3.2.23 Execution procedure for exchanging ABAQUS data with ZAERO

Product: ABAQUS/Standard  

Reference

Overview

The abaqus tozaero interface enables you to exchange aeroelastic data between the ABAQUS and ZAERO analysis products. By using this interface between the applications, you can perform structural modal analysis on a model in ABAQUS, transfer the model to ZAERO for aeroelastic analysis, then transfer it back to ABAQUS for stress analysis.

Universal file

The universal file is the means of data exchange between ABAQUS and ZAERO. It consists of four data sets: 2411, which describes node and coordinate data; 2414, which describes mass-normalized mode shapes; 2420, which describes the global coordinate system; and 2453, which describes the mass matrix in text format, or 2453b, which describes the mass matrix in binary format.

You can specify the universal file's output format by using the mode parameter. Choosing text format enables you to modify the universal file in a text editor but increases the file size to over twice that of similar files in binary format. Text is the default format and the only format supported by ZAERO. Table 3.2.23–1 and Table 3.2.23–2 describe the mass matrix data set text format and binary format, respectively.

Table 3.2.23–1 Format for data set 2453 (text).

RecordFieldDescriptionFormat
11Matrix Identifier
1: DOF
131: Mass
139: Stiffness
147: Back-expansion
(I10)
21Matrix Data Type
1: Integer
2: Real
4: Double Precision
5: Complex
6: Complex Double Precision
(6I10)
2Matrix Form
3: General Rectangular
3Number of rows
4Number of columns
5Storage Key
1: Row
2: Column
11: Sparse (not supported for IMAT=1)
6Matrix Size Parameter
For IMAT=1 this is the number of dynamic modes.
For sparse this is the number of matrix entries.
Otherwise, 0.
3 for storage keys 1 and 2 N/AMatrix DataFor data type 1:
(8 I10)
For data type 2:
(4 E20.12)
For data type 4:
(4 D20.12)
For data type 5:
(2 (2 E20.12))
For data type 6:
(2 (2 D20.12))
3 for storage key 111RowFor data type 1:
(2 (2I10 1I10))
For data type 2:
(2 (2I10 1E20.12))
For data type4:
(2 (2I10 1D20.12))
For data type 5:
(1 (2I10 2E20.12))
For data type 6:
(1 (2I10 2D20.12))
2Column
3Value at cell

Table 3.2.23–2 Format for data set 2453b (binary).

RecordFieldDescriptionFormat
Header12453(I6)
2Lowercase b(IA1)
3Byte Ordering Method
1: Little Endian (Windows and DOS)
2: Big Endian (most UNIX)
(I6)
4Floating Point Format
1: DEC VMS
2: IEEE 754 (UNIX)
3: IBM 5/370
(I6)
5Number of ASCII lines following
2 for data set 2453b
(I12)
6Number of bytes following ASCII lines(I12)
7–10Not used (fill with zeros) 
11Matrix Identifier
1: DOF
131: Mass
139: Stiffness
147: Back-expansion
(I10)
21Matrix Data Type
1: Integer
2: Real
4: Double Precision
5: Complex
6: Complex Double Precision
(6I10)
2Matrix Form
3: General Rectangular
3Number of rows
4Number of columns
5Storage Key
1: Row
2: Column
11: Sparse (not supported for IMAT=1)
6Matrix Size Parameter
For IMAT=1 this is the number of dynamic modes.
For sparse this is the number of matrix entries.
Otherwise, 0.
3 (Binary Matrix Data)1 (4 bytes)RowFor data type 1: (2 Int32 1 Int32)
For data type 2: (2 Int32 1 Flt32)
For data type 4: (2 Int32 1 Dbl64)
For data type 5: (2 Int32 2 Flt32)
For data type 6: (2 Int32 2 Dbl64)
2 (4 bytes)Column
3Value at cell

Preparing the ABAQUS analysis input file

Before the interface can create the universal file, you must make the following additions to your ABAQUS input (.inp) file, then run ABAQUS:

  • Normalize the eigenvectors in the eigenfrequency extraction analysis with respect to the structure’s mass matrix. This normalization is necessary because the translator assumes the mode shapes are mass normalized; if you skip this step before the ABAQUS run, the modes translated will be incorrect and will give incorrect results with no warnings or errors. For more information, see Natural frequency extraction, Section 6.3.5.

  • Include the following line in the analysis step:

    *ELEMENT MATRIX OUTPUT, ELSET=allelements, MASS=YES, 
    OUTPUT FILE=USER DEFINED, FILE NAME=mtx-file-name
    where allelements is a defined element set containing all the elements that should be included in the global mass matrix. The matrix output will be placed into the file mtx-file-name.mtx; you should not specify the .mtx extension since ABAQUS adds it automatically.

Workflow

This section describes the input and output of the three main steps in the workflow between ABAQUS and ZAERO.

Modal analysis in ABAQUS

The ABAQUS modal analysis uses an ABAQUS input file and outputs the following data to an output database (.odb) file and matrix (.mtx) file: structural model nodes, coordinate systems, mode frequencies, generalized mass, mode shapes, and the mass matrix.

Aeroelastic analysis in ZAERO

Aeroelastic analysis requires a ZAERO input file and the universal file created by toZAERO. ZAERO outputs force and moment data on structural nodes due to aeroelastic forces to the universal file.

Stress analysis in ABAQUS

The forces and moments output from ZAERO can then be used in a static (linear or nonlinear) ABAQUS analysis to calculate deflections, stresses, and loads.

Command summary

abaqus tozaero
job=job-name
 
[unvfile=unv-file-name]
[odbfile=odb-file-name]
[mtxfile=mtx-file-name]
[step=step-number]
[mode={text | binary}]

Command line options

job

This option is used to specify the name of the ABAQUS input file. It is also the default name for the universal output database and mass matrix files.

unvfile

This option is used to specify the name of the universal file if it is different from job-name. If the .unv extension is not supplied, ABAQUS adds it automatically.

odbname

This option is used to specify the name of the ABAQUS output database file if it is different from job-name. If the .odb extension is not supplied, ABAQUS adds it automatically.

mtxfile

This option is used to specify the file containing the element mass matrices generated by ABAQUS. If the .mtx extension is not supplied, ABAQUS adds it automatically.

step

This option specifies the step number containing the eigenfrequency extraction results from ABAQUS. The default value is 1.

Note:  You must normalize the eigenvectors in the eigenfrequency extraction analysis with respect to the structure’s mass matrix. For more information, see Natural frequency extraction, Section 6.3.5.

mode

This option specifies the output format of the universal file. If this option is set equal to binary, ABAQUS writes a portion of the universal file in binary format to save space. If this option is set equal to text, ABAQUS writes the entire file in all text format. The default value is text, which is the only mode currently supported by ZAERO.