Product: Abaqus/CAE
Benefits: You can now incorporate a durability analysis into a shape optimization and use the damage results to minimize the maximum damage in critical areas while still using shape optimization to homogenize the stresses on the surfaces of your parts.
Description: Typically, you use shape optimization to modify the surface geometry of a component to minimize stress concentrations (stress homogenization). In most cases, reducing the stress levels leads to a significant increase in durability. However, it is possible that the regions of peak stress identified by a static analysis differ from the regions of maximum damage identified from a durability (or damage) analysis and using shape optimization alone to modify the surface geometry may decrease the durability. To avoid this situation, you can incorporate a durability solver in the optimization loop to ensure that you are both reducing stress levels and increasing durability.
By default, Abaqus/CAE supports only the fe-safe and FEMFAT durability solvers. You can use other durability solvers; however, you must ensure the solver has access to the required files. Contact your SIMULIA support office for more information.
Optimization module: TaskCreate, Name: optimization task name, Type: Shape optimization, Durability