Deformations are the values of a deformed field output variable; for example, displacement or velocity. ABAQUS/CAE computes the deformed shape by applying the deformations to the undeformed nodal coordinates. You can scale the deformations to magnify, reduce, or otherwise distort the deformed model shape. For example, Figure 37–6 displays a deformed shape contour plot on the left and the same plot with the deformation magnified 15 times on the right.
Deformation scaling is plot mode-dependent; that is, you control it separately for deformed plots, for contour plots on the deformed shape, for symbol plots on the deformed shape, and for material orientation plots on the deformed shape. The default scaling is a uniform factor of 1.00 for large-displacement analyses. For small-deformation analyses—for example, a perturbation analysis—ABAQUS/CAE scales the deformation such that the maximum deformation is 10% of the largest model dimension.
To scale the deformations:
Locate the Deformation Scale Factor options for the plot mode (deformed, contour, or symbol) that you want to customize.
For deformed plots:
From the main menu bar, select Options
Deformed. Click the Basic tab in the dialog box that appears. The Deformation Scale Factor options are in the lower left corner of the Basic page.
For contour, symbol, or material orientation plots on the deformed shape:
From the main menu bar, select OptionsContour, OptionsSymbol, or OptionsMaterial Orientation. Click the Shape tab in the dialog box that appears. At the top of the Shape page toggle Deformed shape on; the Deformation Scale Factor options become available.
Choose one of the following scale factor options:
Click Auto-compute to request that ABAQUS automatically compute and uniformly apply a single scale factor to all X-, Y-, and Z-components of deformation values.
Click Uniform to specify and uniformly apply a single scale factor to all X-, Y-, and Z-components of deformation values.
When Uniform is on, a Value specification box becomes available. Click the Value box, and enter your scale factor.
Click Nonuniform to specify individual scale factors to be applied to the X-, Y-, and Z-components of deformation values.
When Nonuniform is on, X-, Y-, and Z-component scale factor specification boxes become available. For each component you want to scale, click the component (X, Y, or Z) scale factor box and enter your scale factor.
Click Apply to implement your changes.
Since deformation scaling is plot mode-dependent, the deformed shape changes according to your specification in plots of the current mode only. The state block, if active, changes to show the current deformation scale factors.
Your changes are saved for the duration of the session and will affect all subsequent plots in this mode.
