))

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CONTA176

Use KEYOPT(3) = 0 for the first two scenarios (internal contact and parallel beams). In both cases, the
contact condition is only checked at contact nodes.

Use KEYOPT(3) = 1 for the third scenario (beams that cross). In this case, the contact condition is checked
along the entire length of the beams. The beams with circular cross sections are assumed to come in
contact in a point-wise manner. Each contact element can potentially contact no more than one target
element.

Figure .176.2: Beam Sliding Inside a Hollow Beam

TARGE170 rt

n
rc

CONTA176

Figure .176.3: Parallel Beams in Contact

Figure .176.4: Crossing Beams in Contact

n

CONTA176

rc

rt

TARGE170

The 3-D line-to-line contact elements are associated with the target line segment elements (LINE or
PARA segment types for TARGE170) via a shared real constant set. The contact/target surface is assumed
to be the surface of a cylinder. For a general beam cross section, use an equivalent circular beam (see
Figure .176.5: Equivalent Circular Cross Section (p. 377)). Use the first real constant, R1, to define the ra-

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 CONTA176

dius on the target side (target radius rt). Use the second real constant, R2, to define the radius on the
contact side (contact radius rc). Follow these guidelines to define the equivalent circular cross section:

• Determine the smallest cross section along the beam axis.

• Determine the largest circle embedded in that cross section.

Figure .176.5: Equivalent Circular Cross Section

Actual beam

Contact surface

The target radius can be entered as either a negative or positive value. Use a negative value when
modeling internal contact (a beam sliding inside a hollow beam, or pipe sliding inside another pipe),
with the input value equal to the inner radius of the outer beam (see Figure .176.2: Beam Sliding Inside
a Hollow Beam (p. 376)). Use a positive value when modeling contact between the exterior surfaces of
two cylindrical beams.

For the case of internal contact, the inner beam should usually be considered the contact surface and
the outer beam should be the target surface. The inner beam can be considered as the target surface
only when the inner beam is much stiffer than the outer beam.

Contact is detected when two circular beams touch or overlap each other. The non-penetration condition
for beams with a circular cross section can be defined as follows.

For internal contact:

and for external contact:

where rc and rt are the radii of the cross sections of the beams on the contact and target sides, respect-
ively; and d is the minimal distance between the two beams which also determines the contact normal
direction (see Figure .176.4: Crossing Beams in Contact (p. 376)). Contact occurs for negative values of
g.

When the contact radius and/or target radius are not defined, the program automatically calculates the
equivalent radius for each individual contact/target element based on the associated geometry of un-
derlying beam elements. In this case, the equivalent radius may vary within a contact pair.

ANSYS looks for contact only between contact and target surfaces with the same real constant set. For
either rigid-flexible or flexible-flexible contact, one of the deformable surfaces must be represented by
a contact surface. See Designating Contact and Target Surfaces in the Contact Technology Guide for
more information. If more than one target surface will make contact with the same boundary of beam
elements, you must define several contact elements that share the same geometry but relate to separate

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CONTA176

targets (targets which have different real constant numbers), or you must combine the two target surfaces
into one (targets that share the same real constant numbers).

CONTA176 supports isotropic and orthotropic Coulomb friction. For isotropic friction, specify a single
coefficient of friction, MU, using either TB command input (recommended) or the MP command. For
orthotropic friction, specify two coefficients of friction, MU1 and MU2, in two principal directions using
TB command input. (See Contact Friction in the Material Reference for more information.)

For isotropic friction, local element coordinates based on the nodal connectivity are used to define
principal directions. In the case of two crossing beams in contact (KEYPT(3) = 1), the first principal dir-
ection is defined by 1/2(t1 + t2 ). The first vector, t1 , points from the first contact node to the second
contact node, and the second vector, t2 , points from the first target node to the second target node.
In the case of two parallel beams in contact (KEYOPT(3) = 0), the first principal direction points from
the first contact node to the second contact node. In both cases, the second principal direction is
defined by taking a cross product of the first principal direction and the contact normal.

For orthotropic friction, the principal directions are determined as follows. The global coordinate system
is used by default, or you may define a local element coordinate system with the ESYS command. The
first principal direction is defined by projecting the first direction of the chosen coordinate system onto
the contact element. The second principal direction is defined by taking a cross product of the first
principal direction and the contact normal. These directions also follow the rigid body rotation of the
contact element to correctly model the directional dependence of friction. Be careful to choose the
coordinate system (global or local) so that the first direction of that system is within 45° of the tangent
to the contact surface.

If you want to set the coordinate directions for isotropic friction (to the global Cartesian system or an-
other system via ESYS), you can define orthotropic friction and set MU1 = MU2.

To define a coefficient of friction for isotropic or orthotropic friction that is dependent on temperature,
time, normal pressure, sliding distance, or sliding relative velocity, use the TBFIELD command along
with TB,FRIC. See Contact Friction in the Material Reference for more information.

To implement a user-defined friction model, use the TB,FRIC command with TBOPT = USER to specify
friction properties and write a USERFRIC subroutine to compute friction forces. See Writing Your Own
Friction Law (USERFRIC) in the Contact Technology Guide for more information on how to use this
feature. See also the Guide to User-Programmable Features in the Programmer's Reference for a detailed
description of the USERFRIC subroutine.

In addition to the user-defined friction subroutine, the contact interaction subroutine USERINTER is
available for user-defined interface interactions, including interactions in the normal and tangential
directions. See Defining Your Own Contact Interaction (USERINTER) in the Contact Technology Guide
for more information on how to use this feature. See also the Guide to User-Programmable Features in
the Programmer's Reference for a detailed description of the USERINTER subroutine.

To model proper momentum transfer and energy balance between contact and target surfaces, impact
constraints should be used in transient dynamic analysis. See the description of KEYOPT(7) below and
the contact element discussion in the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference for details.

To model separation of bonded contact with KEYOPT(12) = 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, use the TB command with
the CZM label. See Debonding in the Contact Technology Guide for more information.

In addition to controlling the type of beam contact, KEYOPT(3) allows you to choose between a contact
force-based model (KEYOPT(3) = 0 or 1; default = 0) and a contact traction-based model (KEYOPT(3) =

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2 or 3). The units for certain real constants (FKN, FKT, TNOP) and postprocessing items (PRES, TAUR,
TAUS, SFRIC, and so on) vary by a factor of AREA, depending on which model is specified. (For details,
see the real constant table (p. 386) and output definitions table (p. 388).) For more information on using
KEYOPT(3) with CONTA176, see KEYOPT(3) in the Contact Technology Guide.

See the Contact Technology Guide for a detailed discussion on contact and using the contact elements.
3-D Beam-to-Beam Contact (Pair-Based) discusses CONTA176 specifically, including the use of real
constants and KEYOPTs.

The following table summarizes the element input. Element Input gives a general description of element
input.

CONTA176 Input Summary

Nodes

I, J, (K)

Degrees of Freedom

UX, UY, UZ

Real Constants

R1, R2, FKN, FTOLN, ICONT, PINB,

PZER , CZER, TAUMAX, CNOF, FKOP, FKT,
COHE, (Blank), (Blank), (Blank), (Blank), (Blank),
(Blank), (Blank), FACT, DC, SLTO, TNOP,
TOLS, (Blank), (Blank), (Blank), COR, STRM
FDMN, FDMT, (Blank), (Blank), TBND, (Blank),
(Blank), (Blank), (Blank), (Blank), (Blank), (Blank),
(Blank), (Blank), (Blank), (Blank), TFOR, TEND
See Table .176.1: CONTA176 Real Constants (p. 386) for descriptions of the real constants.

Material Properties

TB command: CZM, FRIC, INTER

MP command: MU, DMPR, DMPS

Special Features

Birth and death

Debonding
Isotropic friction
Large deflection
Linear perturbation
Nonlinearity

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CONTA176

Orthotropic friction
User-defined contact interaction
User-defined friction

KEYOPTs

Presented below is a list of KEYOPTS available for this element. Included are links to sections in the
Contact Technology Guide where more information is available on a particular topic.

KEYOPT(1)

Selects degrees of freedom. Currently, the default (UX, UY, UZ) is the only valid option:

0 --

UX, UY, UZ

KEYOPT(2)

Contact algorithm:

0 --

Augmented Lagrangian (default)

1 --

Penalty function

2 --

Multipoint constraint (MPC); see Multipoint Constraints and Assemblies in the Contact Technology
Guide for more information

3 --

Lagrange multiplier on contact normal and penalty on tangent

4 --

Pure Lagrange multiplier on contact normal and tangent

KEYOPT(3)

Beam contact type:

0 --

Parallel beams or beam inside beam (contact force-based model)

1 --

Crossing beams (contact force-based model)

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2 --

Parallel beams or beam inside beam (contact traction-based model)

3 --

Crossing beams (contact traction-based model)

KEYOPT(4)

Type of surface-based constraint (see Surface-based Constraints for more information):

0 --

Rigid surface constraint

1 --

Force-distributed constraint (This option applies to a force-distributed constraint based on the

MPC approach or the Lagrange multiplier method.)

3 --

Coupling constraint

KEYOPT(5)

CNOF/ICONT Automated adjustment:

0 --

No automated adjustment

(There is an exception when KEYOPT(12) = 6 is set for bonded initial contact; in this case, auto
ICONT is applied by default. See Selecting Surface Interaction Models for more information.)

1 --

Close gap with auto CNOF

2 --

Reduce penetration with auto CNOF

3 --

Close gap/reduce penetration with auto CNOF

4 --

Auto ICONT

KEYOPT(6)

Contact stiffness variation (used to enhance stiffness updating when KEYOPT(10) ≠ 1):

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CONTA176

0 --

Use default range for stiffness updating

1 --

Make a nominal refinement to the allowable stiffness range

2 --

Make an aggressive refinement to the allowable stiffness range

3 --

Use an exponential pressure-penetration relationship

KEYOPT(7)

Element level time incrementation control / impact constraints:

0 --

No control

1 --

Automatic bisection of increment

2 --

Change in contact predictions are made to maintain a reasonable time/load increment

3 --

Change in contact predictions made to achieve the minimum time/load increment whenever a
change in contact status occurs

4 --

Use impact constraints for standard or rough contact (KEYOPT(12) = 0 or 1) in a transient dynamic
analysis with automatic adjustment of time increment

KEYOPT(8)

Symmetric contact behavior:

0 --

Both symmetric pairs are active. However, each pair has its own contact characteristics.

1 --

Both symmetric pairs are active and have the same contact characteristics.

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2 --

The program internally selects which asymmetric contact pair is used at the solution stage (used
only when symmetric contact is defined). However, the contact stiffness of the active contact
pair is influenced by the underlying element stiffness of the inactive pair.

3 --

The program internally selects which asymmetric contact pair is used at the solution stage (used
only when symmetric contact is defined). The contact characteristics of the active contact pair
are completely independent of the inactive pair.

Note:

KEYOPT(8) settings are ignored for asymmetric contact pairs and rigid-to-rigid contact
pairs.

Note:

KEYOPT(8) is ignored for contact elements used in a general contact definition. Instead,
use the command GCDEF,AUTO to enable auto-asymmetric pairing logic.

KEYOPT(9)

Effect of initial penetration or gap:

0 --

Include both initial geometrical penetration or gap and offset

1 --

Exclude both initial geometrical penetration or gap and offset

2 --

Include both initial geometrical penetration or gap and offset, but with ramped effects

3 --

Include offset only (exclude initial geometrical penetration or gap)

4 --

Include offset only (exclude initial geometrical penetration or gap), but with ramped effects

5 --

Include offset only (exclude initial geometrical penetration or gap) regardless of the initial contact
status (near-field or closed)

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CONTA176

6 --

Include offset only (exclude initial geometrical penetration or gap), but with ramped effects re-
gardless of the initial contact status (near-field or closed)

Note:

The effects of KEYOPT(9) are dependent on settings for other KEYOPTs. The indicated
initial gap effect is considered only if KEYOPT(12) = 4 or 5. See the discussion on using
KEYOPT(9) in the Contact Technology Guide for more information.

KEYOPT(10)

Contact Stiffness Update:

0 --

Each iteration based on the current mean stress of underlying elements. The actual elastic slip
never exceeds the maximum allowable limit (SLTO) during the entire solution.

1 --

Each load step if FKN is redefined during the load step.

2 --

Each iteration based on the current mean stress of underlying elements. The actual elastic slip
does not exceed the maximum allowable limit (SLTO) within a substep.

KEYOPT(12)

Behavior of contact surface:

0 --

Standard

1 --

Rough

2 --

No separation (sliding permitted)

3 --

Bonded

4 --

No separation (always)

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 CONTA176

5 --

Bonded (always)

6 --

Bonded (initial contact)

Note:

When KEYOPT(12) = 5 or 6 is used with the MPC algorithm to model surface-based con-
straints, the KEYOPT(12) setting will have an effect on the local coordinate system of the
contact element nodes. See Specifying a Local Coordinate System in the Contact Techno-
logy Guide for more information.

KEYOPT(15)

Effect of contact stabilization damping:

0 --

Damping is activated only in the first load step (default).

1 --

Deactivate automatic damping.

2 --

Damping is activated for all load steps.

3 --

Damping is activated at all times regardless of the contact status of previous substeps.

Note:

Normal stabilization damping is only applied to the contact element when the current
contact status of the contact detection point is near-field. When KEYOPT(15) = 0, 1, or 2,
normal stabilization damping is not applied in the current substep if any contact detection
point has a closed status. However, when KEYOPT(15) = 3, normal stabilization damping
is always applied as long as the current contact status of the contact detection point is
near-field. Tangential stabilization damping is automatically activated when normal
damping is activated. Tangential damping can also be applied independent of normal
damping for sliding contact. See Applying Contact Stabilization Damping in the Contact
Technology Guide for more information.

KEYOPT(18)

Sliding behavior:

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CONTA176

0 --

Finite sliding (default). The contacting interface can undergo separation, relative large sliding,
and arbitrary rotation.

1 --

Small sliding. The contacting interface can undergo only small sliding; arbitrary rotation is per-
mitted.

