• Home
• End-user features
• Benchmarks
• Scientific Papers
• Manual
• Contacts
• Product overview
• Downloads
• About

1 Installation and configuration

1.1 Introduction: hardware and software requirements

• Processor: Intel-based 64-bit processor with support for SSE3 instructions.
• RAM: 8 GB necessary for running the example problems, 16 GB or greater advised for complex 3D and shell models.
• Hard disk available space: 20 GB. At least 7200 RPM or solid-state technology recommended.
• Graphics card: OpenGL-compatible with at least 1 GB memory.
• Operating System: 64-bit Linux operating system, Kernel series 3 or greater. A Debian or Slackware system are recommended. Optionally, Apple OS X systems are also supported.

• GiD from CIMNE (http://www.gidhome.com/): required.
• Bash shell: required.
• GCC base installation: required.
• OpenMP library: required.
• Pthreads library: required.
• Crypto library: required.
• BLAS library (ATLAS or MKL recommended): required.
• GFortran library (libgfortran): required.
• quadmath library (libquadmath): required.
• GnuPlot: recommended to perform x-y plots of the results.
• A Latex distribution: recommended to perform x-y plots of the results.
• xfig and transfig: recommended to perform x-y plots of the results.
• fixbb: recommended to perform x-y plots of the results.
• pstoedit: recommended to perform x-y plots of the results.
• VTK Paraview: recommended as an alternative to GiD
• CEI Ensight version 8 or greater: recommended to visualize and plot the results.
• Intel Fortran compiler (ifort) (http://software.intel.com/en-us/linux-tool-suites): recommended to create custom materials and elements.

1.2 License request

• Download the Linux executable “clientkey.exe” from the support section of our website (www.simplas-software.com/support) to your home directory, change its permissions by “chmod +x clientkey.exe” and then execute it “./clientkey.exe”. This will create a file with name “clientkey.txt”. Send it, as an attachment to “support@simplas-software.com” and you will receive a link to your executables.

1.3 Installation

• Make sure you have access to the Administrator (root) password.
• Make sure you are comfortable with the command line terminal.
• Copy the file SimPlas.tar.gz to your home directory. The following command performs this task: “cp SimPlas.tar.gz ~”
• Make sure that a directory with name SimPlas does not exist. If the directory exists then remove it with the command “yes | rm -r SimPlas”.
• Decompress the file with the command “tar -xzvf SimPlas.tar.gz”
• Change to the newly created directory by making “cd SimPlas”
• In Linux systems, execute the installation script by making “./TakeCare.sh” and insert the root password when asked.
• If the key generation was not yet performed, copy the file “clientkey.txt” and attach it to an email to “support@simplas-software.com”, clearly identifying your Company or Institute. Please note that new executables SimPlas.exe and SimPre.exe will be made available by both remote access (sftp) and physical support.
• Test the installation by moving to a clean directory and write “SimPlas.exe”. If no input files are present, the following message should appear: “ls: cannot access *.entra: No such file or directory Please insert the name of input file:”.
• To compile, link and execute SimPlas, use the command “SimPlas.sh”

1.4 Post-installation tests

Figure 1.1 GiD initial screen (after invocation of SimGid.sh).

1.5 SimPre

• Geometry: Coordinate transformations:
  • Cylinder transformation from a plane
  • Torsion transformation from a strip
  • Setting coordinates in a sphere
  • Scale problem
  • Shift coordinates
  • Create a distorted mesh in a cylinder
• Basic data:
  • Reaction monitor
  • Restart data
  • Time stepping data and special instant definition
  • Identification of single node sets to monitor
  • Rezoning and remeshing data
  • Nonlocal data
  • Definition of fracture criteria
  • Identification of output software
  • Insertion of ordered pairs. These are required for:
    • Load elements
    • Regular elements
    • Some constitutive laws
    • Control equations
• Analysis: identification of the type of analysis to perform and insertion of relevant data. Insertion of target values to perform output.
  • Linear analysis
  • Increase control
  • Displacement control
  • Unload analysis
  • Set a target value for the output strategy
• Materials: definition of the appropriate constitutive laws and insertion of the corresponding data. The following are available:
  • Linear elastic
  • J₂ plasticity
  • Kirchhoff-Saint/Venant
  • Quasi-incompressible Neo-Hookean
  • General plasticity (Hill, Barlat 91, etc)
  • Brittle constitutive law
  • Transversely isotropic
  • Extended GTN model
  • Rousselier model
• Direct loading: definition of forces, distributed loads and pressure loads based on imported data.
  • Point load
  • Edge (bar) load
  • Triangle pressure
  • Quadrilateral pressure
• Contact and stabilization: definition of interaction properties (friction coefficient and normal penalties) and damping properties to avoid chattering.
  • Point contact 2D
  • Point contact 3D
  • Damping 2D
  • Damping 3D
• Elements: definition of continuum and structural elements based on imported data.
  • Triangles:
    • Plane stress triangle
    • Plane strain triangle (MINI)
    • Axisymmetric triangle (mixed)
    • Triangular shell
    • Void triangle (purely geometric)
  • Quadrilateral:
    • Plane stress quadrilateral (optionally mixed)
    • Plane strain quadrilateral (mixed)
    • Axisymmetric quadrilateral (mixed)
    • Quadrilateral shell (stress-based)
    • Void quadrilateral (purely geometric)
  • Tetrahedron
  • Hexahedron
• Constraints: definition of initial and boundary conditions, as well as multiple-point constraints.
  • Initial conditions
  • Imposed degree-of-freedom
  • Imposed same degree-of-freedom
  • Imposed same relative degree-of-freedom
  • Rigid body constraint (for continuum problems)
• Imported data: summary of data defined in GiD.

