FEA program Abaqus Version 6.3 features over 80 major enhancements including general contact and spot welds, an efficient method for solving multiple load cases, and extended parallel processing for fast computing. A general-contact feature simplifies model preparation. The software includes additional capabilities for inertia relief, usability improvements such as direct CAD import, and a virtual-topology feature for idealizing finite-element models from complex geometry. And V6.3 cuts about 20% off previous solution times.
Increasingly large models simulate complex mechanical systems, so performance gains come from a new parallelization approach in Abaqus/Explicit, along with extended parallelization of the sparse and Lanczos solvers in Abaqus/Standard. One objective for V6.3 is to improve tools in Abaqus/Standard for advanced linear applications, such as those involving airframes and launch vehicles. The software solves multiple-discrete load cases quickly, in some cases in less than 10% of the time previously needed.
Other improvements include cylindrical elements and concrete damage models, material models to support high-temperature fatigue assessment, expanded submodeling, and support for underwater shock analyses. Inertia relief allows analyzing forces acting on a quasi-static body, such as an aircraft in flight. The Nastran-import capability is upgraded to provide support for Nastran-specific inertia relief setups.
The software directly imports native geometry from CAD systems such as Catia, I-DEAS, Pro/E, Unigraphics and others that export Parasolid-based models. Virtual topology tools eliminate insignificant details from complex CAD geometry by combining model faces and surfaces to provide an effective model for meshing.
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