Warning: This option is not needed in most nonlinear analyses, except for use with the parameter ANALYSIS=DISCONTINUOUS. However, if extreme nonlinearities occur, this option may be needed to obtain a solution. “Commonly used control parameters,” Section 8.3.2 of the ABAQUS Analysis User's Manual, contains a discussion of the types of problems that may occur and the use of the *CONTROLS option to overcome these problems. This option can also be used in some cases to obtain a solution in a more efficient manner. Use of the option for this latter purpose is intended for experienced users only.
Product: ABAQUS/Standard
Type: History data
Level: Step
Set ANALYSIS=DISCONTINUOUS to set parameters that will usually improve efficiency for severely discontinuous behavior, such as frictional sliding or concrete cracking, by allowing relatively many iterations prior to beginning any checks on the convergence rate. This parameter overrides any values that may be set for the variables 
and 
on the data lines associated with PARAMETERS=TIME INCREMENTATION. A less efficient solution may result if this parameter is set in problems that do not exhibit severely discontinuous behavior.
Set PARAMETERS=FIELD to set parameters for satisfying a field equation. In this case the FIELD parameter can be used to define the field for which the parameters are being given. If the FIELD parameter is omitted, the parameters are being set for all fields that are active in the problem.
Set PARAMETERS=CONSTRAINTS to set tolerances on constraint equations.
Set PARAMETERS=LINE SEARCH to set line search control parameters.
Set PARAMETERS=TIME INCREMENTATION to set time incrementation control parameters.
Include this parameter to reset all values to their defaults. The option should have no data lines when this parameter is used.
Set TYPE=DIRECT CYCLIC to set parameters that will be used to control the stabilized state and plastic ratcheting detections and to specify when to impose the periodicity condition for direct cyclic analysis.
This parameter can be used only with PARAMETERS=FIELD.
Set FIELD=CONCENTRATION to set parameters for the mass concentration field equilibrium equations.
Set FIELD=DISPLACEMENT to set parameters for the displacement field and warping degree of freedom equilibrium equations.
Set FIELD=ELECTRICAL POTENTIAL to set parameters for the electrical potential field equilibrium equations.
Set FIELD=GLOBAL (default) to define one set of parameters to be used for all active fields.
Set FIELD=HYDROSTATIC FLUID PRESSURE to set parameters for the hydrostatic fluid element volume constraint.
Set FIELD=PORE FLUID PRESSURE to set parameters for the pore liquid volumetric continuity equations.
Set FIELD=ROTATION to set parameters for the rotation field equilibrium equations.
Set FIELD=TEMPERATURE to set parameters for the temperature field equilibrium equations.
First line:
, convergence criterion for the ratio of the largest residual to the corresponding average flux norm for convergence. Default 
.
, convergence criterion for the ratio of the largest solution correction to the largest corresponding incremental solution value. Default 
.
, initial value of the time average flux for this step. The default is the time average flux from previous steps or 
if this is Step 1.
, user-defined average flux. When this value is defined, 
for all 
.
The remaining items rarely need to be reset from their default values.
, alternative residual convergence criterion to be used after 
iterations. Default 
.
, criterion for zero flux compared to 
. Default 
.
, convergence criterion for the ratio of the largest solution correction to the largest corresponding incremental solution value when there is zero flux in the model. Default 
.
, convergence criterion for the ratio of the largest residual to the corresponding average flux norm for convergence to be accepted in one iteration (that is, for a linear case). Default 
.
Second line:
These items rarely need to be reset from their default values.
, field conversion ratio used in scaling the relationship between two active fields when one is of negligible magnitude. Default 
.
, criterion for zero flux compared to the time averaged value of the largest flux 
in the model during the current step. Default 
.
, criterion for zero displacement increment compared to the characteristic element length in the model. This item is used only when FIELD=DISPLACEMENT. Default 
.
First (and only) line:
These items rarely need to be reset from their default values.
, volumetric strain compatibility tolerance for hybrid solid elements. Default 
.
, axial strain compatibility tolerance for hybrid beam elements. Default 
.
, transverse shear strain compatibility tolerance for hybrid beam elements. Default 
.
, soft contact compatibility tolerance for use with the interface option *SURFACE BEHAVIOR, PRESSURE-OVERCLOSURE. The ratio of the error in the soft contact constraint clearance to the user-specified clearance at which the contact pressure is zero must lie below this tolerance for 
, where 
is the pressure value at zero clearance. Default 
.
, soft contact compatibility tolerance for low pressure. This tolerance is similar to 
, except that it represents the tolerance when 
. The actual tolerance will be interpolated linearly between and for 
. Default 
.
