Requesting output

Context:

You use history output requests to request output of variables that should be written to the output database at a high frequency from a small portion of the model; for example, the displacement of a single node. History output is used to generate X–Y plots and data reports from your analysis results. When you create a history output request, you must select the individual components of the variables that will be written to the output database.

The default field output variables for the Contact and Load steps include the following:

S (Stress components)
PE (Plastic strain components)
PEEQ (Equivalent plastic strain)
PEMAG (Plastic strain magnitude)
LE (Logarithmic strain components)
U (Translations and rotations)
RF (Reaction forces and moments)
CF (Concentrated forces and moments)
CSTRESS (Contact stresses)
CDISP (Contact displacements)

By default, Abaqus/CAE writes the default field output variables from a static, general procedure to the output database after every increment of a step. In the following procedure you will change the output frequency during the Contact step so that data are written to the output database once—at the last increment of the step. In addition, you will delete the request for CDISP during the Load step, since it is not needed for postprocessing.

In the Model Tree, click mouse button 3 on the Field Output Requests container and select Manager from the menu that appears.
The Field Output Requests Manager appears. The Field Output Requests Manager is a step-dependent manager. The types of objects that appear in step-dependent managers are those that you can create, modify, and deactivate in particular analysis steps. Step-dependent managers display information concerning the history of each object listed in the manager. In this example Abaqus/CAE named the default field output request that you created in the Contact step F-Output-1. In addition Abaqus/CAE propagated the output request into the Load step. For more information, see Managing objects.
From the Field Output Requests Manager, select the F-Output-1 output request in the Contact step. From the buttons on the right side of the manager, click Edit.
The Edit Field Output Request editor appears for the Contact step.
Select Last increment as the output frequency to generate output only during the last increment of the step.
Select Exterior only to restrict field output to nodes and elements that belong to the exterior of the model.
Click OK to modify the output request.
From the Field Output Requests Manager, select the F-Output-1 output request in the Load step and click Edit.
The Edit Field Output Request editor appears for the Load step.
Set the output frequency to 1 to generate output during every increment of the step.
From the list of output categories, click the arrow to the left of Contact.
A list of the contact output variables available appears along with a description of each.
Click the check box next to CDISP to deselect this variable for output.

The check box next to Contact remains light gray with a dark gray check mark to indicate that not all variables in this category will be output. The Edit Field Output Request editor also indicates the following:
- Output will be generated for the whole model.
- Output will be generated at default section points.
- Output will include local coordinate transformations (when available).
Click OK to modify the output request.
In the Field Output Requests Manager the status of the output request changes to Modified for the Load step.
At the bottom of the Field Output Requests Manager, click Dismiss to close the dialog box.