Automating Abaqus jobs

[nonlinearRus]

Hi,

I have my model mesh optimized and running well. I now need to run a sensitivity analyses on some parameters within the model and then optimize the results of some other parameters once this is completed.

I was thinking of trying to write the changeable parameters as variables within the .inp file, which could be changed after each run. I was also hoping to run the process externally using matlab, then extracting the relevant results back into matlab for graphing.

At the moment I'm trying this process with a simplified model but I'm not really sure where to start, my coding knowledge is average. What I need is basic advice on Abaqus job automation from an external environment, such as Matlab (as I haven't used Python before)? How can I use Matlab to insert different parameters for separate jobs and then extract results back to Matlab for analysis?

Any help is appreciated,

NLR

 

[DanStro]

Have you looked at creating the parameters in the input file, bypassing the need to script it manually? I am not sure if you can actualize optimize them though.

In the help file for 6.9 it is section "1.4.1 Parametric Input"?

Dan


Han primo incensus

 

[nonlinearRus]

Thanks for your advice.
Maybe that is the best way to do it. Do you know of anyway I can create batches of input files then if I have a list of parameters that I want to run with? Just changing one parameter per input file.

Then I want to run each job from Matlab, and then look at results in Matlab again?

 

[DanStro]

I've never used this, I just remember reading that section of the help file. So no, sorry, I can't help you with that.

Dan

Han primo incensus

 

[MechIrl]

Depending on how many parameters you'll be changing the easiest thing might be to use a single input file and just get the Matlab script to write a different 'include' file for each analysis, this has worked out ok for me in the past.

If you are comfortable with Python its very useful to get Matlab to call python scripts to help with pulling things from the ODB after the analysis.

 

[GregLocock]

The way I have done it in the past is to concatenate two halves of an input deck around a small script generated fragment with the lines I was changing. Then run the solver from the command line in a shell. I can't remember how I extracted results from the output file but it must have been pretty easy.

I've done this in qbasic and matlab, running various FE solvers.

So you've got 4 basic tasks

1) decide on what you want to change in response to results
2) generate input file
3) run FE solver
4) extract results

Task 1 is the only engineering, all the rest is just text manipulation.

Cheers

Greg Locock


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