Abaqus Static Analysis Workflow

Complete workflow for static structural analysis - stress, displacement, and reaction forces under constant loads.

When to Use This Skill

Route here when user mentions:

• "stress analysis", "structural analysis"
• "how much will it deflect", "displacement"
• "is this strong enough", "strength check"
• "factor of safety", "safety factor"
• "reaction forces", "support loads"
• "simulate a load on this part"

Route elsewhere:

• Time-varying loads, impact, vibration → /abaqus-dynamic-analysis
• Natural frequencies, resonance → /abaqus-modal-analysis
• Temperature effects, thermal stress → /abaqus-coupled-analysis
• Heat transfer only → /abaqus-thermal-analysis
• Parts touching, friction → /abaqus-contact-analysis

Workflow Steps

Execute these skills in order:

Step	Skill	Purpose
1	/abaqus-geometry	Create part and assembly
2	/abaqus-material	Define material properties
3	/abaqus-mesh	Generate finite element mesh
4	/abaqus-bc	Apply supports and constraints
5	/abaqus-load	Apply forces and pressures
6	/abaqus-step	Configure analysis step (optional - default is fine)
7	/abaqus-job	Run the analysis
8	/abaqus-odb	Extract results

What to Ask User

Required Information

Input	What to Ask
Geometry	"What are the dimensions? (e.g., 100x50x20 mm)"
Material	"What material? (Steel, Aluminum, or custom E/v)"
Supports	"How is it supported? (fixed face, pinned points, rollers)"
Loads	"What loads? (force magnitude, location, direction)"

Optional (Has Defaults)

Input	Default	Ask If
Mesh size	Auto-calculated	Stress concentrations present
Element type	C3D8R	Complex curved geometry
Nonlinear	OFF	Large deformation expected

Key Decisions

Linear vs Nonlinear Analysis

Condition	Setting	When
Small deformation, linear material	nlgeom=OFF	Displacements < 1% of part size
Large deformation or rotation	nlgeom=ON	Thin structures, rubber, cables
Yielding expected	nlgeom=ON + Plasticity	Stress > yield strength

Default: Start with linear. Switch to nonlinear if convergence issues or large deformation.

What Results to Extract

User Goal	Output Variables	Acceptance Criteria
Strength assessment	S (stress), MISES	MISES < yield stress
Stiffness check	U (displacement)	Max deflection acceptable
Support sizing	RF (reaction force)	Reactions match applied loads

Validation Checkpoints

After Each Step

Step	What to Verify
Geometry	Part has cells, no error messages
Material	Section assigned to all cells
Mesh	Node count OK (Learning Edition: <=1000)
BCs	At least one fixed constraint exists
Loads	Applied to correct surface/point
Job	Completes without errors in .sta file

Results Sanity Checks

Check	Expected
Reaction force sum	Approximately equals applied loads
Displacement magnitude	Physically reasonable
Stress pattern	Follows logical load path
Max stress location	At expected concentration points

Troubleshooting

Error	Cause	Solution
"Zero pivot"	Rigid body motion	Add more BCs to constrain all 6 DOFs
"Negative eigenvalue"	Buckling or instability	Check BCs, may need stabilization
"Too many increments"	Load too large	Reduce load or use more increments
"Equilibrium not achieved"	Convergence failure	Try smaller initial increment
"Memory exceeded"	Mesh too fine	Increase element size

Feedback Loops

• Mesh fails: Return to geometry, add partitions or simplify
• Zero pivot error: Return to BCs, ensure all rigid body modes constrained
• Unreasonable results: Verify material properties, check load direction/sign
• Stress too high: Either design issue (expected) or incorrect BC/load setup

Code Patterns

For API syntax and code examples, see:

• Common Patterns
• Troubleshooting Guide