Table .176.1: CONTA176 Real Constants

No. Name Description For more information, see

this section in the Contact
Technology Guide . . .
1 R1 Target radius Real Constants R1, R2
2 R2 Contact radius Real Constants R1, R2
3 FKN[1] Normal penalty stiffness factor [2] [3] Determining Contact
[5] Stiffness and
Penetration
4 FTOLN Penetration tolerance factor Determining Contact
Stiffness and
Penetration
5 ICONT Initial contact closure Adjusting Initial
Contact Conditions
6 PINB Pinball region Determining Contact
Status and the Pinball
Region
or

Defining Influence
Range (PINB)
7 PZER Pressure at zero penetration [2] [3] Exponential
Pressure-Penetration
Relationship (KEYOPT(6) =
3)
8 CZER Initial contact clearance Exponential
Pressure-Penetration
Relationship (KEYOPT(6) =
3)
9 TAUMAX Maximum friction stress [2] [3] Choosing a Friction
Model
10 CNOF Contact surface offset [2] [3] Adjusting Initial
Contact Conditions
11 FKOP Contact opening stiffness [2] [3] Selecting Surface
Interaction Models
12 FKT[1] Tangent penalty stiffness factor [2] [3] Determining Contact
Stiffness

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 CONTA176

No. Name Description For more information, see

this section in the Contact
Technology Guide . . .
13 COHE Contact cohesion Choosing a Friction
Model
21 FACT Static/dynamic ratio Static and Dynamic
Friction Coefficients
22 DC Exponential decay coefficient Static and Dynamic
Friction Coefficients
23 SLTO Allowable elastic slip Using FKT and SLTO
24 TNOP Maximum allowable tensile contact Chattering Control
force/pressure [4] Parameters
25 TOLS Target edge extension factor Real Constant TOLS
29 COR Coefficient of restitution Impact Between Rigid
Bodies
30 STRM Load step number for ramping Modeling Interference
penetration Fit

or

Starting time for contact stiffness

ramping
31 FDMN Normal stabilization damping factor [2] [3] Applying Contact
Stabilization Damping
32 FDMT Tangential stabilization damping factor [2] Applying Contact
[3] Stabilization Damping
35 TBND Critical bonding temperature [2] [3] Using TBND
47 TFOR Pair-based force tolerance Checking Contact
Pair-Based Force
Convergence
48 TEND Ending time for ramping contact stiffness Modeling Interference Fit

1. For the contact force-based model (KEYOPT(3) = 0 or 1), the units of real constants FKN and FKT
have a factor of AREA with respect to those used in the surface-to-surface contact elements. See
Performing a 3-D Beam-to-Beam Contact Analysis for more information.

2. This real constant can be defined as a function of certain primary variables.

3. This real constant can be defined by the user subroutine USERCNPROP.F.

4. For the contact force-based model (KEYOPT(3) = 0 or 1), TNOP is the allowable tensile contact force.
For the contact traction-based model (KEYOPT(3) = 2 or 3), TNOP is the allowable tensile contact
pressure.

5. When CONTA176 is used as part of a forced-distributed constraint and KEYOPT(7) = 2 on the

TARGE170 element, FKN is used to define weighting factors in tabular format with node number as
the primary variable.

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CONTA176

CONTA176 Output Data

The solution output associated with the element is in two forms:

• Nodal displacements included in the overall nodal solution

• Additional element output as shown in Table .176.2: CONTA176 Element Output Definitions (p. 388).

A general description of solution output is given in Solution Output. See the Basic Analysis Guide for
ways to view results.

The Element Output Definitions table uses the following notation:

A colon (:) in the Name column indicates that the item can be accessed by the Component Name
method (ETABLE, ESOL). The O column indicates the availability of the items in the file jobname.out.
The R column indicates the availability of the items in the results file.

In either the O or R columns, “Y” indicates that the item is always available, a number refers to a table
footnote that describes when the item is conditionally available, and “-” indicates that the item is not
available.

Table .176.2: CONTA176 Element Output Definitions

Name Definition O R
EL Element Number Y Y
NODES Nodes I, J, K Y Y
XC, YC, ZC Location where results are reported (same as nodal location) Y Y
TEMP Temperature T(I) Y Y
VOLU Length Y Y
NPI Number of integration points Y -
ITRGET Target surface number (assigned by ANSYS) Y -
ISOLID Underlying beam element number Y -
CONT:STAT Current contact statuses 1 1
OLDST Old contact statuses 1 1
ISEG Current contacting target element number Y Y
OLDSEG Underlying old target number Y -
CONT:PENE Current penetration (gap = 0; penetration = positive value) Y Y
CONT:GAP Current gap (gap = negative value; penetration = 0) Y Y
NGAP New or current gap at current converged substep (gap = Y -
negative value; penetration = positive value)
OGAP Old gap at previously converged substep (gap = negative value; Y -
penetration = positive value)
IGAP Initial gap at start of current substep (gap = negative value; Y Y
penetration = positive value)
GGAP Geometric gap at current converged substep (gap = negative - Y
value; penetration = positive value)

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 CONTA176

Name Definition O R
CONT:PRES Normal contact force/pressure 2 2
TAUR/TAUS [7] Tangential contact forces/stresses 2 2
KN Current normal contact stiffness (units: FORCE/LENGTH for 5 5
contact force model, FORCE/LENGTH3 for contact traction
model)
KT Current tangent contact stiffness (same units as KN) 5 5
MU [8] Friction coefficient Y Y
TASS/TASR [7] Total (algebraic sum) sliding in S and R directions 3 3
AASS/AASR [7] Total (absolute sum) sliding in S and R directions 3 3
TOLN Penetration tolerance Y Y
CONT:SFRIC Frictional force/stress, SQRT (TAUR**2+TAUS**2) 2 2
CONT:STOTAL Total force/stress, SQRT (PRES**2+TAUR**2+TAUS**2) 2 2
CONT:SLIDE Amplitude of total accumulated sliding, SQRT 3 3
(TASS**2+TASR**2)
FDDIS Frictional energy dissipation rate 6 6
ELSI Total equivalent elastic slip distance - Y
PLSI Total (accumulated) equivalent plastic slip due to frictional - Y
sliding
GSLID Amplitude of total accumulated sliding (including near-field) - 9
VREL Equivalent sliding velocity (slip rate) - Y
DBA Penetration variation Y Y
PINB Pinball Region - Y
CONT:CNOS Total number of contact status changes during substep Y Y
TNOP Maximum allowable tensile contact force/pressure 2 2
SLTO Allowable elastic slip Y Y
CAREA Contacting area - Y
R1 Target radius - Y
R2 Contact radius - Y
DTSTART Load step time during debonding Y Y
DPARAM Debonding parameter Y Y
DENERI [12] Energy released due to separation in normal direction - mode Y Y
I debonding
DENERII [12] Energy released due to separation in tangential direction - Y Y
mode II debonding
DENER [13] Total energy released due to debonding Y Y
CNFX [10] Contact element force-X component - 4
CNFY [10] Contact element force-Y component - 4
CNFZ [10] Contact element force-Z component - 4
CNTX [11] Contact element force due to tangential stresses - X component - 4

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CONTA176

Name Definition O R
CNTY [11] Contact element force due to tangential stresses - Y component - 4
CNTZ [11] Contact element force due to tangential stresses - Z component - 4
SDAMP Stabilization damping coefficient - Y

1. The possible values of STAT and OLDST are:

0 = Open and not near contact

1 = Open but near contact
2 = Closed and sliding
3 = Closed and sticking

2. For the force-based model (KEYOPT(3) = 0 or 1), the unit of this quantity is FORCE. For the traction-
based model (KEYOPT(3) = 2 or 3), the unit is FORCE/AREA.

3. Only accumulates the sliding for sliding and closed contact (STAT = 2,3).

4. Contact element forces are defined in the global Cartesian system

5. For the force-based model (KEYOPT(3) = 0 or 1), the unit of stiffness is FORCE/LENGTH. For the
traction-based model (KEYOPT(3) = 2 or 3), the unit is FORCE/LENGTH3.

6. FDDIS = (contact friction stress)*(sliding distance of substep)/(time increment of substep)

7. For the case of orthotropic friction in contact between beams, components are defined in the
global Cartesian system.

8. For orthotropic friction, an equivalent coefficient of friction is output.

9. Accumulated sliding distance for near-field, sliding, and closed contact (STAT = 1,2,3).

10. The contact element force values (CNFX, CNFY, CNFZ) are calculated based on the individual contact
element plus the surrounding contact elements. Therefore, the contact force values may not equal
the contact element area times the contact pressure (CAREA * PRES).

11. CNTX, CNTY, and CNTZ report the total contact element forces due to tangential stresses. Since
CNFX, CNFY, and CNFZ report the total contact element forces, the contact element forces due to
normal pressure are (CNFX-CNTX), (CNFY-CNTY), and (CNFZ-CNTZ).

12. DENERI and DENERII are available only when one of the following material models is used:
TB,CZM,,,,CBDD or TB,CZM,,,,CBDE.

13. DENER is available only when one of the following material models is used: TB,CZM,,,,BILI or
TB,CZM,,,,EXPO.

Note:

Contact results (including all element results) are generally not reported for elements that
have a status of "open and not near contact" (far-field).

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The following table lists output available through the ETABLE command using the Sequence Number
method. See Creating an Element Table in the Basic Analysis Guide and The Item and Sequence Number
Table in the Element Reference for more information.

Name

output quantity as defined in Table .176.2: CONTA176 Element Output Definitions (p. 388)

Item

predetermined item label for ETABLE command

sequence number for single-valued or constant element data

NMISC

I, J, K

sequence number for data at nodes I, J, K

Table .176.3: CONTA176 Item and Sequence Numbers

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I J K
Name
PRES SMISC 13 1 2 3
TAUR SMISC - 5 6 7
TAUS SMISC - 9 10 11
FDDIS SMISC - 18 19 20
STAT [1] NMISC 41 1 2 3
OLDST NMISC - 5 6 7
PENE [2] NMISC - 9 10 11
DBA NMISC - 13 14 15
TASR NMISC - 17 18 19
TASS NMISC - 21 22 23
KN NMISC - 25 26 27
KT NMISC - 29 30 31
TOLN NMISC - 33 34 35
IGAP NMISC - 37 38 39
PINB NMISC 42 - - -
CNFX NMISC 43 - - -
CNFY NMISC 44 - - -
CNFZ NMISC 45 - - -
CNTX NMISC 186 - - -
CNTY NMISC 187 - - -

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CONTA176

Output ETABLE and ESOL Command Input

Quantity Item E I J K
Name
CNTZ NMISC 188 - - -
ISEG [3] NMISC - 46 47 48
AASR NMISC - 50 51 52
AASS NMISC - 54 55 56
CAREA NMISC 58 - - -
MU NMISC - 62 63 64
DTSTART NMISC - 66 67 68
DPARAM NMISC - 70 71 72
CNOS NMISC - 112 113 114
TNOP NMISC - 116 117 118
SLTO NMISC - 120 121 122
ELSI NMISC - 136 137 138
DENERI NMISC - 140 141 142
or
DENER
DENERII NMISC - 144 145 146
GGAP NMISC - 152 153 154
VREL NMISC - 156 157 158
SDAMP NMISC - 160 161 162
PLSI NMISC - 164 165 166
GSLID NMISC - 168 169 170
R1 NMISC - 172 173 174
R2 NMISC - 176 177 178

1. Element Status = highest value of status of integration points within the element.

2. Penetration = positive value, gap = negative value.

3. The floating point output format for large integers may lead to incorrect ISEG values. You should
verify the NMISC values via the *GET command. For example, *GET,Par,ELEM,N,NMISC,46 returns
the ISEG value for node I of element N.

You can display or list contact results through several POST1 postprocessor commands. The contact
specific items for the PLNSOL, PLESOL, PRNSOL, and PRESOL commands are listed below:

STAT Contact status

PENE Contact penetration
PRES Contact pressure for the traction-based model.
Contact normal force for the force-based model.
SFRIC Contact friction stress for the traction-based model.
Friction force for the force-based model.

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 CONTA176

STOT Contact total stress (pressure plus friction) for the

traction-based model. Total contact force for the
force-based model.
SLIDE Contact sliding distance
GAP Contact gap distance
CNOS Total number of contact status changes during
substep

CONTA176 Assumptions and Restrictions

• The main restriction is the assumption of constant circular beam cross section. The contact radius
is assumed to be the same for all elements in the contact pair.

• For KEYOPT(3) = 1 (crossing beams), contact between the beams is pointwise, and each contact
element contacts no more than one target element.

• This element is nonlinear and requires a full Newton iterative solution, regardless of whether
large or small deflections are specified. An exception to this is when MPC bonded contact is
specified (KEYOPT(2) = 2 and KEYOPT(12) = 5 or 6).

• The normal contact stiffness factor (FKN) must not be so large as to cause numerical instability.

• FTOLN, PINB, and FKOP can be changed between load steps or during restart stages.

• You can use this element in nonlinear static or nonlinear full transient analyses.

• In addition, you can use it in modal analyses, eigenvalue buckling analyses, and harmonic analyses.
For these analysis types, the program assumes that the initial status of the element (that is, the
status at the completion of the static prestress analysis, if any) does not change.

• CONTA176 cannot be used in a general contact definition.

CONTA176 Product Restrictions

When used in the product(s) listed below, the stated product-specific restrictions apply to this element
in addition to the general assumptions and restrictions given in the previous section.

Ansys Mechanical Pro

• Birth and death is not available.

• Debonding is not available.

• User-defined contact is not available.

• User-defined friction is not available.

Ansys Mechanical Premium

• Debonding is not available.

• User-defined contact is not available.

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CONTA176

• User-defined friction is not available.

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 Part 5: Archived Theory
Following is archived theory information.
Chapter 1: Archived Theory Element Library
Chapter 2: Concrete (with SOLID65)
Chapter 3: Creep
Chapter 4: Hydrodynamic Loads on Line Elements
Chapter 5: POST1 - Fatigue Module
Chapter 6: POST1 - Crack Analysis (KCALC)
Chapter 1: Archived Theory Element Library
Following is archived element theory information.

1.1. BEAM4 - 3-D Elastic Beam

Matrix or Vector Shape Functions Integration Points

Equation 11.15, Equation 11.16,
Stiffness and Mass Matrices None
Equation 11.17, and Equation 11.18
Stress Stiffness and
Equation 11.7 and Equation 11.8 None
Damping Matrices
Pressure Load Vector and Equation 11.15, Equation 11.16, and
None
Temperatures Equation 11.17

Load Type Distribution

Element Temperature Bilinear across cross-section, linear along length
Nodal Temperature Constant across cross-section, linear along length
Pressure Linear along length

1.1.1. Stiffness and Mass Matrices

The order of degrees of freedom (DOFs) is shown in Figure 1.1: Order of Degrees of Freedom (p. 398).

