Context:
The mass properties calculated in
Abaqus/CAE
account for mass being distributed in a continuum throughout the model, whereas
the
Abaqus
solver calculates the mass properties according to the discretization of the
model. When compared to the mass properties provided in the data
(.dat) file of an
Abaqus
analysis, the values of the moments of inertia obtained in the mass properties
query may be substantially different, especially for finite element models with
coarse meshes.
In
the Visualization module,
the mass properties are always calculated based on model data (undeformed
shape) even if the deformed shape is displayed in the viewport.
If the region that you query contains mesh occupying the space where
geometry exists but that mesh is unassociated with any geometry, the
volume/area will effectively be counted twice in the calculations. You should
query unmeshed regions and/or unassociated geometry to avoid encountering this
behavior.
You cannot query for the mass properties of a part to which an Eulerian
section is assigned. However, you can query for the mass properties of an
Eulerian part, provided it does not have an Eulerian section assignment.
You can query for the mass properties of a model even when portions of the
model are not completely defined. For example, if your selection includes a
part instance that does not have a section assignment,
Abaqus/CAE
includes the area of that part instance in mass properties calculations but
excludes the part instance from calculations of volume, volume centroid, mass,
center of mass, and moments of inertia.
Abaqus/CAE
also appends a warning message to the data indicating that the data are
incomplete; in this example, the message would indicate that a portion of your
selection was missing a section assignment. This approach enables you to
investigate aspects of your model at various points during the modeling process
without displaying misleading information about mass-related quantities.
Abaqus/CAE
returns a warning message with the mass properties data in the following
situations:
- Geometry not considered by the
mass properties query
-
Abaqus/CAE computes mass properties for shells, solids, trusses, and rotary inertia elements;
and in modules other than the Visualization module. Abaqus/CAE does not compute mass properties for beam general section with a
generalized section but it does compute mass properties for other profiles. Abaqus/CAE also includes point and nonstructural mass elements in its mass properties
calculations. If your selection includes other geometry such as axisymmetric elements,
springs, connectors, or gaskets (or, in the Visualization module, if your selection includes point and nonstructural mass elements), Abaqus/CAE excludes that geometry from its calculations. The exclusion of point and
nonstructural mass elements from mass properties results in the Visualization module means that mass properties results may be different in the Visualization module than they are in other modules. - Ineligible
thickness values
-
If your selection includes a section definition with a missing thickness
value or a thickness value of zero,
Abaqus/CAE
excludes the selection from calculations of mass, center of mass, and moments
of inertia. Similarly,
Abaqus/CAE
does not consider regions with a variable thickness (defined using a nodal
thickness or field thickness) or regions using a thickness value that is not
applicable to the corresponding sections specified.
- Density not defined
or improperly defined
-
If your selection includes a region in which a value for density is not
available or is defined improperly,
Abaqus/CAE
excludes that region from all mass-related calculations in the mass properties
query. The region's area and volume data are included in the final
calculations.
- Missing section
assignment
-
If your selection includes a region that does not have a section assigned to
it,
Abaqus/CAE
excludes that region from all mass-related calculations in the mass properties
query. The region's area and volume data are included in the final
calculations.
- Inclusion of shell
offsets or reinforcements
-
Abaqus/CAE
does not consider shell offset values when calculating the center of volume or
surface area, and
Abaqus/CAE
also excludes any reinforcements in your model from all mass property
calculations. If your query includes shell offsets or reinforcements,
Abaqus/CAE
returns the query results with an appropriate warning message.
- Composite
sections
-
When your mass properties query selection includes a part or region with a
composite section,
Abaqus/CAE
calculates mass- and volume-related values in the mass properties query using
smeared properties located on the element.
- Inclusion of
nonstructural mass entities
-
Abaqus/CAE
does not consider nonstructural mass on wires, such as mass-per-length values.
In addition, when geometry is not meshed,
Abaqus/CAE
cannot compute center of mass and moment of inertia values as accurately as it
can for meshed geometry.
-
Select from the main menu to use the Query toolset, or select the
tool in the Query toolset.
-
Click Mass properties.
Additional options appear in the prompt area.
-
If desired, click Options to modify query
options.
-
In the Mass Properties Query Options dialog
box, you can modify accuracy, density, thickness parameters, and the point
about which the moment of inertia is computed. You can click
Reset to return the options to the previously stored
values.
