How to use Python scripts to make free-body force diagrams in Abaqus

Описание

When we use beam elements in our finite element models, it's fairly straight forward to obtain the bending moment diagrams, or other force diagrams (axial, shear). In Abaqus), we only need to ask for the Section Forces output (SF) and there you have it. 

However, when our model is made of shell or solid elements, the creation of these diagrams is not so easy. In that case, we have to calculate the summation of nodal forces. For instance, Abaqus provides the free-body forces on a particular view cut of the model, and we can read those values on the screen.

The problem is: how do we extract these values "from the screen" into actual values in a Python script, so that we can visualize them in a plot?

This is what I want to tell you in the this video. In addition, there are lots of details embedded in the explanations, and even if you are not too interested in free-body cuts or force diagrams, you will find lots of tips on the use of Python scripting to control Abaqus. By the way, you can download all the scripts to try them yourself and find more details in the blog post: https://tecnodigitalschool.com/how-to-make-free-body-cuts-in-abaqus/

0:00 - Intro
0:33 - Basics of free-body cuts in Abaqus
4:59 - Example: Introduction
7:55 - Example: Python script
13:49 - Example: Analysis
16:44 - Final Python script
19:38 - Outro