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Archived Theory Element Library

Figure 1.1: Order of Degrees of Freedom

The stiffness matrix in element coordinates is (Przemieniecki):

(1.1)

where:

A = cross-section area (input as AREA on R command)

E = Young's modulus (input as EX on MP command)
L = element length
G = shear modulus (input as GXY on MP command)

Ix = input torsional moment of inertia (input as IXX on RMORE command)

Jx = polar moment of inertia = Iy + Iz
az = a(Iz,φy)
ay = a(Iy,φz)
bz = b(Iz,φy)

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 BEAM4 - 3-D Elastic Beam

fz = f(Iz,φy)
fy = f(Iy,φz)

Ii = moment of inertia about direction i (input as Iii on R command)

The consistent mass matrix (LUMPM,OFF) in element coordinates LUMPM,OFF is (Yokoyama):

(1.2)

where:

Mt = (ρA+m)L(1-εin)
ρ = density (input as DENS on MP command)
m = added mass per unit length (input as ADDMAS on RMORE command)
εin = prestrain (input as ISTRN on RMORE command)
Az = A(rz,φy)
Ay = A(ry,φz)
Bz = B(rz,φy)

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Archived Theory Element Library

Fz = F(rz,φy)
Fy = F(ry,φz)

The mass matrix (LUMPM,ON) in element coordinates is:

(1.3)

1.1.2. Gyroscopic Damping Matrix

The element gyroscopic damping matrix is the same as for PIPE16.

1.1.3. Pressure and Temperature Load Vector

The pressure and temperature load vector are computed in a manner similar to that of BEAM3.

1.1.4. Local to Global Conversion

The element coordinates are related to the global coordinates by:

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 BEAM4 - 3-D Elastic Beam

(1.4)

where:

{u} = vector of displacements in global Cartesian coordinates

[T] is defined by:

(1.5)

where:

S3 = sin (θ)

C3 = cos (θ)
X1, etc. = x coordinate of node 1, etc.
Lxy = projection of length onto X-Y plane
d = .0001 L
θ = user-selected adjustment angle (input as THETA on R command)

If a third node is given, θ is not used. Rather C3 and S3 are defined using:

{V1} = vector from origin to node 1

{V2} = vector from origin to node 2
{V3} = vector from origin to node 3
{V4} = unit vector parallel to global Z axis, unless element is almost parallel to Z axis, in which
case it is parallel to the X axis.

Then,

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Archived Theory Element Library

(1.6)
(1.7)
(1.8)
(1.9)

and

(1.10)

(1.11)

The x and • refer to vector cross and dot products, respectively. Thus, the element stiffness matrix in
global coordinates becomes:
(1.12)
(1.13)
(1.14)
(1.15)

( is defined in Large Strain).

1.1.5. Stress Calculations

The centroidal stress at end i is:
(1.16)

where:

Fx,i = axial force (output as FX)

The bending stresses are

(1.17)

(1.18)

where:

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 CONTAC12 - 2-D Point-to-Point Contact

My,i = moment about the element y axis at end i

Mz,i = moment about the element z axis at end i
tz = thickness of beam in element z direction (input as TKZ on R command)
ty = thickness of beam in element y direction (input as TKY on R command)

The maximum and minimum stresses are:

(1.19)

(1.20)

The presumption has been made that the cross-section is a rectangle, so that the maximum and
minimum stresses of the cross-section occur at the corners. If the cross-section is of some other form,
such as an ellipse, the user must replace Equation 1.19 (p. 403) and Equation 1.20 (p. 403) with other
more appropriate expressions.

For long members, subjected to distributed loading (such as acceleration or pressure), it is possible
that the peak stresses occur not at one end or the other, but somewhere in between. If this is of
concern, the user should either use more elements or compute the interior stresses outside of the
program.

1.2. CONTAC12 - 2-D Point-to-Point Contact

Matrix or Vector Shape Functions Integration Points

Stiffness Matrix None (nodes may be coincident) None

Load Type Distribution

Element Temperature None - average used for material property evaluation
Nodal Temperature None - average used for material property evaluation

1.2.1. Element Matrices

CONTAC12 may have one of three conditions if the elastic Coulomb friction option (KEYOPT(1) = 0)
is used: closed and stuck, closed and sliding, or open. The following matrices are derived assuming
that θ is input as 0.0.

1. Closed and stuck. This occurs if:

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Archived Theory Element Library

(1.21)

where:

μ = coefficient of friction (input as MU on TB command with Lab = FRIC or MP command)

Fn = normal force across gap
Fs = sliding force parallel to gap

The normal force is:

(1.22)

where:

kn = normal stiffness (input as KN on R command

un,I = displacement of node I in normal direction
un,J = displacement of node J in normal direction

d = distance between nodes

The sliding force is:

(1.23)

where:

ks = sticking stiffness (input as KS on R command)

us,I = displacement of node I in sliding direction
us,J = displacement of node J in sliding direction
uo = distance that nodes I and J have slid with respect to each other

The resulting element stiffness matrix (in element coordinates) is:

(1.24)

and the Newton-Raphson load vector (in element coordinates) is:

(1.25)

2. Closed and sliding. This occurs if:

(1.26)

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 CONTAC12 - 2-D Point-to-Point Contact

In this case, the element stiffness matrix (in element coordinates) is:

(1.27)

and the Newton-Raphson load vector is the same as in Equation 1.25 (p. 404). If the unsymmetric
option is chosen (NROPT,UNSYM), then the stiffness matrix includes the coupling between the
normal and sliding directions; which for STAT = 2 is:

(1.28)

3. Open - When there is no contact between nodes I and J. There is no stiffness matrix or load vector.

Figure 1.2: Force-Deflection Relations for Standard Case (p. 405) shows the force-deflection relationships
for this element. It may be seen in these figures that the element is nonlinear and therefore needs
to be solved iteratively. Further, since energy lost in the slider cannot be recovered, the load needs
to be applied gradually.

Figure 1.2: Force-Deflection Relations for Standard Case

1.2.2. Orientation of the Element

The element is normally oriented based on θ (input as THETA on R command). If KEYOPT(2) = 1,
however, θ is not used. Rather, the first iteration has θ equal to zero, and all subsequent iterations
have the orientation of the element based on the displacements of the previous iteration. In no case
does the element use its nodal coordinates.

1.2.3. Rigid Coulomb Friction

If the user knows that a gap element will be in sliding status for the life of the problem, and that the
relative displacement of the two nodes will be monotonically increasing, the rigid Coulomb friction
option (KEYOPT(1) = 1) can be used to avoid convergence problems. This option removes the stiffness
in the sliding direction, as shown in Figure 1.3: Force-Deflection Relations for Rigid Coulomb Op-
tion (p. 406). It should be noted that if the relative displacement does not increase monotonically, the
convergence characteristics of KEYOPT(1) = 1 will be worse than for KEYOPT(1) = 0.

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Archived Theory Element Library

Figure 1.3: Force-Deflection Relations for Rigid Coulomb Option

1.3. PIPE16 - Elastic Straight Pipe

Matrix or Vector Shape Functions Integration Points

Stiffness and Mass Equation 11.15, Equation 11.16, Equation 11.17,
None
Matrices and Equation 11.18
Stress Stiffness and
Equation 11.16 and Equation 11.17 None
Damping Matrices
Pressure and Thermal Equation 11.15, Equation 11.16, and
None
Load Vectors Equation 11.17

Load Type Distribution

Element Temperature Linear thru thickness or across diameter, and along length
Nodal Temperature Constant across cross-section, linear along length
Internal and External: constant along length and around
Pressure
circumference. Lateral: constant along length

1.3.1. Assumptions and Restrictions

The element is assumed to be a thin-walled pipe except as noted. The corrosion allowance is used
only in the stress evaluation, not in the matrix formulation.

1.3.2. Stiffness Matrix

The element stiffness matrix of PIPE16 is similar to that of a 3-D elastic beam, except that
(1.29)

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 PIPE16 - Elastic Straight Pipe

(1.30)

(1.31)

and,
(1.32)

where:

π = 3.141592653
Do = outside diameter (input as OD on R command)
Di = inside diameter = Do - 2tw
tw = wall thickness (input as TKWALL on R command)

f = flexibility factor (input as FLEX on R command)

Further, the axial stiffness of the element is defined as

(1.33)

where:

E = Young's modulus (input as EX on MP command)

L = element length
k = alternate axial pipe stiffness (input as STIFF on RMORE command)

1.3.3. Mass Matrix

The element mass matrix of PIPE16 is the same as for a 3-D elastic beam, except total mass of the
element is assumed to be:
(1.34)

where:

me = total mass of element

mw = alternate pipe wall mass (input as MWALL on RMORE command)

ρ = pipe wall density (input as DENS on MP command)
ρfl = internal fluid density (input as DENSFL on R command)

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Archived Theory Element Library

ρin = insulation density (input as DENSIN on RMORE command)

Do+ = Do + 2tin

tin = insulation thickness (input as TKIN on RMORE command)

= alternate representation of the surface area of the outside of the pipe element (input
as AREAIN on RMORE command)

Also, the bending moments of inertia (Equation 1.30 (p. 407)) are used without the Cf term.

1.3.4. Gyroscopic Damping Matrix

The element gyroscopic damping matrix is:

(1.35)

where:

Ω = rotation frequency about the positive x axis (input as SPIN on RMORE command)

G = shear modulus (input as GXY on MP command)

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 PIPE16 - Elastic Straight Pipe

As = shear area ( = Aw/2.0)

1.3.5. Load Vector

The element pressure load vector is

(1.36)

where:

F1 = FA + FP
F7 = -FA + FP

F4 = F10 = 0.0

P1 = parallel pressure component in element coordinate system (force/unit length)

P2, P3 = transverse pressure components in element coordinate system (force/unit length)

The transverse pressures are assumed to act on the centerline, and not on the inner or outer surfaces.
The transverse pressures in the element coordinate system are computed by

(1.37)

where:

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Archived Theory Element Library

[T] = conversion matrix

PX = transverse pressure acting in global Cartesian X direction) (input using face 2 on SFE
command)
PY = transverse pressure acting in global Cartesian Y direction) (input using face 3 on SFE
command)
PZ = transverse pressure acting in global Cartesian Z direction) (input using face 4 on SFE
command)

, the unrestrained axial strain caused by internal and external pressure effects, is needed to compute
the pressure part of the element load vector (see Figure 1.4: Thermal and Pressure Effects (p. 410)).

Figure 1.4: Thermal and Pressure Effects

is computed using thick wall (Lame') effects:

(1.38)

where:

ν = Poisson's ratio (input as PRXY or NUXY on MP command)

Pi = internal pressure (input using face 1 on SFE command)
Po = external pressure (input using face 5 on SFE command)

An element thermal load vector is computed also, based on thick wall effects.

1.3.6. Stress Calculation

The output stresses, computed at the outside surface and illustrated in Figure 1.5: Elastic Pipe Direct
Stress Output (p. 412) and Figure 1.6: Elastic Pipe Shear Stress Output (p. 412), are calculated from the
following definitions:
(1.39)

(1.40)

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 PIPE16 - Elastic Straight Pipe

(1.41)

(1.42)

(1.43)

where:

σdir = direct stress (output as SDIR)

Fx = axial force

do = 2 ro

tc = corrosion allowance (input as TKCORR on RMORE command)

σbend = bending stress (output as SBEND)
Cσ = stress intensification factor, defined in Table 1.1: Stress Intensification Factors (p. 412)

σtor = torsional shear stress (output as ST)

Mx = torsional moment
J = 2Ir
σh = hoop pressure stress at the outside surface of the pipe (output as SH)

te = tw - tc
= lateral force shear stress (output as SSF)

Average values of Pi and Po are reported as first and fifth items of the output quantities ELEMENT
PRESSURES. The outside surface is chosen as the bending stresses usually dominate over pressure
induced stresses.

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Archived Theory Element Library

Figure 1.5: Elastic Pipe Direct Stress Output

Figure 1.6: Elastic Pipe Shear Stress Output

Stress intensification factors are given in Table 1.1: Stress Intensification Factors (p. 412).

Table 1.1: Stress Intensification Factors

Cσ
KEYOPT(2)
at node I at node J
0

1 1.0
2 1.0
3

Any entry in Table 1.1: Stress Intensification Factors (p. 412) either input as or computed to be less
than 1.0 is set to 1.0. The entries are:

= stress intensification factor of end I of straight pipe (input as SIFI on R command)

= stress intensification factor of end J of straight pipe (input as SIFJ on R command)

σth (output as STH), which is in the postprocessing file, represents the stress due to the thermal
gradient thru the thickness. If the temperatures are given as nodal temperatures, σth = 0.0. But, if the
temperatures are input as element temperatures,
(1.44)

where:

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 PIPE16 - Elastic Straight Pipe

To = temperature at outside surface

Ta = temperature midway thru wall

Equation 1.44 (p. 412) is derived as a special case of Equation 2.8, Equation 2.9 and Equation 2.11 with
y as the hoop coordinate (h) and z as the radial coordinate (r). Specifically, these equations

1. are specialized to an isotropic material

2. are premultiplied by [D] and -1

3. have all motions set to zero, hence εx = εh = εr = γxh = γhr = γxr = 0.0

4. have σr = τhr = τxr = 0.0 since r = Ro is a free surface.

This results in:

(1.45)

or
(1.46)

and
(1.47)

Finally, the axial and shear stresses are combined with:

(1.48)
(1.49)

where:

A, B = sine and cosine functions at the appropriate angle

σx = axial stress on outside surface (output as SAXL)
σxh = hoop stress on outside surface (output as SXH)

The maximum and minimum principal stresses, as well as the stress intensity and the equivalent
stress, are based on the stresses at two extreme points on opposite sides of the bending axis, as
shown in Figure 1.7: Stress Point Locations (p. 414). If shear stresses due to lateral forces are
greater than the bending stresses, the two points of maximum shearing stresses due to those forces
are reported instead. The stresses are calculated from the typical Mohr's circle approach in Fig-
ure 1.8: Mohr Circles (p. 414).

The equivalent stress for Point 1 is based on the three principal stresses which are designated by
small circles in Figure 1.8: Mohr Circles (p. 414). Note that one of the small circles is at the origin. This
represents the radial stress on the outside of the pipe, which is equal to zero (unless Po ≠ 0.0). Similarly,
the points marked with an X represent the principal stresses associated with Point 2, and a second
equivalent stress is derived from them.

