You can define the element size to use along a particular edge by selecting Seed
Edge By Size from the main menu bar. ABAQUS/CAE allows you to select edges, faces, or cells to seed. However, seeds are positioned only along edges—the edges that you select or the edges of faces and cells that you select.
All the edge seeding tools generate edge seeds, which are displayed in magenta. Edge seeds override any part or instance seeds you have specified. You need not seed all edges of a region. If only some edges of the region have edge seeds (and you have not created any instance seeds), ABAQUS/CAE can interpolate the element density requirements for the unseeded edges from those of the seeded edges.
To seed an edge by prescribing the element size:
From the main menu bar, select SeedEdge By Size.
ABAQUS/CAE displays prompts in the prompt area to guide you through the procedure.
Tip:
You can also seed an edge by element size using the 
tool, located with the seed tools in the Mesh module toolbox. (For more information, see “Using the Mesh module toolbox,” Section 17.13.)
Select the edges you want to seed. By default, ABAQUS/CAE allows you to select only edges to seed. To select faces or cells to seed, click the selection options tool 
from the prompt area and change the type of object that you can select to Face, Cells, or All. For more information, see “Filtering your selection based on the type of object,” Section 6.3.2.
When you have finished selecting edges, faces, or cells, press mouse button 2. For more information on selecting objects, see Chapter 6, “Selecting objects within the viewport.”
In the text field in the prompt area, type the approximate element size to be used along the selected edges.
If desired, change the default seed constraints by clicking the Constraints button in the prompt area and responding to the dialog box that appears. See “Applying constraints to edge seeds,” Section 17.14.5, for further information on setting seed constraints.
Press [Enter] or mouse button 2 to commit the element size and constraint settings.
Magenta edge seeds appear along the selected edges.
To seed additional edges, repeat this procedure from Step 2.
To exit the edge seeding procedure, press [Enter] or click mouse button 2.
