Creating Mesh Properties
Abaqus for CATIA V5 supports 3D, 2D, and 1D properties. If your model contains solid geometry, Abaqus for CATIA V5 automatically creates a 3D property when you enter the Nonlinear Structural Analysis or the Thermal Analysis workbench for the first time and assigns the property to the solid part. However, if your model contains surface or wireframe geometry, you must create a 2D or 1D property and assign it to the relevant part.
You can create solid, surface, or wireframe mesh properties in Abaqus for CATIA V5 using the following tools:
3D Property: Creates a 3D solid mesh property and assigns it to a 3D part. A 3D property refers to the material assigned to the part.
2D Property: Creates a 2D surface mesh property globally and, if needed, locally. A 2D property refers to the material assigned to the part. In addition, a 2D property refers to the thickness of the part. You can use data mapping to define a varying thickness at specified locations of the part. See Data Mapping in the CATIA V5 Generative Structural Analysis User's Guide for more information.
1D Property: Creates 1D wireframe mesh properties globally and, if needed, locally. A 1D property refers to the material assigned to the part. A 1D property can also refer to the material orientation.
Table 8–1 shows how the CATIA V5 beam section types are supported by the Abaqus beam cross-section library. The same beam section types are available for any beams that you specify in spot and seam welds. The CATIA V5 beam section types that are supported by *BEAM GENERAL SECTION in Abaqus (Thin U, Thin X, and User-defined beams) cannot include material nonlinearity.
Table 8–1 Supported beam cross-sections
| CATIA V5 beam section type | Abaqus beam cross-section library |
|---|---|
| Cylindrical beam | CIRC |
| Tubular beam | PIPE |
| Rectangular beam | RECT |
| Thin box beam | BOX |
| Thin U-beam | *BEAM GENERAL SECTION |
| Thin I-beam | I |
| Thin T-beam | T |
| Thin X-beam | *BEAM GENERAL SECTION |
| User-defined | *BEAM GENERAL SECTION |
| Beam from surface | Not supported |
| Bar | Not supported |
| Variable beam | Not supported |
See 1D Property Section Type in the CATIA V5 Generative Structural Analysis User's Guide for a description of the parameters that define the beam cross-section geometry. See Beam cross-section library in the Abaqus Elements Guide, and Using a general beam section to define the section behavior in the Abaqus Elements Guide for a description of the Abaqus beam cross-section geometry, the default integration used for the analysis, and the default output points.