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Archived Theory Element Library

Next, the program selects the largest of the four maximum principal stresses (σ1, output as S1MX),
the smallest of the four minimum principal stresses (σ3, output as S3MN), the largest of the four stress
intensities (σI, output as SINTMX), and the largest of the four equivalent stresses (σe, output as SEQVMX).
Finally, these are also compared (and replaced as necessary) to the values at the right positions around
the circumference at each end. These four values are then printed out and put on the postprocessing
file.

Figure 1.7: Stress Point Locations

Figure 1.8: Mohr Circles

Three additional items are put on the postdata file for use with certain code checking. These are:
(1.50)

(1.51)

(1.52)

where:

MXI = moment about the x axis at node I, etc.

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 PIPE18 - Elastic Curved Pipe

1.4. PIPE18 - Elastic Curved Pipe

Matrix or Vector Shape Functions Integration Points

No shape functions are explicitly used. Rather
Stiffness Matrix a flexibility matrix similar to that developed by None
Chen is inverted and used.
No shape functions are used. Rather a lumped
Mass Matrix mass matrix using only translational degrees of None
freedom is used.
Thermal and Pressure Equation 11.15, Equation 11.16, and
None
Load Vector Equation 11.17

Load Type Distribution

Element Temperature Linear thru thickness or across diameter, and along length
Nodal Temperature Constant across cross-section, linear along length
Internal and External: constant along length and around the
Pressure circumference Lateral: varies trigonometrically along length (see
below)

1.4.1. Other Applicable Sections

PIPE16 - Elastic Straight Pipe (p. 406) covers some of the applicable stress calculations.

1.4.2. Stiffness Matrix

The geometry in the plane of the element is given in Figure 1.9: Plane Element (p. 415).

Figure 1.9: Plane Element

The stiffness matrix is developed based on an approach similar to that of Chen. The flexibility of one
end with respect to the other is:

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Archived Theory Element Library

(1.53)

where:

and where:

R = radius of curvature (input as RADCUR on R command) (see Figure 1.9: Plane Ele-
ment (p. 415))
θ = included angle of element (see Figure 1.9: Plane Element (p. 415))

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 PIPE18 - Elastic Curved Pipe

E = Young's modulus (input as EX on MP command)

ν = Poisson's ratio (input as PRXY or NUXY on MP command)

Do = outside diameter (input as OD on R command)

Di = Do - 2t = inside diameter
t = wall thickness (input as TKWALL on R command)

Pi = internal pressure (input on SFE command)

Po = external pressure (input on SFE command)

The user should not use the KEYOPT(3) = 1 option if:

(1.54)

where:

θc = included angle of the complete elbow, not just the included angle for this element (θ)

Next, the 6 x 6 stiffness matrix is derived from the flexibility matrix by inversion:

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Archived Theory Element Library

(1.55)

The full 12 x 12 stiffness matrix (in element coordinates) is derived by expanding the 6 x 6 matrix
derived above and transforming to the global coordinate system.

1.4.3. Mass Matrix

The element mass matrix is a diagonal (lumped) matrix with each translation term being defined as:
(1.56)

where:

mt = mass at each node in each translation direction

me= (ρAw + ρflAfl + ρinAin)Rθ = total mass of element

ρ = pipe wall density (input as DENS on MP command)
ρfl = internal fluid density (input as DENSFL on RMORE command)

ρin = insulation density (input as DENSIN on RMORE command)

Do+ = Do + 2 tin

tin = insulation thickness (input as TKIN on RMORE command)

1.4.4. Load Vector

The load vector in element coordinates due to thermal and pressure effects is:
(1.57)

where:

εx = strain caused by thermal as well as internal and external pressure effects (see Equa-
tion 1.38 (p. 410) )
[Ke] = element stiffness matrix in global coordinates

is computed based on the transverse pressures acting in the global Cartesian directions (input
using face 2, 3, and 4 on SFE command) and curved beam formulas from Roark. Table 18, reference
no. (loading) 3, 4, and 5 and 5c was used for in-plane effects and Table 19, reference no. (end restraint)
4e was used for out-of-plane effects. As a radial load varying trigonometrically along the length of
the element was not one of the available cases given in Roark, an integration of a point radial load
was done, using Loading 5c.

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 PLANE42 - 2-D Structural Solid

1.4.5. Stress Calculations

In the stress pass, the stress evaluation is similar to that for PIPE16 - Elastic Straight Pipe (p. 406). The
wall thickness is diminished by the corrosion allowance, if present. The bending stress components
are multiplied by stress intensification factors (Cσ). The "intensified" stresses are used in the principal
and combined stress calculations. The factors are:

(1.58)

(1.59)

(1.60)

where:

te = t - tc
do = Do - 2 tc (where tc = corrosion allowances, input as TKCORR on the R command)

1.5. PLANE42 - 2-D Structural Solid

Matrix or Vector Geometry Shape Functions Integration Points

Equation 11.121 and
Equation 11.122 and, if modified
extra shapes are included
Quad (KEYOPT(2) ≠ 1) and element 2x2
has 4 unique nodes,
Stiffness Matrix
Equation 11.134 and
Equation 11.135
3 if axisymmetric
Equation 11.100 and
Triangle 1 if plane
Equation 11.101

Mass and Stress Stiffness Equation 11.121 and Same as stiffness

Quad
Matrices Equation 11.122 matrix

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Archived Theory Element Library

Matrix or Vector Geometry Shape Functions Integration Points

Equation 11.100 and
Triangle
Equation 11.101
Pressure Load Vector Same as mass matrix, specialized to face 2

Load Type Distribution

Bilinear across element, constant thru thickness or around
Element Temperature
circumference
Nodal Temperature Same as element temperature distribution
Pressure Linear along each face

References: Wilson, Taylor

1.5.1. Other Applicable Sections

Structures describes the derivation of structural element matrices and load vectors as well as stress
evaluations.

1.6. SOLID45 - 3-D Structural Solid

Matrix or Vector Shape Functions Integration Points

Equation 11.216, Equation 11.217, and
Equation 11.218 or, if modified extra
Stiffness Matrix and shape functions are included (KEYOPT(1) 2 x 2 x 2 if KEYOPT(2) = 0
1 if KEYOPT(2) = 1
Thermal Load Vector = 0) and element has 8 unique nodes,
Equation 11.232, Equation 11.233, and
Equation 11.234
Mass and Stress Stiffness Equation 11.216, Equation 11.217, and
Same as stiffness matrix
Matrices Equation 11.218
Equation 11.69 and
Quad 2x2
Equation 11.70
Pressure Load Vector
Equation 11.49 and
Triangle 3
Equation 11.50

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 CONTAC52 - 3-D Point-to-Point Contact

Load Type Distribution

Element Temperature Trilinear thru element
Nodal Temperature Trilinear thru element
Pressure Bilinear across each face

Reference: Wilson, Taylor et al.

1.6.1. Other Applicable Sections

Structures describes the derivation of structural element matrices and load vectors as well as stress
evaluations. Uniform reduced integration technique (Flanagan and Belytschko) can be chosen by using
KEYOPT(2) = 1.

1.7. CONTAC52 - 3-D Point-to-Point Contact

Matrix or Vector Geometry Shape Functions Integration Points

Normal Direction None None
Stiffness Matrix
Sliding Direction None None

Load Type Distribution

Element Temperature None - average used for material property evaluation
Nodal Temperature None - average used for material property evaluation

1.7.1. Other Applicable Sections

CONTAC12 - 2-D Point-to-Point Contact (p. 403) has many aspects also valid for CONTAC52, including
normal and sliding force determinations, rigid Coulomb friction (KEYOPT(1) = 1), and the force-deflection
relationship shown in Figure 1.2: Force-Deflection Relations for Standard Case (p. 405).

1.7.2. Element Matrices

CONTAC52 may have one of three conditions: closed and stuck, closed and sliding, or open.

If the element is closed and stuck, the element stiffness matrix (in element coordinates) is:

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(1.61)

where:

kn = normal stiffness (input as KN on R command)

ks = sticking stiffness (input as KS on R command)

The Newton-Raphson load vector is:

(1.62)

where:

Fn = normal force across gap (from previous iteration)

Fs = sticking force across gap (from previous iteration)

If the element is closed and sliding in both directions, the element stiffness matrix (in element co-
ordinates) is:

(1.63)

and the Newton-Raphson load vector is the same as in Equation 1.62 (p. 422). For details on the un-
symmetric option (NROPT,UNSYM), see CONTAC12 - 2-D Point-to-Point Contact (p. 403)

If the element is open, there is no stiffness matrix or load vector.

1.7.3. Orientation of Element

For both small and large deformation analysis, the orientation of the element is unchanged. The
element is oriented so that the normal force is in line with the original position of the two nodes.

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 PIPE59 - Immersed Pipe or Cable

1.8. PIPE59 - Immersed Pipe or Cable

Z
Y

y,v
x,u

z,w
J

Matrix or Vector Options Shape Functions Integration

Points
Stiffness Matrix; and Pipe Option (KEYOPT(1) Equation 11.15, None
Thermal, Pressure, and ≠ 1) Equation 11.16,
Hydrostatic Load Equation 11.17, and
Vectors Equation 11.18
Cable Option (KEYOPT(1) Equation 11.6, None
= 1) Equation 11.7, and
Equation 11.8
Stress Stiffness Matrix Pipe Option (KEYOPT(1) Equation 11.16 and None
≠ 1) Equation 11.17
Cable Option (KEYOPT(1) Equation 11.7 and None
= 1) Equation 11.8
Mass Matrix Pipe Option (KEYOPT(1) Equation 11.15, None
≠ 1) with consistent Equation 11.17, and
mass matrix (KEYOPT(2) Equation 11.16
= 0)
Cable Option (KEYOPT(1) Equation 11.6, None
= 1) or reduced mass Equation 11.7, and
matrix (KEYOPT(2) = 1) Equation 11.8
Hydrodynamic Load Same as stiffness matrix 2
Vector

Load Type Distribution

Element Temperature* Linear thru thickness or across diameter, and along length
Nodal Temperature* Constant across cross-section, linear along length
Pressure Linearly varying (in Z direction) internal and external pressure
caused by hydrostatic effects. Exponentially varying external
overpressure (in Z direction) caused by hydrodynamic effects

Note:

* Immersed elements with no internal diameter assume the temperatures of the water.

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1.8.1. Overview of the Element

PIPE59 is similar to PIPE16. The principal differences are that the mass matrix includes the:

1. Outside mass of the fluid ("added mass") (acts only normal to the axis of the element),

2. Internal structural components (pipe option only), and the load vector includes:

a. Hydrostatic effects

b. Hydrodynamic effects

1.8.2. Location of the Element

The origin for any problem containing PIPE59 must be at the free surface (mean sea level). Further,
the Z axis is always the vertical axis, pointing away from the center of the earth.

The element may be located in the fluid, above the fluid, or in both regimes simultaneously. There
is a tolerance of only below the mud line, for which
(1.64)

where:

ti = thickness of external insulation (input as TKIN on RMORE command)

Do = outside diameter of pipe/cable (input as DO on R command)

The mud line is located at distance d below the origin (input as DEPTH with TB,WATER (water motion
table)). This condition is checked with:
(1.65)

(1.66)

where Z(N) is the vertical location of node N. If it is desired to generate a structure below the mud
line, one can set up a second material property for those elements using a greater d and deleting
hydrodynamic effects. Alternatively, a second element type such as PIPE288 can be used.

If the problem is a large deflection problem, greater tolerances apply for second and subsequent it-
erations:
(1.67)
(1.68)
(1.69)

where Z(N) is the present vertical location of node N. In other words, the element is allowed to sink
into the mud for 10 diameters before generating a warning message. If a node sinks into the mud a
distance equal to the water depth, the run is terminated. If the element is supposed to lie on the
ocean floor, gap elements must be provided.

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 PIPE59 - Immersed Pipe or Cable

1.8.3. Stiffness Matrix

The element stiffness matrix for the pipe option (KEYOPT(1) ≠ 1) is the same as for a 3-D elastic beam,
except that:

where:

GT = twist-tension stiffness constant, which is a function of the helical winding of the armoring
(input as TWISTEN on RMORE command, may be negative)
Di = inside diameter of pipe = Do - 2 tw
tw = wall thickness (input as TWALL on R command)
L = element length

J = 2I

1.8.4. Mass Matrix

The element mass matrix for the pipe option (KEYOPT(1) ≠ 1) and KEYOPT(2) = 0) is the same as for
a 3-D elastic beam, except that (1,1), (7,7), (1,7), and (7,1), as well as M(4,4), M(10,10),
M(4,10), and M(10,4), are multiplied by the factor (Ma /Mt).

where:

Mt = (mw + mint + mins + madd) L = mass/unit length for motion normal to axis of element
Ma = (mw + mint + mins) L= mass/unit length for motion parallel to axis of element

ρ = density of the pipe wall (input as DENS on MP command)

εin = initial strain (input as ISTR on RMORE command)
mint = mass/unit length of the internal fluid and additional hardware (input as CENMPL on RMORE
command)

ρi = density of external insulation (input as DENSIN on RMORE command)

CI = coefficient of added mass of the external fluid (input as CI on RMORE command)

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ρw = fluid density (input as DENSW with TB,WATER)

1.8.5. Load Vector

The element load vector consists of two parts:

1. Distributed force per unit length to account for hydrostatic (buoyancy) effects ({F/L}b) as well as
axial nodal forces due to internal pressure and temperature effects {Fx}.

2. Distributed force per unit length to account for hydrodynamic effects (current and waves) ({F/L}d).

The hydrostatic and hydrodynamic effects work with the original diameter and length, that is, initial
strain and large deflection effects are not considered.

1.8.6. Hydrostatic Effects

Hydrostatic effects may affect the outside and the inside of the pipe. Pressure on the outside crushes
the pipe and buoyant forces on the outside tend to raise the pipe to the water surface. Pressure on
the inside tends to stabilize the pipe cross-section.

The buoyant force for a totally submerged element acting in the positive z direction is:
(1.70)

where: {F/L}b = vector of loads per unit length due to buoyancy

Cb = coefficient of buoyancy (input as CB on RMORE command)
{g} = acceleration vector

Also, an adjustment for the added mass term is made.

