The HIN File

Control additional parameters to tailor your analyses.

There are several analysis parameters you can provide in addition to those specified by the material entry as described in Appendix A. The HIN file is an auxiliary text file created manually, that contains these parameters and their associated keywords. The use of the HIN file and current functionality is described below.

For proper usage, the HIN file must be named jobname.hin, where jobname is the name of the model input file. It must be in the same directory as the input file. For example, when running the Autodesk Nastran input file example-job.nas, if example-job.hin exists in the same directory, Helius PFA will attempt to read this file in as a HIN file. The current functionality within the HIN file includes the following:

1. Material mapping
2. Material redefinition (unidirectional only)
3. Nonlinear elastic fiber (unidirectional only)
4. Damage evolution (unidirectional only)
5. MCT file output

Material definitions and properties that reside within the HIN file always supercede any definitions or properties within the Autodesk Nastran material entries or the material file (mdata). For example, if instantaneous degradation damage evolution is defined within the material entry, but the HIN file defines energy based degradation (Damage Evolution), the energy based degradation definition will take precedence over the instantaneous degradation definition. This rule is consistent with a migration toward the HIN file and away from material constants. In future versions of Helius PFA, material constants will be deprecated for most functionality and the HIN file will be required.