-
Click OK to save your changes and to close
the dialog box.
-
If you include a native mesh in your selection, you can query for the
mass properties of the geometry or of the native mesh. To query for the mass
properties of the native mesh, click Options in the
prompt area, then toggle on Use mesh when available for accurate
properties in the dialog box that appears.
-
For selections that include complex geometry,
Abaqus/CAE
may take a long time to compute the volume properties. You can reduce the
computation time by instructing
Abaqus/CAE
to stop the computation when a certain relative accuracy has been achieved.
Click Options in the prompt area, then select a relative
accuracy of Low, Medium, or
High from the dialog box that appears. Higher relative
accuracy yields a more accurate result but takes longer to calculate. Relative
accuracy settings are available only for geometry selections, not for mesh
selections.
-
If your selection includes regions in which thickness or density is
either missing or improperly defined, you can supply values for the thickness
or density of these regions for the mass properties calculations. Providing
these values to the query does not change these values in the model itself.
Click Options in the prompt area, then provide
values greater than zero in the appropriate fields.
-
If you want to query mass properties for the entire assembly, select
Query entire assembly and click
Done.
Abaqus/CAE
displays the following information in the message area: the volume, volume
centroid, mass, center of mass, and moments of inertia about the center of mass
or about a specified point. If the assembly includes shell features,
Abaqus/CAE
reports the surface area and area centroid for one side of the shell faces as
well.
-
If you want to query mass properties for the entire part (when the
part is displayed in the
Part module
or
Property module),
select Query entire part and click
Done.
Abaqus/CAE
displays in the message area the volume, volume centroid, mass, center of mass,
and moments of inertia about the center of mass or about a specified point for
the part. If the part includes shell features,
Abaqus/CAE
reports the surface area and area centroid for one side of the shell faces as
well.
-
If you want to query mass properties for one or more part instances in
an assembly, highlight Select part instances, highlight
one or more part instances in the viewport, and click
Done.
Abaqus/CAE
displays in the message area the volume, volume centroid, mass, center of mass,
and moments of inertia about the center of mass or about a specified point for
the part instance or instances. If the part instance or part instances you
query include shell features,
Abaqus/CAE
reports the surface area and area centroid for one side of the shell faces as
well.
-
If you want to query mass properties for one or more geometric regions
in an assembly, part, or part instance, highlight Select geometric
regions, highlight one or more regions in the viewport, and click
Done.
Abaqus/CAE
displays in the message area the volume, volume centroid, mass, center of mass,
and moments of inertia about the center of mass or about a specified point for
the region or regions. If the region or regions you query include shell
features,
Abaqus/CAE
reports the surface area and area centroid for one side of the shell faces as
well.
-
If you want to query mass properties for one or more faces in an
assembly, part, or part instance, highlight Select geometric
regions, highlight one or more regions in the viewport, and click
Done.
-
From the prompt area, highlight Select geometric
regions.
-
From the Selection toolbar, select
Faces from the list of object types.
-
Select one or more faces from the viewport, and then click
Done.
Abaqus/CAE
displays the total surface area of the selected faces. You can query for
multiple shell surfaces or multiple faces, but you cannot perform a query for
both shells and geometric faces.
-
If you want to query mass properties for one or more elements in an
assembly, part, or part instance, highlight Select
elements, highlight one or more elements in the viewport, and click
Done.
Abaqus/CAE
displays in the message area the volume, volume centroid, mass, center of mass,
and moments of inertia about the center of mass or about a specified point for
the region or regions. If the region or regions you query include shell
features,
Abaqus/CAE
reports the surface area and area centroid for one side of the shell faces as
well.
-
If you want to query mass properties for one or more element faces in
an assembly, part, or part instance, perform the following steps:
-
From the prompt area, highlight Select
elements.
-
From the Selection toolbar, select
Element Faces from the list of object types.
-
Select one or more elements faces from the viewport, and then
click Done.
Abaqus/CAE
displays the total surface area of the selected element faces. You can query
for multiple element faces and for element faces from multiple shell surfaces
or multiple faces, but you cannot perform a query for element faces from both
shells and geometric faces.
You can also use general queries, including querying mass properties, in
the Visualization module.
For more information, see
Querying the model in the Visualization module.
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