The crushing pressure at a node is:

(1.71)

where:

= crushing pressure due to hydrostatic effects

g = acceleration due to gravity
z = vertical coordinate of the node
= input external pressure (input on SFE command)

The internal (bursting) pressure is:

(1.72)

where:

Pi = internal pressure
ρo = internal fluid density (input as DENSO on R command)

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 PIPE59 - Immersed Pipe or Cable

Sfo = z coordinate of free surface of fluid (input as FSO on R command)

= input internal pressure (input as SFE command)

To ensure that the problem is physically possible as input, a check is made at the element midpoint
to see if the cross-section collapses under the hydrostatic effects. The cross-section is assumed to be
unstable if:

(1.73)

where:

E = Young's modulus (input as EX on MP command)

ν = Poisson's ratio (input as PRXY or NUXY on MP command)

The axial force correction term (Fx) is computed as

(1.74)

where εx, the axial strain (see Equation 2.12) is:

(1.75)

where:

α = coefficient of thermal expansion (input as ALPX on MP command)

ΔT = Ta - TREF
Ta = average element temperature
TREF = reference temperature (input on TREF command)
σx = axial stress, computed below
σh = hoop stress, computed below
σr = radial stress, computed below

The axial stress is:

(1.76)

and using the Lamé stress distribution,

(1.77)

(1.78)

where:

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= hydrodynamic pressure, described below

D = diameter being studied

Pi and Po are taken as average values along each element. Combining Equation 1.75 (p. 427) thru
Equation 1.78 (p. 427).

(1.79)

Note:

Note that if the cross-section is solid (Di = 0.), Equation 1.77 (p. 427) reduces to:

(1.80)

1.8.7. Hydrodynamic Effects

See Hydrodynamic Loads in the Element Tools section of this document for information about this
subject.

1.8.8. Stress Output

The below two equations are specialized either to end I or to end J.

The stress output for the pipe format (KEYOPT(1) ≠ 1), is similar to PIPE16. The average axial stress
is:
(1.81)

where:

σx = average axial stress (output as SAXL)

Fn = axial element reaction force (output as FX, adjusted for sign)

Pi = internal pressure (output as the first term of ELEMENT PRESSURES)

Po = external pressure = (output as the fifth term of the ELEMENT PRESSURES)

and the hoop stress is:

(1.82)

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 SHELL63 - Elastic Shell

where:

σh = hoop stress at the outside surface of the pipe (output as SH)

Equation 1.82 (p. 428) is a specialization of Equation 1.77 (p. 427). The outside surface is chosen as the
bending stresses usually dominate over pressure induced stresses.

All stress results are given at the nodes of the element. However, the hydrodynamic pressure had
been computed only at the two integration points. These two values are then used to compute hy-
drodynamic pressures at the two nodes of the element by extrapolation.

For the stress output for the cable format (KEYOPT(1) = 1 with Di = 0.0), the stress is given with and
without the external pressure applied:
(1.83)

(1.84)

(1.85)

where:

σxI = axial stress (output as SAXL)

σeI = equivalent stress (output as SEQV)

= axial force on node (output as FX)
Fa = axial force in the element (output as FAXL)

1.9. SHELL63 - Elastic Shell

Matrix or Vector Shape Functions Integration Points

Equation 11.94 and
Equation 11.95 (and, if
Stiffness Matrix and modified extra shape
Membrane / Quad 2x2
Thermal Load Vector functions are included
(KEYOPT(3) = 0) and
element has 4 unique

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Matrix or Vector Shape Functions Integration Points

nodes, Equation 11.97,
Equation 11.98, and
Equation 11.99
Equation 11.66,
Membrane /
Equation 11.67, and 1
Triangle
Equation 11.68
Four triangles that are
overlaid are used. These
Bending 3 (for each triangle)
subtriangles refer to
Equation 11.68
Equation 11.69,
Membrane / Quad Equation 11.70, and 2x2
Equation 11.71
Equation 11.49,
Membrane /
Equation 11.50, and 1
Mass, Foundation Triangle
Equation 11.51
Stiffness and Stress
Stiffness Matrices Four triangles that are
overlaid are used. These
triangles connect nodes
Bending 3 (for each triangle)
IJK, IJL, KLI, and KLJ. w is
defined as given in
Zienkiewicz
Reduced shell One-sixth (one- third for
pressure loading triangles) of the total
(KEYOPT(6) = 0) pressure times the area is
None
(Load vector applied to each node
excludes normal of each subtriangle
Transverse Pressure moments) of the element
Load Vector Consistent shell
pressure loading
(KEYOPT(6) = 2)
Same as mass matrix Same as mass matrix
(Load vector
includes
moments)
Equation 11.69 and
Quad Equation 11.70 specialized 2
Edge Pressure Load to the edge
Vector Equation 11.49 and
Triangle Equation 11.50 specialized 2
to the edge

Load Type Distribution

Element Temperature Bilinear in plane of element, linear thru thickness
Nodal Temperature Bilinear in plane of element, constant thru thickness
Pressure Bilinear in plane of element, linear along each edge

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 SHELL63 - Elastic Shell

1.9.1. Other Applicable Sections

Structures describes the derivation of structural element matrices and load vectors as well as stress
evaluations.

1.9.2. Foundation Stiffness

If Kf, the foundation stiffness, is input, the out-of-plane stiffness matrix is augmented by three or four
springs to ground. The number of springs is equal to the number of distinct nodes, and their direction
is normal to the plane of the element. The value of each spring is:

(1.86)

where:

Kf,i = normal stiffness at node i

Δ = element area
Kf = foundation stiffness (input as EFS on R command)
Nd = number of distinct nodes

The output includes the foundation pressure, computed as:

(1.87)

where:

σp = foundation pressure (output as FOUND, PRESS)

wI, etc. = lateral deflection at node I, etc.

1.9.3. In-Plane Rotational Stiffness

The in-plane rotational (drilling) DOF has no stiffness associated with it, based on the shape functions.
A small stiffness is added to prevent a numerical instability following the approach presented by
Kanok-Nukulchai for nonwarped elements if KEYOPT(1) = 0. KEYOPT(3) = 2 is used to include the All-
man-type rotational DOFs.

1.9.4. Warping
If all four nodes are not defined to be in the same flat plane (or if an initially flat element loses its
flatness due to large displacements (using NLGEOM,ON)), additional calculations are performed in
SHELL63. The purpose of the additional calculations is to convert the matrices and load vectors of
the element from the points on the flat plane in which the element is derived to the actual nodes.
Physically, this may be thought of as adding short rigid offsets between the flat plane of the element
and the actual nodes. When these offsets are required, it implies that the element is not flat, but
rather it is "warped". To account for the warping, the following procedure is used: First, the normal
to element is computed by taking the vector cross-product (the common normal) between the vector
from node I to node K and the vector from node J to node L. Then, the check can be made to see if

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extra calculations are needed to account for warped elements. This check consists of comparing the
normal to each of the four element corners with the element normal as defined above. The corner
normals are computed by taking the vector cross-product of vectors representing the two adjacent
edges. All vectors are normalized to 1.0. If any of the three global Cartesian components of each
corner normal differs from the equivalent component of the element normal by more than .00001,
then the element is considered to be warped.

A warping factor is computed as:

(1.88)

where:

D = component of the vector from the first node to the fourth node parallel to the element normal
t = average thickness of the element

If:

φ ≤ 0.1 no warning message is printed

.10 ≤ φ ≤ 1.0 a warning message is printed
1.0 < φ a message suggesting the use of triangles is printed and the run terminates

To account for the warping, the following matrix is developed to adjust the output matrices and load
vector:

(1.89)

(1.90)

where:

and the DOF are in the usual order of UX, UY, UZ, ROTX, ROTY, and ROTZ. To ensure the location of
the average plane goes through the middle of the element, the following condition is met:
(1.91)

1.9.5. Options for Non-Uniform Material

SHELL63 can be adjusted for nonuniform materials, using an approach similar to that of Takemoto
and Cook. Considering effects in the element x direction only, the loads are related to the displacement
by:

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 SHELL63 - Elastic Shell

(1.92)

(1.93)

where:

Tx = force per unit length

t = thickness (input as TK(I), TK(J), TK(K), TK(L) on R command)
Ex = Young's modulus in x direction (input as EX on MP command)
Ey = Young's modulus in y direction (input as EY on MP command)
εx = strain of middle fiber in x direction
Mx = moment per unit length
νxy = Poisson's ratio (input as PRXY on MP command)
κx = curvature in x direction

A nonuniform material may be represented with Equation 1.93 (p. 433) as:

(1.94)

where:

Cr = bending moment multiplier (input as RMI on RMORE command)

The above discussion relates only to the formulation of the stiffness matrix.

Similarly, stresses for uniform materials are determined by:

(1.95)

(1.96)

where:

For nonuniform materials, the stresses are determined by:

(1.97)
(1.98)

where:

ct = top bending stress multiplier (input as CTOP, RMORE command)

cb = bottom bending stress multiplier (input as CBOT, RMORE command)

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The resultant moments (output as MX, MY, MXY) are determined from the output stresses rather than
from Equation 1.94 (p. 433).

1.9.6. Extrapolation of Results to the Nodes

Integration point results can be requested to be copied to the nodes (ERESX,NO command). For the
case of quadrilateral shaped elements, the bending results of each subtriangle are averaged and
copied to the node of the quadrilateral which shares two edges with that subtriangle.

1.10. SOLID65 - 3-D Reinforced Concrete Solid

Matrix or Vector Shape Functions Integration Points

Equation 11.216, Equation 11.217, and
Equation 11.218, or if modified extra shape
Stiffness Matrix and
functions are included (KEYOPT(1) = 0) and 2x2x2
Thermal Load Vector
element has 8 unique nodes Equation 11.232,
Equation 11.233, and Equation 11.234
Equation 11.216, Equation 11.217, and
Mass Matrix 2x2x2
Equation 11.218
Equation 11.69 and
Quad 2x2
Equation 11.70
Pressure Load Vector
Equation 11.49 and
Triangle 3
Equation 11.50

Load Type Distribution

Element Temperature Trilinear thru element
Nodal Temperature Trilinear thru element
Pressure Bilinear across each face

References: Willam and Warnke, Wilson, Taylor

1.10.1. Assumptions and Restrictions

1. Cracking is permitted in three orthogonal directions at each integration point.

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 SOLID65 - 3-D Reinforced Concrete Solid

2. If cracking occurs at an integration point, the cracking is modeled through an adjustment of ma-
terial properties which effectively treats the cracking as a "smeared band" of cracks, rather than
discrete cracks.

3. The concrete material is assumed to be initially isotropic.

4. Whenever the reinforcement capability of the element is used, the reinforcement is assumed to
be "smeared" throughout the element.

5. In addition to cracking and crushing, the concrete may also undergo plasticity, with the Drucker-
Prager failure surface being most commonly used. In this case, the plasticity is done before the
cracking and crushing checks.

1.10.2. Description
SOLID65 allows the presence of four different materials within each element; one matrix material (e.g.
concrete) and a maximum of three independent reinforcing materials. The concrete material is capable
of directional integration point cracking and crushing besides incorporating plastic and creep beha-
vior. The reinforcement (which also incorporates creep and plasticity) has uniaxial stiffness only and
is assumed to be smeared throughout the element. Directional orientation is accomplished through
user specified angles.

1.10.3. Linear Behavior - General

The stress-strain matrix [D] used for this element is defined as:

(1.99)

where:

Nr = number of reinforcing materials (maximum of three, all reinforcement is ignored if M1

is zero. Also, if M1, M2, or M3 equals the concrete material number, the reinforcement with
that material number is ignored)

[Dc] = stress-strain matrix for concrete, defined by Equation 1.100 (p. 436)
[Dr]i = stress-strain matrix for reinforcement i, defined by Equation 1.101 (p. 436)
M1, M2, M3 = material numbers associated of reinforcement (input as MAT1, MAT2, and MAT3
on R command)

1.10.4. Linear Behavior - Concrete

The matrix [Dc] is derived by specializing and inverting the orthotropic stress-strain relations defined
by Equation 2.4 to the case of an isotropic material or

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(1.100)

where:

E = Young's modulus for concrete (input as EX on MP command)

ν = Poisson's ratio for concrete (input as PRXY or NUXY on MP command)

1.10.5. Linear Behavior - Reinforcement

The orientation of the reinforcement i within an element is depicted in Figure 1.10: Reinforcement
Orientation (p. 437). The element coordinate system is denoted by (X, Y, Z) and describes
the coordinate system for reinforcement type i. The stress-strain matrix with respect to each coordinate
system has the form

(1.101)

where:

It may be seen that the only nonzero stress component is , the axial stress in the direction of
reinforcement type i. The reinforcement direction is related to element coordinates X, Y, Z through

(1.102)

where:

θi = angle between the projection of the axis on XY plane and the X axis (input as THETA1,
THETA2, and THETA3 on R command)
φi = angle between the axis and the XY plane (input as PHI1, PHI2, and PHI3 on R command)
= direction cosines between axis and element X, Y, Z axes

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 SOLID65 - 3-D Reinforced Concrete Solid

Figure 1.10: Reinforcement Orientation

Since the reinforcement material matrix is defined in coordinates aligned in the direction of reinforce-
ment orientation, it is necessary to construct a transformation of the form
(1.103)

in order to express the material behavior of the reinforcement in global coordinates. The form of this
transformation by Schnobrich is:

(1.104)

where the coefficients aij are defined as

(1.105)

The vector is defined by Equation 1.102 (p. 436) while and

are unit vectors mutually orthogonal to thus defining a Cartesian coordinate referring to
reinforcement directions. If the operations presented by Equation 1.103 (p. 437) are performed substi-
tuting Equation 1.101 (p. 436) and Equation 1.104 (p. 437), the resulting reinforcement material matrix
in element coordinates takes the form
(1.106)

where:

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Therefore, the only direction cosines used in [DR]i involve the uniquely defined unit vector .

1.10.6. Nonlinear Behavior - Concrete

The matrix material (concrete) is capable of plasticity, creep, cracking and crushing. The concrete
material model with its cracking and crushing capabilities is discussed in Concrete (with SOL-
ID65) (p. 455). This material model predicts either elastic behavior, cracking behavior or crushing be-
havior. If elastic behavior is predicted, the concrete is treated as a linear elastic material (discussed
above). If cracking or crushing behavior is predicted, the elastic, stress-strain matrix is adjusted as
discussed below for each failure mode.

