Hi,

I’m using Abaqus for my project to simulate the additive manufacturing process. Recently, you have added some new features in Abaqus 2019 to simulate the AM process faster. I used to simulate the AM process by using subroutines such as DFLUX, UMATHT, UMAT, and UEXTERNALDB and I have a good background of modelling AM process but for these features, I didn’t find enough material in the documentation and I would be please if you can help me with.

1. Would you please send me some material so I can read about the method you are using in this method. For example, by using DFLUX we define the magnitude of heat flux for Gaussian points then Abaqus uses this load to solve FEM model but in this method you have mentioned you are using a method that gets help from event series (PDF number 1) which is independents from time increment and meshes size but you didn’t mention details of the way that how Abaqus uses this information and how solves this method. I need this information for my thesis because I need to know the fundamental aspect of this method.
2. I’m trying to use the Goldak model for heat flux and in the plugin, we need to define values for subdivisions which I don’t understand it. I think it might refer to the number of division in cuboid (picture 2) which divide the Goldak model in Abaqus but if I would be correct, results shouldn’t change from a certain number but it does. For example, I used 50 and 100 for each subdivision direction and I saw the maximum temperature was changed about 150C.
3. Do I need to use a higher version of visual studio and intel to use new subroutines such as UPACTIVATION and UMDFLUX? because right now I’m using version 2015 for both but still I can’t use these subroutines.
4. In case of the AM process with the powder bed base, we know conduction in powder is lower the solid-state which create an unsymmetrical temperature distribution witch I can’t see it in the method which Abaqus uses (pic 3 and 4). Would you please explain to me why this happens and is there any way that I can define the powder state for material because we can’t use UMATHT and USFLD for this method.

Thanks in advance.