Automatic nonlinear solutions in structural analysis using ABAQUS

This paper contains a summary description of the advanced computational procedures of atomic incremental solution for nonlinear structural dynamic analysis using the finite element program ABAQUS. After a brief introduction dedicated to nonlinear capabilities and tolerance parameters to be defined for the dynamic procedures available in the code, the concepts of self-adaptive time stepping with conventional implicit dynamic algorithms are presented. Applications to structural integrity analysis associated with nuclear power plants and related to extreme accident events will demonstrate the efficiency of the automatic capabilities of the computer program in handling severe nonlinear situations. (orig.)