VCCT_for_ABAQUS

VCCT for ABAQUS Plug-in
The VCCT for ABAQUS plug-in allows you to interactively define the debond interface(s), interface properties, and output requests for your VCCT analysis from within ABAQUS/CAE. With the plug-in, you no longer need to manually edit the input file to complete the model definition. Further, the plug-in simplifies the task of editing the interfaces in existing input files. Please refer to the VCCT for ABAQUS manual (Version 1.2) for details on the VCCT for ABAQUS add on.
Supported Keywords
The following keyword options required for VCCT for ABAQUS analyses are supported by the plug-in:
•*INITIAL CONDITIONS, TYPE=CONTACT
•*SURFACE INTERACTION, NAME=name, UCRACK, DEPVAR=13, PROPERTIES=[11|16+n]•*DEBOND, SLAVE=slave, MASTER=master, OUTPUT=[fil|dat|both]
•*OUTPUT, FIELD, FREQUENCY=freq
*CONTACT OUTPUT, MASTER=master, SLAVE=slave
SDV
*OUTPUT, HISTORY, FREQUENCY=freq
*CONTACT OUTPUT, [(MASTER=master, SLAVE=slave)|(NSET=nset)]
SDV1, SDV2, …
Installation
The plug-in must be used with ABAQUS Version 6.6-3 or higher. To install the VCCT plug-in, save the attached .pyc files to one of the following directories:
•abaqus_dir\cae\abaqus_plugins where abaqus_dir is the ABAQUS parent directory •home_dir\abaqus_plugins where home_dir is your home directory
•current_dir\abaqus_plugins where current_dir is the current directory
Note that if the abaqus_plugins directory does not exist in the desired path, it must be created. The next time ABAQUS/CAE is started, a menu item named VCCT will be available in the Plug-ins pull down menu (select Plug-ins Æ VCCT) in the Interaction module.
Usage
A VCCT model can be created from native geometry or an orphan mesh. To use the VCCT for ABAQUS plug-in, complete the following four steps:
1. Create Model in ABAQUS/CAE or Import Orphan Mesh
Create the model in ABAQUS/CAE without defining the debond interface, or import the model (nodes, elements, materials, constraints etc.) and history (step) data into ABAQUS/CAE as an orphan mesh.
2. Create Surfaces and Node Sets for the Debond Interfaces
Prior to launching the plug-in, create surfaces for the debond interface(s) and a node set(s) for the initially bonded region(s).
Equivalent keywords:
*SURFACE, TYPE=ELEMENT, NAME=slave_surf
slave_surf_elset, face/edge label
*SURFACE, TYPE=ELEMENT, NAME=master_surf
master_surf_elset, face/edge label
*NSET, NSET=bonded_node_set
list of nodes
3. Define the Debond Interface Properties
a. Switch to the Interaction module and select Plug-ins Æ VCCT to receive the
following menu:
Figure 1: Selecting the VCCT Interaction Property Manager
Select Interaction Property Manager to receive the dialog in Figure 2 (below).
The VCCT Interaction Property Manager lists all the interaction properties created
for the VCCT debond interface(s) in a model. A new interaction property can be
created or an existing one can be edited, copied, renamed, or deleted.
Figure 2: VCCT Interaction Property Manager
b. Select Create… to create a new interaction property or Edit… to edit an existing
interaction property. The Edit Surface Interaction dialog will open if either Create…
or Edit… is selected.
c. Complete the two tab options on the Edit Surface Interaction dialog:
•General Options tab:Allows you to specify the fracture criterion, out-of-plane thickness for 2D models, viscosity coefficient, and cutback tolerance. This tab is
shown in Figure 3, below.
•Properties tab: Allows you to specify spatially varying or constant critical strain energy release rates. This tab is shown in Figure 4 below. For further details on
specifying a spatially varying strain energy release rate, refer to ‘Specifying spatially varying critical energy release rates,’ Section 3.4 of the VCCT for ABAQUS Version
1.2 manual.
The equivalent keywords and parameters introduced from the Edit Surface
Interaction dialog are shown in bold type below:
*SURFACE INTERACTION, DEPVAR=13, PROPERTIES=[11|16+n]
w,
G_IC, G_IIC, G_IIIC, mixType, η, m, n, o
w, m, tol
Node ID i, G_IC i, G_IIC i, G_IIIC i, Node ID j, G_IC j, G_IIC j, G_IIIC j
Node ID k, G_IC k, G_IIC k, G_IIIC k, …
Figure 3: General Options in the Edit Surface Interaction dialog
Figure 4: Properties in the Edit Surface Interaction dialog
The VCCT interface interaction property created using the plug-in will also appear in the Interaction Property Manager as being of type Contact . To see this, from the Interaction module select Interaction Æ Property Æ Manager :
Figure 5: VCCT interaction properties will be listed in the Interaction Property Manager .
NOTE: The VCCT interface properties must not be edited through the Interaction
Property Manager. All edits must be done through the VCCT Interaction Property
Manager.
4. Define the Debond Interface
Complete the following three steps to define the debond interface:
a. Create a contact pair and any contact controls for the VCCT debond interface
Use the existing framework for defining contact pairs in ABAQUS/CAE (Figure 6,
below). The contact pair must refer to the VCCT interaction property created with the
VCCT Interaction Property Manager.
Note that if the *FRICTION or *SURFACE BEHAVIOR options are needed to define the
interaction between initially debonded or delaminated regions of the contact pair, they
must be manually added to the input file.
b. Select the initially bonded region and debond interface
i. From the Interaction module, select Plug-ins Æ VCCT:
Figure 7: Selecting the VCCT Interface Manager
Select Interface Manager to receive the dialog in Figure 8 (below).
ii. The VCCT Interface Manager lists the VCCT debond interface(s) in a model.
A new interface can be created or an existing one can be edited, copied,
renamed, or deleted.
Figure 8: VCCT Interface manager
iii. In ABAQUS/CAE the name for a contact pair interaction is specified as shown in Figure 6. If a particular contact pair refers to a VCCT interaction
property it will be available for association with a VCCT debond interface.
For example, interaction bot_contact refers to VCCT interaction property
bottom_crack as shown in Figure 6. So, interaction bot_contact is available
when VCCT interface bottom_crack is created. If this contact interaction is
selected it will be associated with the interface bottom_crack.
NOTE: Contact interaction(s) referring to a VCCT interaction property must
be created before a VCCT interface can be defined.
iv. Select Create… to create a new interface or Edit… to edit an existing interface. The Edit Interface dialog (Figure 9, below) will open if either
Create… or Edit… is selected.
v. The initially bonded region for the interface is specified on the Debond tab of the Edit Interface dialog. This region is defined as a node set and must
already exist prior to defining the VCCT interface. All the node sets in the
model will be available for selection to define the initially bonded region.
In addition, you can select the frequency at which crack propagation output is
written, the file to which the data is printed, and the step in which debonding
initiates after the fracture criterion is met.
Figure 9: Debond tab of the VCCT Edit Interface dialog
c. Request output
Solution dependent state variables (SDV) for a VCCT debond interface can be
requested as field and history data. Other output variables for the analysis can be requested for output using the existing ABAQUS/CAE framework.
Figure 10: Output tab of the VCCT Edit Interface dialog。