1.10.7. Modeling of a Crack

The presence of a crack at an integration point is represented through modification of the stress-
strain relations by introducing a plane of weakness in a direction normal to the crack face. Also, a
shear transfer coefficient βt (constant C1 with TB,CONCR) is introduced which represents a shear
strength reduction factor for those subsequent loads which induce sliding (shear) across the crack
face. The stress-strain relations for a material that has cracked in one direction only become:

(1.107)

where the superscript ck signifies that the stress strain relations refer to a coordinate system parallel
to principal stress directions with the xck axis perpendicular to the crack face. If KEYOPT(7) = 0, Rt =
0.0. If KEYOPT(7) = 1, Rt is the slope (secant modulus) as defined in the figure below. Rt works with
adaptive descent and diminishes to 0.0 as the solution converges.

Figure 1.11: Strength of Cracked Condition

ft

Tcft

E Rt
1 1

ck 6 ck

where:

ft = uniaxial tensile cracking stress (input as C3 with TB,CONCR)

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 SOLID65 - 3-D Reinforced Concrete Solid

Tc = multiplier for amount of tensile stress relaxation (input as C9 with TB,CONCR, defaults
to 0.6)

If the crack closes, then all compressive stresses normal to the crack plane are transmitted across the
crack and only a shear transfer coefficient βc (constant C2 with TB,CONCR) for a closed crack is intro-
duced. Then can be expressed as

(1.108)

The stress-strain relations for concrete that has cracked in two directions are:

(1.109)

If both directions reclose,

(1.110)

The stress-strain relations for concrete that has cracked in all three directions are:

(1.111)

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If all three cracks reclose, Equation 1.110 (p. 439) is followed. In total there are 16 possible combinations
of crack arrangement and appropriate changes in stress-strain relationships incorporated in SOL-
ID65 (p. 267). A note is output if 1 >βc >βt >0 are not true.

The transformation of to element coordinates has the form

(1.112)

where [Tck] has a form identical to Equation 1.104 (p. 437) and the three columns of [A] in Equa-
tion 1.105 (p. 437) are now the principal direction vectors.

The open or closed status of integration point cracking is based on a strain value called the crack
strain. For the case of a possible crack in the x direction, this strain is evaluated as

(1.113)

where:

The vector {εck} is computed by:

(1.114)

where:

{ε'} = modified total strain (in element coordinates)

{ε'}, in turn, is defined as:

(1.115)

where:

n = substep number

{Δεn} = total strain increment (based on {Δun}, the displacement increment over the substep)

If is less than zero, the associated crack is assumed to be closed.

If is greater than or equal to zero, the associated crack is assumed to be open. When cracking first
occurs at an integration point, the crack is assumed to be open for the next iteration.

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 FLUID79 - 2-D Contained Fluid

1.10.8. Modeling of Crushing

If the material at an integration point fails in uniaxial, biaxial, or triaxial compression, the material is
assumed to crush at that point. In SOLID65 (p. 267), crushing is defined as the complete deterioration
of the structural integrity of the material (e.g. material spalling). Under conditions where crushing
has occurred, material strength is assumed to have degraded to an extent such that the contribution
to the stiffness of an element at the integration point in question can be ignored.

1.11. FLUID79 - 2-D Contained Fluid

Matrix or Vector Geometry Shape Functions Integration Points

1 x 1 for bulk strain effects
Equation 11.121 and 2 x 2 for shear and rotational
Quad
Stiffness and Equation 11.122 resistance effects
Damping Matrices;
and Thermal Load 1 x 1 for bulk strain effects
Vector Equation 11.100 and 3 for shear and rotational
Triangle
Equation 11.101 resistance effects

Same as stiffness matrix. Matrix is

Mass Matrix Same as for shear effects
diagonalized as in Lumped Matrices.
Pressure Load Same as stiffness matrix, specialized to the
2
Vector face

Load Type Distribution

Average of the four nodal temperatures is used throughout the
Element Temperature
element
Nodal Temperature Same as element temperature distribution
Pressure Linear along each face

1.11.1. Other Applicable Sections

Structures describes the derivation of element matrices and load vectors. The fluid aspects of this
element are the same as described for FLUID80 (p. 285).

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1.12. FLUID80 - 3-D Contained Fluid

Matrix or Vector Shape Functions Integration Points

Stiffness and
1 x 1 x 1 for bulk strain effects
Damping
Equation 11.216, Equation 11.217, and 2 x 2 x 2 for shear and rotational
Matrices; and
Equation 11.218 resistance effects
Thermal Load
Vector
Same as stiffness matrix. Matrix is
Mass Matrix diagonalized as described in Lumped 2x2x2
Matrices
Pressure Load Same as stiffness matrix, specialized to the
2x2
Vector face

Load Type Distribution

Element Temperature Average of the 8 nodal temperatures is used throughout element
Nodal Temperature Average of the 8 nodal temperatures is used throughout element
Pressure Bilinear across each face

1.12.1. Other Applicable Sections

Structures describes the derivation of element matrices and load vectors.

1.12.2. Assumptions and Restrictions

This element does not generate a consistent mass matrix; only the lumped mass matrix is available.

1.12.3. Material Properties

Rather than Equation 2.3, the stress-strain relationships used to develop the stiffness matrix and
thermal load vector are:

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 FLUID80 - 3-D Contained Fluid

(1.116)

where:

α = thermal coefficient of expansion (input as ALPX on MP command)

ΔT = change of temperature from reference temperature
K = fluid elastic (bulk) modulus (input as EX on MP command)
P = pressure
γ = shear strain
S = K x 10-9 (arbitrarily small number to give element some shear stability)
τ = shear stress
Ri = rotation about axis i

B = K x 10-9 (arbitrarily small number to give element some rotational stability)

Mi = twisting force about axis i

A damping matrix is also developed based on:

(1.117)

where:

η = viscosity (input as VISC on MP command)

c = .00001*η

and the ( ) represents differentiation with respect to time.

A lumped mass matrix is developed, based on the density (input as DENS on MP command).

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1.12.4. Free Surface Effects

The free surface is handled with an additional special spring effect. The necessity of these springs
can be seen by studying a U-Tube, as shown in Figure 1.12: U-Tube with Fluid (p. 444).

Note that if the left side is pushed down a distance of Δh, the displaced fluid mass is:
(1.118)

where:

MD = mass of displaced fluid

Δh = distance fluid surface has moved
A = cross-sectional area of U-Tube
ρ = fluid density

Then, the force required to hold the fluid in place is

(1.119)

where:

FD = force required to hold the fluid in place

g = acceleration due to gravity (input on ACEL command)

Figure 1.12: U-Tube with Fluid

Finally, the stiffness at the surface is the force divided by the distance, or
(1.120)

This expression is generalized to be:

(1.121)

where:

AF = area of the face of the element

gi = acceleration in the i direction
Ci = ith component of the normal to the face of the element

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 FLUID80 - 3-D Contained Fluid

This results in adding springs from each node to ground, with the spring constants being positive
on the top of the element, and negative on the bottom. For an interior node, positive and negative
effects cancel out and, at the bottom where the boundary must be fixed to keep the fluid from
leaking out, the negative spring has no effect. If KEYOPT(2) = 1, positive springs are added only to
faces located at z = 0.0.

1.12.5. Other Assumptions and Limitations

The surface springs tend to retard the hydrostatic motions of the element from their correct values.
The hydrodynamic motions are not changed. From the definition of bulk modulus,

(1.122)

where:

us = vertical motion of a static column of fluid (unit cross-sectional area)

H = height of fluid column
P = pressure at any point
z = distance from free surface

The pressure is normally defined as:

(1.123)

But this pressure effect is reduced by the presence of the surface springs, so that
(1.124)

Combining Equation 1.122 (p. 445) and Equation 1.124 (p. 445) and integrating,
(1.125)

or

(1.126)

If there were no surface springs,

(1.127)

Thus the error for hydrostatic effects is the departure from 1.0 of the factor (1 / (1+Hρg/K)), which is
normally quite small.

The 1 x 1 x 1 integration rule is used to permit the element to "bend" without the bulk modulus
resistance being mobilized, i.e.

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Figure 1.13: Bending Without Resistance

While this motion is permitted, other motions in a static problem often result, which can be thought
of as energy-free eddy currents. For this reason, small shear and rotational resistances are built in, as
indicated in Equation 1.116 (p. 443).

1.13. FLUID81 - Axisymmetric-Harmonic Contained Fluid

Matrix or Vector Geometry Shape Functions Integration Points

1 for bulk strain effects
Equation 11.163,
2 x 2 for shear and rotational
Quad Equation 11.164, and
Stiffness and resistance effects
Equation 11.165
Damping Matrices;
and Thermal Load 1 for bulk strain effects
Equation 11.155,
Vector 3 for shear and rotational
Triangle Equation 11.156, and
resistance effects
Equation 11.157

Equation 11.121,
Quad Equation 11.122, and 2x2
Equation 11.123
Mass Matrix
Equation 11.100,
Triangle Equation 11.102, and 3
Equation 11.103
Pressure Load Same as stiffness matrix, specialized to the
2
Vector face

Load Type Distribution

Average of the four nodal temperatures is used throughout the
Element Temperature
element
Nodal Temperature Same as element temperature distribution
Pressure Linear along each face

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 PLANE82 - 2-D 8-Node Structural Solid

1.13.1. Other Applicable Sections

Structures describes the derivation of element matrices and load vectors. The fluid aspects of this
element are the same as described for FLUID80 - 3-D Contained Fluid (p. 442) except that a consistent
mass matrix is also available (LUMPM,OFF).

1.13.2. Assumptions and Restrictions

The material properties are assumed to be constant around the entire circumference, regardless of
temperature dependent material properties or loading.

1.13.3. Load Vector Correction

When (input as MODE on MODE command) > 0, the gravity that is required to be input for use as
a gravity spring (input as ACELY on ACEL command) also is erroneously multiplied by the mass
matrix for a gravity force effect. This erroneous effect is cancelled out by an element load vector that
is automatically generated during the element stiffness pass.

1.14. PLANE82 - 2-D 8-Node Structural Solid

Matrix or Vector Geometry Shape Functions Integration Points

Mass, Stiffness and Equation 11.136 and
Quad 2x2
Stress Stiffness Matrices; Equation 11.137
and Thermal Load Equation 11.113 and
Vector Triangle 3
Equation 11.114
Pressure Load Vector Same as stiffness matrix, specialized to the face 2 along face

Load Type Distribution

Same as shape functions across element, constant thru thickness
Element Temperature
or around circumference
Nodal Temperature Same as element temperature distribution
Pressure Linear along each face

Reference: Zienkiewicz

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1.14.1. Other Applicable Sections

Structures describes the derivation of structural element matrices and load vectors as well as stress
evaluations.

1.14.2. Assumptions and Restrictions

A dropped midside node implies that the face is and remains straight.

1.15. SOLID92 - 3-D 10-Node Tetrahedral Structural Solid

Matrix or Vector Shape Functions Integration Points

Stiffness, Mass, and
Stress Stiffness Matrices; Equation 11.186, Equation 11.187, and
4
and Thermal Load Equation 11.188
Vector
Equation 11.186, Equation 11.187, and
Pressure Load Vector 6
Equation 11.188 specialized to the face

Load Type Distribution

Element Temperature Same as shape functions
Nodal Temperature Same as shape functions
Pressure Linear over each face

Reference: Zienkiewicz

1.15.1. Other Applicable Sections

Structures describes the derivation of structural element matrices and load vectors as well as stress
evaluations.

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 SOLID95 - 3-D 20-Node Structural Solid

1.16. SOLID95 - 3-D 20-Node Structural Solid

Matrix or Vector Geometry Shape Functions Integration Points

Equation 11.235 , 14 if KEYOPT(11) = 0
Brick Equation 11.236, and 2 x 2 x 2 if KEYOPT(11) = 1
Equation 11.237
Equation 11.210,
Stiffness, Mass, and Wedge Equation 11.211, and 3x3
Stress Stiffness Equation 11.212
Matrices; and Equation 11.194,
Thermal Load Vector Pyramid Equation 11.195, and 2x2x2
Equation 11.196
Equation 11.186,
Tet Equation 11.187, and 4
Equation 11.188
Equation 11.84 and
Quad 3x3
Pressure Load Equation 11.85
Vector Equation 11.57 and
Triangle 6
Equation 11.58

Load Type Distribution

Element Temperature Same as shape functions thru element
Nodal Temperature Same as shape functions thru element
Pressure Bilinear across each face

Reference: Zienkiewicz

1.16.1. Other Applicable Sections

Structures describes the derivation of structural element matrices and load vectors as well as stress
evaluations. If KEYOPT(3) = 1, the mass matrix is diagonalized as described in Lumped Matrices.

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1.17. CONTA171 - 2-D 2-Node Surface-to-Surface Contact

Associated Target Surface

Contact normal Contact Element

Surface of Solid/Shell/Beam Element

J I
Y

Integration Point
Matrix or Vector Shape Functions
Locations
Stiffness Matrix W = C1 + C2 x 2

1.17.1. Other Applicable Sections

The CONTA171 description is the same as for CONTA174 - 3-D 8-Node Surface-to-Surface Contact
except that it is 2-D and there are no midside nodes.

1.18. CONTA173 - 3-D 4-Node Surface-to-Surface Contact

Integration Point
Matrix or Vector Geometry Shape Functions
Locations
Equation 11.69, Equation 11.70, and
Quad 2x2
Stiffness and Stress Equation 11.71
Stiffness Matrices Equation 11.66, Equation 11.67, and
Triangle 3
Equation 11.68

1.18.1. Other Applicable Sections

The CONTA173 description is the same as for CONTA174 - 3-D 8-Node Surface-to-Surface Contact
except there are no midside nodes.

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 CONTA176 - 3-D Line-to-Line Contact

1.19. CONTA176 - 3-D Line-to-Line Contact

CONTA176
Y
J
X K
Z
I

3-D associated target

line segments (TARGE170)

Integration Point
Matrix or Vector Shape Function
Locations
Stiffness Matrix W = C1 + C2x + C3x2 None

1.19.1. Other Applicable Sections

The CONTA176 description is the same as for CONTA174 - 3-D 8-Node Surface-to-Surface Contact
except that it is a 3-D line contact element.

1.19.2. Contact Kinematics

Three different scenarios can be modeled by CONTA176:

• Internal contact where one beam (or pipe) slides inside another hollow beam (or pipe) (see
Figure 1.14: Beam Sliding Inside a Hollow Beam (p. 451)).

