Export to FEA and Run the Analysis

We are now ready to export the results to our finite element analysis program where we can analyze our model.

1. Click Home > Export > Settings.
2. Switch to the Rupture tab, activate the Enable Rupture check box, and click OK.
3. Click Home > Export > Export to Structural Package.
4. Select the directory where you would like to save the files. Name the file coupon_ame and click Save.
5. After the export is complete, navigate to the directory where the files were written. You will see three files, coupon_ame.cdb, coupon_ame.hin, and coupon_ame.sif. The .cdb file is the input file with the modified material definition. The .hin file (Helius input file) controls the damage evolution criteria. The .sif file (structural interface file) contains the mapped fiber orientations and the Ramberg-Osgood material information.

Before we run our analysis, we will open the coupon_ame.cdb file we just exported and add post-processing commands. These post-processing commands will automatically write the load-displacement results to a text file after the analysis has completed.

1. Open the coupon_ame.cdb file with a text editor and scroll to the end of the file.
2. Copy and paste the following lines at the end of the .cdb file.

   /POST26
   *CFOPEN, coupon_ame_output, txt
   *VWRITE, 'Time', 'U2Top', 'U2Bottom', 'RF2'
   (A4, 5X, 6(A10,7X))
   NUMVAR,100
   
   NSOL, 2, 284, U, Y, U2
   NSOL, 3, 192, U, Y, U2
   RFORCE, 4, 21, F, Y, RF2
   
   STORE, MERGE
   *GET, size,  ACTIVE, 0, SOLU, NCMSS
   *DIM, STS, ARRAY, 100, 4
   VGET, STS(1,1), 1
   VGET, STS(1,2), 2
   VGET, STS(1,3), 3
   VGET, STS(1,4), 4
   *VWRITE, STS(1,1), STS(1,2), STS(1,3), STS(1,4)
   (F4.2, 10(',',3X, E12.6))
   *CFCLOSE
   
   FINISH

3. Save the file.

Now we are ready to run our analysis.

1. Open a command prompt and navigate to the directory containing the .cdb, .hin, and .sif files (use the Command Shell desktop shortcut to easily open a command prompt).
2. Enter the following commands to submit the model for analysis (in this case with ANSYS 18.0)

   >>ansys-helius 180 coupon_ame.cdb

   Note: The .cdb, .hin, and .sif files must have the same name.