You use submodeling to study in detail an area of interest in your model; for example, a region of high stress. In most cases you will mesh the region of interest with a finer mesh, and the submodel can provide an accurate, detailed solution. You can also change the modeling space from a shell global model to a more representative solid submodel—shell-to-solid submodeling.

Creating a submodel is a two-step process. First you create and analyze the global model. You then create the submodel and drive the boundaries of the submodel with time-dependent variables that were saved during the analysis of the global model. Submodeling is described in detail in “Submodeling,” Section 10.2.1 of the ABAQUS Analysis User's Manual. “Shell-to-solid submodeling and shell-to-solid coupling of a pipe joint,” Section 1.1.9 of the ABAQUS Example Problems Manual, includes an example of a submodel created using ABAQUS/CAE.

The following topics are covered: