You can use the Special menu in the Interaction module to define a seam in your model. A seam defines a region in your model that can open during an analysis. ABAQUS/CAE places overlapping duplicate nodes along a seam when the mesh is generated. A seam cannot extend along the boundaries of a part and must be embedded within a face of a two-dimensional part or within a cell of a solid part. You can use the seam when you are selecting the crack front and the crack tip that will be used in a contour integral analysis. For more information, see “What is a seam?,” Section 20.1.8.
To create a seam:
From the main menu bar in the Interaction module, select Special
CrackCreate seam.
From the model in the viewport, select the entities representing the seam. The entities must be embedded edges within a face of a two-dimensional part or embedded faces within a cell of a solid part; you cannot select any entities that lie on the boundary of the part.
Click mouse button 2 to indicate that you have finished selecting the seam.
ABAQUS/CAE creates the seam.
To include the seam in a contour integral analysis, follow the procedure described in “Defining data for contour integrals,” Section 20.1.11.
