Meshing recommendations for the P-approach application in ABAQUS – A tool for pheno-numerical spring-in prediction

Abstract

A numerical study is performed which analyzes the effect of mesh parameter settings on the prediction accuracy of the P-approach, a simulation concept which has been proposed earlier by the author for predicting process-induced distortion of composite structures. A parameterized solid-element finite element (FE) ABAQUS model of a composite L-profile is used as the reference geometry, while numerically predicted distortions are compared with nominal values. This paper shows that significant, unacceptable mesh-related deviations occur for some mesh-parameter configurations. The paper also shows that the main drivers of these deviations are related to the effective geometry of the finite elements at the L-profile’s bend.Based on this finding, the P-approach has been extended with a novel model formulation, which helps to minimize mesh-related deviations, especially for coarse meshes. The validity of the proposed model is verified by a re-execution of the full study, which shows a remarkable reduction of mesh-related deviations. The paper provides general mesh-parameter guidelines for the P-approach application in ABAQUS as well as measures to apply coarser meshes without losing prediction accuracy.