Add extraneous stiffness parameters to the input file.
Simulation Composite Analysis uses a *User Material definition instead of a *Elastic definition to define a material in Abaqus. When a *User Material definition is used, Abaqus is unable to compute certain section parameters because the elastic constants necessary to compute these section parameters are not available. You must define these parameters in order for an analysis to run successfully.
Simulation Composite Analysis comes with a command line program called xStiff that reads an Abaqus input file and automatically computes and inserts the extraneous stiffness parameters required by reduced integration elements that utilize Simulation Composite Analysis materials. This auxiliary program significantly improves the speed and accuracy of the model building process.
Typically, xStiff is executed after the model is built and before the model is submitted for analysis. Here, the input file for this analysis is written and xStiff is used to calculate and insert the appropriate extraneous stiffness parameters.
>>cd <directory containing input file>
>>xstf -i ASCA_Tutorial_3
>>abaqus job=ASCA_Tutorial_3_xs