• External contact between two beams that lie next to each other and are roughly parallel (see
Figure 1.15: Parallel Beams in Contact (p. 452)).

• External contact between two beams that cross (see Figure 1.16: Crossing Beams in Con-
tact (p. 452)).

Use KEYOPT(3) = 0 for the first two scenarios (internal contact and parallel beams). In both cases, the
contact condition is only checked at contact nodes.

Use KEYOPT(3) = 1 for the third scenario (beams that cross). In this case, the contact condition is
checked along the entire length of the beams. The beams with circular cross-sections are assumed
to come in contact in a point-wise manner.

Figure 1.14: Beam Sliding Inside a Hollow Beam

TARGE170 rt

n
rc

CONTA176

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Figure 1.15: Parallel Beams in Contact

Figure 1.16: Crossing Beams in Contact

n

CONTA176

rc

rt

TARGE170

Contact is detected when two circular beams touch or overlap each other. The non-penetration
condition for beams with a circular cross-section can be defined as follows.

For internal contact:

(1.128)

and for external contact:

(1.129)

where:

g = gap distance
rc and rt = radii of the cross-sections of the beam on the contact and target sides, respectively.
d = minimal distance between the two beam centerlines (also determines the contact normal
direction).

Contact occurs for negative values of g.

1.19.3. Contact Models

The contact model can be either contact force- based (KEYOPT(3) = 0 or 1) or contact traction-based
(KEYOPT(3) = 2 or 3). For the contact traction-based model, the program determines the area (based
on the underlying beam element length and the contact radius, R2) associated with the contact node.

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 CONTA176 - 3-D Line-to-Line Contact

1.19.4. Contact Forces

In order to satisfy contact compatibility, forces are developed in a direction normal (n-direction) to
the target that will tend to reduce the penetration to an acceptable numerical level. In addition to
normal contact forces, friction forces are developed in directions that are tangent to the target plane.

(1.130)

where:

Fn = normal contact force

Kn = contact normal stiffness (input as FKN on R command)
un = contact gap size

(1.131)

where:

FT = tangential contact force

KT = tangential contact stiffness (input as FKT on R command)
uT = contact slip distance

For orthotropic friction, μeq is computed using the expression:

(1.132)

where:

μeq = equivalent coefficient of friction for orthotropic friction

μ1, μ2 = coefficients of friction in first and second principal directions (input as MU1 and MU2
using TB command with Lab = FRIC)

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Chapter 2: Concrete (with SOLID65 (p. 267))
The concrete material model predicts the failure of brittle materials. Both cracking and crushing failure
modes are accounted for. TB,CONCR accesses this material model, which is available with the reinforced
concrete element SOLID65 (p. 267).

The criterion for failure of concrete due to a multiaxial stress state can be expressed in the form (Willam
and Warnke):
(2.1)

where:

F = a function (to be discussed) of the principal stress state (σxp, σyp, σzp)
S = failure surface (to be discussed) expressed in terms of principal stresses and five input
parameters ft, fc, fcb, f1 and f2 defined in Table 2.1: Concrete Material Table (p. 455)
fc = uniaxial crushing strength
σxp, σyp, σzp = principal stresses in principal directions

If Equation 2.1 (p. 455) is satisfied, the material will crack or crush.

A total of five input strength parameters (each of which can be temperature dependent) are needed
to define the failure surface as well as an ambient hydrostatic stress state. These are presented in
Table 2.1: Concrete Material Table (p. 455).

Table 2.1: Concrete Material Table

(Input on TBDATA Commands with TB,CONCR)

Label Description Constant
ft Ultimate uniaxial tensile strength 3
fc Ultimate uniaxial compressive strength 4
fcb Ultimate biaxial compressive strength 5
Ambient hydrostatic stress state 6
f1 Ultimate compressive strength for a state of biaxial
compression superimposed on hydrostatic stress state 7

f2 Ultimate compressive strength for a state of uniaxial

compression superimposed on hydrostatic stress state 8

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Concrete (with SOLID65)

However, the failure surface can be specified with a minimum of two constants, ft and fc. The other
three constants default to Willam and Warnke:
(2.2)
(2.3)
(2.4)

However, these default values are valid only for stress states where the condition
(2.5)

(2.6)

is satisfied. Thus condition Equation 2.5 (p. 456) applies to stress situations with a low hydrostatic stress
component. All five failure parameters should be specified when a large hydrostatic stress component
is expected. If condition Equation 2.5 (p. 456) is not satisfied and the default values shown in Equa-
tion 2.2 (p. 456) thru Equation 2.4 (p. 456) are assumed, the strength of the concrete material may be in-
correctly evaluated.

When the crushing capability is suppressed with fc = -1.0, the material cracks whenever a principal stress
component exceeds ft.

Both the function F and the failure surface S are expressed in terms of principal stresses denoted as σ1,
σ2, and σ3 where:
(2.7)
(2.8)

and σ1 σ2 σ3. The failure of concrete is categorized into four domains:

1. 0 σ1 σ2 σ3 (compression - compression - compression)

2. σ1 0 σ2 σ3 (tensile - compression - compression)

3. σ1 σ2 0 σ3 (tensile - tensile - compression)

4. σ1 σ2 σ3 0 (tensile - tensile - tensile)

In each domain, independent functions describe F and the failure surface S. The four functions describing
the general function F are denoted as F1, F2, F3, and F4 while the functions describing S are denoted
as S1, S2, S3, and S4. The functions Si (i = 1,4) have the properties that the surface they describe is con-
tinuous while the surface gradients are not continuous when any one of the principal stresses changes
sign. The surface will be shown in Figure 2.1: 3-D Failure Surface in Principal Stress Space (p. 457) and
Figure 2.3: Failure Surface in Principal Stress Space with Nearly Biaxial Stress (p. 460).

The functions are discussed in detail for each domain:

2.1.The Domain (Compression - Compression - Compression)
2.2.The Domain (Tension - Compression - Compression)
2.3.The Domain (Tension - Tension - Compression)
2.4.The Domain (Tension - Tension - Tension)

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 The Domain (Compression - Compression - Compression)

2.1. The Domain (Compression - Compression - Compression)

0 σ1 σ2 σ3

In the compression - compression - compression regime, the failure criterion of Willam and Warnke is
implemented. In this case, F takes the form:

(2.9)

and S is defined as:

(2.10)

Terms used to define S are:

(2.11)

(2.12)
(2.13)

(2.14)

σh is defined by Equation 2.6 (p. 456) and the undetermined coefficients a0, a1, a2, b0, b1, and b2 are
discussed below.

This failure surface is shown as Figure 2.1: 3-D Failure Surface in Principal Stress Space (p. 457). The angle
of similarity η describes the relative magnitudes of the principal stresses. From Equation 2.11 (p. 457), η
= 0° refers to any stress state such that σ3 = σ2 > σ1 (e.g. uniaxial compression, biaxial tension) while ξ
= 60° for any stress state where σ3 >σ2 = σ1 (e.g. uniaxial tension, biaxial compression). All other mul-
tiaxial stress states have angles of similarity such that 0° η 60°. When η = 0°, S1 Equation 2.10 (p. 457)
equals r1 while if η = 60°, S1 equals r2. Therefore, the function r1 represents the failure surface of all
stress states with η = 0°. The functions r1, r2 and the angle η are depicted on Figure 2.1: 3-D Failure
Surface in Principal Stress Space (p. 457).

Figure 2.1: 3-D Failure Surface in Principal Stress Space

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Concrete (with SOLID65)

It may be seen that the cross-section of the failure plane has cyclic symmetry about each 120° sector
of the octahedral plane due to the range 0° < η < 60° of the angle of similitude. The function r1 is de-
termined by adjusting a0, a1, and a2 such that ft, fcb, and f1 all lie on the failure surface. The proper
values for these coefficients are determined through solution of the simultaneous equations:

(2.15)

with

(2.16)

The function r2 is calculated by adjusting b0, b1, and b2 to satisfy the conditions:

(2.17)

ξ2 is defined by:

(2.18)

and ξ0 is the positive root of the equation

(2.19)

where a0, a1, and a2 are evaluated by Equation 2.15 (p. 458).

Since the failure surface must remain convex, the ratio r1 / r2 is restricted to the range
(2.20)

although the upper bound is not considered to be restrictive since r1 / r2 < 1 for most materials (Willam).
Also, the coefficients a0, a1, a2, b0, b1, and b2 must satisfy the conditions (Willam and Warnke):
(2.21)
(2.22)

Therefore, the failure surface is closed and predicts failure under high hydrostatic pressure (ξ > ξ2). This
closure of the failure surface has not been verified experimentally and it has been suggested that a von
Mises type cylinder is a more valid failure surface for large compressive σh values (Willam). Consequently,
it is recommended that values of f1 and f2 are selected at a hydrostatic stress level in the vicinity
of or above the expected maximum hydrostatic stress encountered in the structure.

Equation 2.19 (p. 458) expresses the condition that the failure surface has an apex at ξ = ξ0. A profile of
r1 and r2 as a function of ξ is shown in Figure 2.2: A Profile of the Failure Surface (p. 459).

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 The Domain (Tension - Tension - Compression)

Figure 2.2: A Profile of the Failure Surface

As a Function of ξα

The lower curve represents all stress states such that η = 0° while the upper curve represents stress
states such that η = 60°. If the failure criterion is satisfied, the material is assumed to crush.

2.2. The Domain (Tension - Compression - Compression)

σ1 0 σ2 σ3

In the regime, F takes the form

(2.23)

and S is defined as

(2.24)

where cos η is defined by Equation 2.11 (p. 457) and

(2.25)
(2.26)

The coefficients a0, a1, a2, b0, b1, b2 are defined by Equation 2.15 (p. 458) and Equation 2.17 (p. 458) while

(2.27)

If the failure criterion is satisfied, cracking occurs in the plane perpendicular to principal stress σ1.

This domain can also crush. (See Willam and Warnke for details.)

2.3. The Domain (Tension - Tension - Compression)

σ1 σ2 0 σ3

In the tension - tension - compression regime, F takes the form

(2.28)

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Concrete (with SOLID65)

and S is defined as

(2.29)

If the failure criterion for both i = 1, 2 is satisfied, cracking occurs in the planes perpendicular to prin-
cipal stresses σ1 and σ2. If the failure criterion is satisfied only for i = 1, cracking occurs only in the plane
perpendicular to principal stress σ1.

This domain can also crush. (See Willam and Warnke for details.)

2.4. The Domain (Tension - Tension - Tension)

σ1 σ2 σ3 0

In the tension - tension - tension regimes, F takes the form

(2.30)

and S is defined as

(2.31)

If the failure criterion is satisfied in directions 1, 2, and 3, cracking occurs in the planes perpendicular
to principal stresses σ1, σ2, and σ3.

If the failure criterion is satisfied in directions 1 and 2, cracking occurs in the plane perpendicular to
principal stresses σ1 and σ2.

If the failure criterion is satisfied only in direction 1, cracking occurs in the plane perpendicular to
principal stress σ1.

Figure 2.3: Failure Surface in Principal Stress Space with Nearly Biaxial Stress

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 The Domain (Tension - Tension - Tension)

Figure 2.3: Failure Surface in Principal Stress Space with Nearly Biaxial Stress (p. 460) represents the 3-D
failure surface for states of stress that are biaxial or nearly biaxial. If the most significant nonzero prin-
cipal stresses are in the σxp and σyp directions, the three surfaces presented are for σzp slightly greater
than zero, σzp equal to zero, and σzp slightly less than zero. Although the three surfaces, shown as
projections on the σxp - σyp plane, are nearly equivalent and the 3-D failure surface is continuous, the
mode of material failure is a function of the sign of σzp. For example, if σxp and σyp are both negative
and σzp is slightly positive, cracking would be predicted in a direction perpendicular to the σzp direction.
However, if σzp is zero or slightly negative, the material is assumed to crush.

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Chapter 3: Creep
The following archived topics for creep are available:
3.1. Definition and Limitations
3.2. Calculation of Creep
3.3.Time-Step Size

3.1. Definition and Limitations

Creep is material deforming under load over time in such a way as to tend to relieve the stress. Creep
can also be a function of temperature and neutron flux level. The term relaxation is sometimes used
interchangeably with creep.

The von Mises or Hill stress potentials can be used for creep analysis. For the von Mises potential, the
material is assumed to be isotropic and the basic solution technique used is the initial-stiffness Newton-
Raphson method.

The options available for creep are described in Rate-Dependent Plasticity (Viscoplasticity) in the Mater-
ial Reference.

Four different types of creep are available and the effects of the first three may be added together except
as noted:

• Primary creep is accessed via C6. (Ci values refer to the i th value given in the TBDATA command
with TB,CREEP.) The creep calculations are bypassed if C1 = 0.

• Secondary creep is accessed with C12. These creep calculations are bypassed if C7 = 0. They are also
bypassed if a primary creep strain was calculated via C6 = 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, or 15, as they include
secondary creep in their formulations.

• Irradiation-induced creep is accessed with C66.

• User-specified creep may be accessed with C6 = 100. For more information, see User Routines and
Non-Standard Uses.

The creep calculations are also bypassed if:

1. (change of time) 10-6

2. (input temperature + Toff) 0 where Toff = offset temperature (input on TOFFST command).

3. For C6 = 0 case: A special effective strain based on εe and εcr is calculated. A bypass occurs if it is
equal to zero.

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Creep

3.2. Calculation of Creep

The creep equations are integrated with an explicit Euler forward algorithm, which is efficient for
problems having small amounts of contained creep strains. A modified total strain is computed:
(3.1)

This equation is analogous to Equation 4.18 for plasticity. The superscripts are described with Under-
standing Theory Reference Notation and subscripts refer to the time point n. An equivalent modified
total strain is defined as:

(3.2)

Also an equivalent stress is defined by:

(3.3)

where:

E = Young's modulus (input as EX on MP command)

ν = Poisson's ratio (input as PRXY or NUXY on MP command)

The equivalent creep strain increment (Δεcr) is computed as a scalar quantity from the relations given
in Rate-Dependent Viscoplastic Materials and is normally positive. If C11 = 1, a decaying creep rate is
used rather than a rate that is constant over the time interval. This option is normally not recommended,
as it can seriously underestimate the total creep strain where primary stresses dominate. The modified
equivalent creep strain increment , which would be used in place of the equivalent creep strain
increment (Δεcr) if C11 = 1, is computed as:
(3.4)

where:

e = 2.718281828 (base of natural logarithms)

A = Δεcr/εet

Next, the creep ratio (a measure of the increment of creep strain) for this integration point (Cs) is com-
puted as:
(3.5)

The largest value of Cs for all elements at all integration points for this iteration is called Cmax and is
output with the label "CREEP RATIO".

