3DEXPERIENCE Simulia Mechanical Scenario creation app:  Explicit Dynamics: A Powerful Tool for Simulating High-Speed Events

Explicit Dynamics is a specialized simulation technique within the ABAQUS software suite designed to analyze and solve complex problems involving highly dynamic events. These events are characterized by:   

• Short durations: Think of impacts, explosions, or sudden failures where the action happens quickly.
• Large deformations: Components may undergo significant shape changes, exceeding the limits of linear analysis.

• Nonlinear material behavior: Materials may exhibit plasticity, damage, or other complex responses that are not proportional to the applied force.   

  

How it Works

3DEXPERIENCE Simulia Mechanical Scenario creation app (backed by ABAQUS Explicit solvers) employs an explicit time integration scheme. This means that the solution at each tiny time step is calculated directly from the conditions at the previous step, without needing to solve a large system of equations. This approach makes it well-suited for the challenges mentioned above.   

Key Strengths

• Handles extreme nonlinearity: Accurately models complex material behavior and large deformations that would be difficult for traditional (implicit) methods.   
• Efficient for short-duration events: The explicit scheme is computationally faster for problems where the dynamic response is of primary interest.   

• Robust contact modeling: Can simulate complex interactions between parts that come into contact, separate, or experience friction during the dynamic event.   

   

Applications in Engineering

ABAQUS Explicit is a valuable tool across various engineering disciplines:

• Automotive: Crashworthiness simulations, impact analysis of vehicle components, airbag deployment.   
• Aerospace: Bird strike on aircraft structures, impact damage in composite materials.   
• Defense: Ballistic impact studies, blast response of structures.   
• Consumer electronics: Drop testing of devices, impact resistance of packaging.   

• Manufacturing: High-speed metal forming processes, cutting and machining simulations.   

   

Important Considerations

• Time step limitations: The explicit method requires very small time steps to maintain stability, which can lead to long computation times for events with longer durations.   

• Mesh quality: The accuracy of the simulation is highly dependent on the quality of the finite element mesh.

   

  Edu CAE 3DEXPERIENCE MODSIM Abaqus