Figure 1.2 SimPre GUI.

2 Tutorials and examples

2.1 Worked examples

2.1.1 Geometrically nonlinear gantry structure modeled as shells with multiple intersections

1. Open Gid by invoking SimGid.exe from the command line. Define the gantry geometry using surfaces as the highest topological entities (i.e. using points, lines and surfaces). After this, the following image should appear:
   
   
2. It is useful to inspect the orientation of the surface normals, View->Normals->Surfaces->Normal. If some normals are not consistent, right-click follow the Contextual menu and swap the incorrect surfaces.
   
3. Use menu Data->Conditions->NODEGROUPS and define, selecting all the bottom edges, a set named “clamped” and assign to the lower edges of the gantry.
   
4. Set mesh criteria flag for the top middle edges. These edges will be later used to apply a distributed load.
   
5. Assign flange section by using Data->Materials and introducing a new material “Flange”. Assign to the flange surfaces. Repeat the procedure for the web.
   
6. Assign load section by using Data->Materials and introducing a new material “load”. Assign to the load lines, as depicted:
   
7. Check that all entities are assigned to materials by using Data->Materials->Draw->All Materials. A similar figure should appear:
   
8. Generate a triangular mesh by using GiD menus and verify the correctness of the partition. Please note that every modification performed with GiD requires the generation of a new mesh.
   
9. Now use the menu calculate (calculate->calculate). This will invoke SimPre, and the following screen should appear:
   
10. Create a new transformation and then use transformscale with 0.001 to convert the mm units to m. This should be performed since CAD software typically uses mm and SimPlas uses m as length units.
    
11. Switch to the Basic data tab. Set the readreactions to the only available group. Then insert a new op (ordered pair) and insert the values for the load program:
    
12. Switch to the Analysis tab and create a new analysis (an). Create a new increase analysis and use the following values:
    
13. Switch to the Materials tab and define two materials (Elastic and Elastic2) and two elast materials with the same elastic properties:
    
14. Switch to the Direct loading tab and insert a new barload with a vertical (Distributed load Z [N/m]) load:
    
15. Switch to the Elements tab and define the web (with 5.5 mm thickness) trishell elements:
    
16. Define the flange elements with 8.5 mm thickness. Note that each material should be in a one-to-one relation with each element:
    
17. Switch to the Constraints tab and use imposeddof to clamp the bottom edges:
    
18. Run SimPlas by clicking the play button ( ) in SimPre. Wait for the solution to complete and click the magnifier glass ( ) to invoke ParaView and see the results. Consult the ParaView manual for further details.
    

2.1.2 Combined structure: a more complete example with elasto-plasticity and linear control

1. Two new materials (horizontal_plate and vertical_plates) are introduced in GiD, because the horizontal plate will have a normal pressure applied:
   
2. Introduce and assign a new node group (loweredges) corresponding to the bottom edges of the vertical plates:
   
   
3. A new ordered pair (op) is introduced in SimPre, corresponding to the hardening law:
   
4. Two new elasto-plastic materials are introduced, corresponding to the vertical plates and the horizontal plate
   
5. The elements corresponding to the vertical plates have to be specified (with 20 mm thickness):
   
   
6. The elements corresponding to the horizontal plate have to be specified (with 25 mm thickness):
   
7. Introduce a constraint corresponding to the lower edges previously identified as a node group in GiD (loweredges)
   
8. Run SimPlas by clicking the play button ( ) in SimPre. Wait for the solution to complete and click the magnifier glass ( ) to invoke ParaView and see the results. Consult the ParaView manual for further details.