The creep strain increment is then converted to a full strain tensor. Nc is the number of strain components
for a particular type of element. If Nc = 1,

(3.6)

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 Time-Step Size

Note that the term in brackets is either +1 or -1. If Nc = 4,

(3.7)

(3.8)

(3.9)

(3.10)

The first three components are the three normal strain components, and the fourth component is the
shear component. If Nc = 6, components 1 through 4 are the same as above, and the two additional
shear components are:
(3.11)

(3.12)

Next, the elastic strains and the total creep strains are calculated as follows, using the example of the
x-component:
(3.13)
(3.14)

Stresses are based on . This gives the correct stresses for imposed force problems and the maximum
stresses during the time step for imposed displacement problems.

3.3. Time-Step Size

A stability limit is placed on the time-step size (Zienkiewicz and Cormeau), as an explicit integration
procedure is used in which the stresses and strains are referred to time tn-1. (The temperature, however,
is at time tn.)

The creep strain rate is calculated using time tn. Use a time step such that the creep ratio Cmax is less
than 0.10. If the creep ratio exceeds 0.25, the run terminates with the message: CREEP RATIO OF
. . . EXCEEDS STABILITY LIMIT OF .25.

Automatic Time-Stepping discusses the automatic time-stepping algorithm that can be used with creep
to increase or decrease the time step as needed for an accurate, efficient solution.

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Chapter 4: Hydrodynamic Loads on Line Elements
Hydrodynamic effects may occur because the structure moves in a motionless fluid, the structure is
fixed but there is fluid motion, or both the structure and fluid are moving. The fluid motion consists of
two parts: current and wave motions. The current is input by giving the current velocity and direction
(input as W(i) and θ(i)) at up to eight different vertical stations (input as Z(i)). (All input quantities referred
to in this section not otherwise identified come from the TBDATA commands used with TB,WATER).
The velocity and direction are interpolated linearly between stations. The current is assumed to flow
horizontally only.

The information in this section applies to the archived PIPE59 element.

The following topic is available:

4.1. Wave Theory

4.1. Wave Theory

The wave may be input using one of four wave theories in the following table (input as KWAVE via
TB,WATER).

Table 4.1: Wave Theory Table

KWAVE TB,WATER
Description of Wave Theory
Input
Small amplitude wave theory, unmodified (Airy wave theory), (Wheeler) 1
Small amplitude wave theory, modified with empirical depth decay function, 0
(Wheeler)
Stokes fifth order wave theory, (Skjelbreia et al.) 2
Stream function wave theory, (Dean) 3

The free surface of the wave is defined by

(4.1)

where:

ηs = total wave height

Kw = wave theory key (input as KWAVE with TB,WATER)

ηi = wave height of component i

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Hydrodynamic Loads on Line Elements

R = radial distance to point on element from origin in the X-Y plane in the direction of the
wave
λi = wave length = input as WL(i) if WL(i) > 0.0 and if Kw = 0 or 1 otherwise derived from
Equation 4.2 (p. 468)
t = time elapsed (input as TIME on TIME command) (Note that the default value of TIME is
usually not desired. If zero is desired, 10-12 can be used).

ϕi = phase shift = input as ϕ(i)

If λi is not input (set to zero) and Kw < 2, λi is computed iteratively from:

(4.2)

where:

λi = output quantity small amplitude wave length

g = acceleration due to gravity (Z direction) (input on ACEL command)

d = water depth (input as DEPTH via TB,WATER)

Each component of wave height is checked that it satisfies the "Miche criterion" if Kw ≠3. This is to
ensure that the wave is not a breaking wave, which the included wave theories do not cover. A breaking
wave is one that spills over its crest, normally in shallow water. A warning message is issued if:
(4.3)

where:

When using wave loading, there is an error check to ensure that the input acceleration does not change
after the first load step, as this would imply a change in the wave behavior between load steps.

For Kw = 0 or 1, the particle velocities at integration points are computed as a function of depth from:

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 Wave Theory

(4.4)

(4.5)

where:

= radial particle velocity

= vertical particle velocity
ki = 2π/λi
= height of integration point above the ocean floor = d+Z
= time derivative of ηi

= drift velocity (input via TB,WATER)

The particle accelerations are computed by differentiating and with respect to time. Thus:

(4.6)

(4.7)

where:

Expanding equation 2.29 of the Shore Protection Manual for a multiple component wave, the wave
hydrodynamic pressure is:

(4.8)

However, use of this equation leads to nonzero total pressure at the surface at the crest or trough of
the wave. Thus, Equation 4.8 (p. 469) is modified to be:

(4.9)

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Hydrodynamic Loads on Line Elements

which does result in a total pressure of zero at all points of the free surface. This dynamic pressure,
which is calculated at the integration points during the stiffness pass, is extrapolated to the nodes for
the stress pass. The hydrodynamic pressure for Stokes fifth order wave theory is:

(4.10)

Other aspects of the Stokes fifth order wave theory are discussed by Skjelbreia et al.. The modification
as suggested by Nishimura et al.has been included. The stream function wave theory is described by
Dean.

If both waves and current are present, the question of wave-current interaction must be dealt with.
Three options are made available through Kcr (input as KCRC via TB,WATER):

For Kcr = 0, the current velocity at all points above the mean sea level is simply set equal to Wo, where
Wo is the input current velocity at Z = 0.0. All points below the mean sea level have velocities selected
as though there were no wave.

For Kcr = 1, the current velocity profile is "stretched" or "compressed" to fit the wave. In equation form,
the Z coordinate location of current measurement is adjusted by
(4.11)

where:

Z(j) = Z coordinate location of current measurement (input as Z(j))

= adjusted value of Z(j)

For Kcr = 2, the same adjustment as for Kcr = 1 is used, as well as a second change that accounts for
"continuity." That is,
(4.12)

where:

W(j) = velocity of current at this location (input as W(j))

= adjusted value of W(j)

These three options are shown pictorially in Figure 4.1: Velocity Profiles for Wave-Current Interac-
tions (p. 471).

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 Wave Theory

Figure 4.1: Velocity Profiles for Wave-Current Interactions

To compute the relative velocities ( , ), both the fluid particle velocity and the structure velocity
must be available so that one can be subtracted from the other. The fluid particle velocity is computed
using relationships such as Equation 4.4 (p. 469) and Equation 4.5 (p. 469) as well as current effects. The
structure velocity is available through the Newmark time integration logic (see Transient Analysis).

Finally, a generalized Morison's equation is used to compute a distributed load on the element to account
for the hydrodynamic effects:
(4.13)

where:

{F/L}d = vector of loads per unit length due to hydrodynamic effects

CD = coefficient of normal drag (see below)

ρw = water density (mass/length3) (input as DENSW on MP command with TB,WATER)

De = outside diameter of the pipe with insulation (length)
= normal relative particle velocity vector (length/time)
CM = coefficient of inertia (input as CM on the R command)

= normal particle acceleration vector (length/time2)

CT = coefficient of tangential drag (see below)
= tangential relative particle velocity vector (length/time)

Two integration points along the length of the element are used to generate the load vector. Integration
points below the mud line are simply bypassed. For elements intersecting the free surface, the integration
points are distributed along the wet length only.

The coefficients of drag (CD,CT) may be defined in one of two ways:

• As fixed numbers (via both the R and RMORE commands), or

• As functions of Reynolds number.

The dependency on Reynolds number (Re) may be expressed as:

(4.14)

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Hydrodynamic Loads on Line Elements

where:

fD = functional relationship (input on the water motion table as RE, CDy, and CDz via TB,WATER)

μ = viscosity (input as VISC on MP command)

and
(4.15)

where:

fT = functional relationship (input on the water motion table as RE and CT via TB,WATER)

Temperature-dependent quantity may be input as μ, where the temperatures used are those given by
input quantities T(i) of the water motion table.

When the MacCamy-Fuchs corrections are requested to account for diffraction effects, especially for
large diameter objects with shorter wave lengths, two things occur:

1. The coefficient of inertia is adjusted:

where:

J0 = zero order Bessel function of the first kind

J1 = first-order Bessel function of the first kind
Y0 = zero order Bessel function of the second kind
Y1 = first-order Bessel function of the second kind

2. The phase shift is added to ϕ i (before the Wc correction, if used):

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Chapter 5: POST1 - Fatigue Module
The FATIGUE module of POST1 combines the effects of stress cycling over many cycles involving all
stress components at a point in the structure.

The module automatically calculates all possible stress ranges and keeps track of their number of occur-
rences, using a technique commonly known as the "rain flow" range-counting method. At a selected
nodal location, a search is made throughout all of the events for the pair of loadings (stress vectors)
that produces the most severe stress-intensity range. The number of repetitions possible for this range
is recorded, and the remaining number of repetitions for the events containing these loadings is de-
creased accordingly. At least one of the source events will be "used up" at this point; remaining occur-
rences of stress conditions belonging to that event will subsequently be ignored. This process continues
until all ranges and numbers of occurrences have been considered.

The fatigue calculations rely on the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section III (and Section VIII,
Division 2) for guidelines on range counting, simplified elastic-plastic adaptations, and cumulative fatigue
summations by Miner's rule.

Fatigue commands referenced in this section are described in Part 2: Archived Commands (p. 41).

The following steps are performed for the fatigue calculations (initiated by the FTCALC command).

1. Each loading is compared to each other loading to compute a maximum alternating shear stress:

A. First, a vector of stress differences is computed:

(5.1)

where:

{σ}i = stress vector for loading i

{σ}j = stress vector for loading j

B. Second, a stress intensity (σI (i,j)) is computed based on {σ}i,j, using

C. Then, the interim maximum alternating shear stress is:

(5.2)

D. The maximum alternating shear stress is calculated as:

(5.3)

where Ke is determined by:

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POST1 - Fatigue Module

Analysis Type Range Ke

ELASTIC (based on peak stresses) All 1.0
σn < 3 Sm 1.0

SIMPLIFIED ELASTIC PLASTIC (based on linearized stress 3 Sm < σn < 3 m

components) Sm
3 m Sm < σn

where:

σn = a stress intensity equivalent of 2 except that it is based on linearized stresses (based

on the output of the FSSECT command), not actual stresses.
Sm = design stress-intensity obtained from the Sm versus temperature table. (The table is
input using the FP commands inputting Sm1 to Sm10 and T1 to T10).
m = first elastic-plastic material parameter (input as M on the FP command) (m >1.0)
n = second elastic-plastic material parameter (input as N on the FP command) (0.0 < n <
1.0)

2. There are a total of (L/2) (L-1) loading case combinations, where L is the number of loadings. These
loadings are then sorted (the rain flow method), with the highest value of first.

3. Designate the highest value of as occurring with loading i, event ki together with loading j,
event kj. Let MT be the minimum number of times that either event ki or event kj is expected to
occur. Compute a usage factor following Miner's rule as:
(5.4)

where:

fu = usage factor (output as PARTIAL USAGE)

MA = number of allowable cycles at this stress amplitude level. Obtained by entering the
allowable alternating stress amplitude (Sa) versus cycles (N) table from the Sa axis and
reading the allowable number of cycles MA corresponding to . (The table is input using
the FP commands inputting S1 to S20 for Sa and N1 to N20 for N).

Next, cumulatively add fu to where = output as CUMULATIVE FATIGUE USAGE. Then decrease
the number of possible occurrences of both event ki and event kj by MT (so that one of them becomes
zero).

4. Repeat step 3, using the next highest value of until all of the values have been exhausted.
It may be seen that the number of times this cycle is performed is equal to the number of events
(or less).

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Chapter 6: POST1 - Crack Analysis (KCALC)
The stress intensity factors at a crack for a linear elastic fracture mechanics analysis can be calculated
(via the KCALC command). The analysis uses a fit of the nodal displacements in the vicinity of the crack.
The actual displacements at and near a crack for linear elastic materials are (Paris and Sih):
(6.1)

(6.2)

(6.3)

where:

u, v, w = displacements in a local Cartesian coordinate system as shown in Figure 6.1: Local

Coordinates Measured From a 3-D Crack Front (p. 476).
r, θ = coordinates in a local cylindrical coordinate system also shown in Figure 6.1: Local Coordin-
ates Measured From a 3-D Crack Front (p. 476).
G = shear modulus
KI, KII, KIII = stress intensity factors relating to deformation shapes shown in Figure 6.2: The Three
Basic Modes of Fracture (p. 476)

ν = Poisson's ratio
0(r) = terms of order r or higher

Evaluating Equation 6.1 (p. 475) through Equation 6.3 (p. 475) at θ = ± 180.0° and dropping the higher
order terms yields:
(6.4)

(6.5)

(6.6)

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POST1 - Crack Analysis (KCALC)

Figure 6.1: Local Coordinates Measured From a 3-D Crack Front

The crack width is shown greatly enlarged, for clarity.

Figure 6.2: The Three Basic Modes of Fracture

For models symmetric about the crack plane (half-crack model, Figure 6.3: Nodes Used for the Approx-
imate Crack-Tip Displacements (p. 477)(a)), Equation 6.4 (p. 475) to Equation 6.6 (p. 475) can be reorganized
to give:

(6.7)

(6.8)

(6.9)

and for the case of no symmetry (full-crack model, Figure 6.3: Nodes Used for the Approximate Crack-
Tip Displacements (p. 477)(b)),

(6.10)

(6.11)

(6.12)

where Δv, Δu, and Δw are the motions of one crack face with respect to the other.

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As the above six equations are similar, consider only the first one further. The final factor is , which
must be evaluated based on the nodal displacements and locations. As shown in Figure 6.3: Nodes Used
for the Approximate Crack-Tip Displacements (p. 477)(a), three points are available. v is normalized so
that v at node I is zero. Then A and B are determined so that

(6.13)

at points J and K. Next, let r approach 0.0:

(6.14)

Figure 6.3: Nodes Used for the Approximate Crack-Tip Displacements

(a) Half Model, (b) Full Model

Thus, Equation 6.7 (p. 476) becomes:

(6.15)

Equation 6.8 (p. 476) through Equation 6.12 (p. 476) are also fit in the same manner.

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