, displacement compatibility tolerance for distributing coupling elements. The ratio of the error in the distributing coupling displacement compatibility to a measure of the characteristic length of the coupling arrangement must lie below this tolerance. This characteristic length is twice the average of the coupling node arrangement principal radii of gyration. Default 
.
, rotation compatibility tolerance for distributing coupling elements. Default 
.
First (and only) line:
, maximum number of zero-finding iterations. Default 
. A suggested value for activation of the line search algorithm is 
.
, maximum correction scale factor. Default 
.
, minimum correction scale factor. Default 
.
, residual reduction factor at which line searching terminates. Default 
.
, ratio of new to old correction scale factors below which line searching terminates. Default 
.
First line:
, equilibrium iteration after which the check is made whether the residuals are increasing in both of two consecutive iterations. Minimum value is 
. Default 
. If the parameter ANALYSIS=DISCONTINUOUS is used, the value of 
.
, equilibrium iteration number at which logarithmic rate of convergence check begins. Default 
. If the parameter ANALYSIS=DISCONTINUOUS is used, the value of 
.
The remaining items rarely need to be reset from their default values.
, equilibrium iteration after which residual tolerance 
is used instead of 
. Default 
.
, upper limit on number of equilibrium iterations allowed, based on prediction of logarithmic rate of convergence. Default 
.
, number of equilibrium iterations above which the size of the next increment will be reduced. Default 
.
, maximum number of equilibrium iterations allowed in consecutive increments for the time increment to be increased. Default 
.
, maximum number of severe discontinuity iterations allowed in an increment. Default 
.
, maximum number of cutbacks allowed for an increment. Default 
.
, maximum number of severe discontinuity iterations allowed in consecutive increments for the time increment to be increased. Default 
.
, minimum number of consecutive increments in which the time integration accuracy measure must be satisfied without any cutbacks to allow a time increment increase. Default 
. Maximum allowed 
.
Second line:
These items rarely need to be reset from their default values.
, cutback factor used when the solution appears to be diverging. Default 
.
, cutback factor used when the logarithmic rate of convergence predicts that too many equilibrium iterations will be needed. Default 
.
, cutback factor for the next increment when too many equilibrium iterations () are used in the current increment. Default 
.
, cutback factor used when the time integration accuracy tolerance is exceeded. Default 
.
, cutback factor used when too many iterations () arise because of severe discontinuities. Default 
.
, cutback factor used when element calculations have problems such as excessive distortion in large-displacement problems. Default 
.
, increase factor when two consecutive increments converge in a small number of equilibrium iterations (). Default 
.
, ratio of average time integration accuracy measure over increments to the corresponding tolerance for the next allowable time increment to be increased. Default 
.
Third line:
These items rarely need to be reset from their default values.
, increase factor for the next time increment, as a ratio of the average integration accuracy measure over increments to the corresponding tolerance, when the time integration accuracy measure is less than of the tolerance during consecutive increments. Default 
.
, maximum time increment increase factor for all cases except dynamic stress analysis and diffusion-dominated processes. Default 
.
, maximum time increment increase factor for dynamic stress analysis. Default 
.
, maximum time increment increase factor for diffusion-dominated processes (creep, transient heat transfer, soils consolidation, transient mass diffusion). Default 
.
, minimum ratio of proposed next time increment to times the current time increment for the proposed time increment to be used in a linear transient problem. This parameter is intended to avoid excessive decomposition of the system matrix and should be less than 1.0. Default 
.
, minimum ratio of proposed next time increment to the last successful time increment for extrapolation of the solution vector to take place. Default 
.
, maximum allowable ratio of time increment to stability limit for conditionally stable time integration procedures. Default is 1.0.
, fraction of stability limit used as current time increment when the time increment exceeds the above factor times the stability limit. This value cannot exceed 1.0. Default 0.95.
First (and only) line:
, iteration number at which the periodicity condition is first imposed. Default 
.
, stabilized state detection criterion for the ratio of the largest residual coefficient on any terms in the Fourier series to the corresponding average flux norm. Default 
.
, stabilized state detection criterion for the ratio of the largest correction to the displacement coefficient on any terms in the Fourier series to the largest displacement coefficient. Default 
.
, plastic ratchetting detection criterion for the ratio of the largest residual coefficient on the constant term in the Fourier series to the corresponding average flux norm. Default 
.
, plastic ratchetting detection criterion for the ratio of the largest correction to the displacement coefficient on the constant term in the Fourier series to the largest displacement coefficient. Default 
.