Lecture: Introduction

Introduction to LS-DYNA
Release 2020 R1

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Introduction to LS-DYNA

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Course Outline

Introduction Transient Dynamic Solution Methods

LSTC Company Background Direct Time Integration
What is LS-DYNA? Implicit Time Integration
Features & Capabilities Explicit Time Integration
Applications Central Difference Method
FEA Basics Timestep Calculation
Process Overview Timestep Scale Factor
Preprocessing Characteristic Length
Postprocessing Material Soundspeed
Keyword Input Deck Input Deck Creation
ID References Initial Conditions
Required Keywords Boundary Conditions
Exercise : Keyword Editing Loads
Frequently Used Keywords
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Course Outline
Constraints Additional Keywords
Exercise: Ball Impacting Plate
Contact
Penalty-Based Contact
Surface to Surface Contact
Nodes to Surface Contact
Single Surface Contact
Segment-Based Contact
Force Transducer
Exercise: Contact
Tied Contact
Initial Penetrations
Contact Guidelines
Exercise: Tube Crush
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Rigidwalls
Exercise: Rigidwalls
Materials (Constitutive Models)
Material Models for Metals
Behavior of Metals
Idealization Models
Interpreting Uniaxial Test Data
Strain Rate Effects
Exercise: Tensile Test
Mass-Scaling
Exercise: Timestep, Mass-Scaling,and Rigid Bodies
Element Types (Formulations )
Hourglassing
Exercise: Element Formulations and Hourglass Control
Course Outline
Sensors in Dyna
Exercise: Sensor Control
Rigid Bodies and Joints
Exercise: Joints and RBs
SPOTWELDS
Exercise: Spotwelds
Damping
Bolt Preload
Exercise: Bolt Preload
Manufacturing data Mapping
Include Files Handling
Exercise: *INCLUDE_TRANSFORM
Implicit Analysis
Eigenvalue Analysis
Nastran Model Inclusion
Exercise: Normal Modes
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Component Analysis
Airbag Modelling
Mesh Generation
Fabric Modeling
Reference Geometry
Control Volumes
Airbag Contact
Postprocessing
Exercise: *AIRBAG_HYBRID
Execution Syntax
Execution Time Control
Restarts
Output Hints
ASCII and Binary Output
Cross-Sections
Exercise: ASCII and Binary Output
Course Outline

Debugging Modeling Guidelines

Concepts Elements
Common Errors Hourglass Control
Consistent Units Materials
Sense Switches Connections
Postprocessing Rigid Bodies
Negative Volumes Initial Velocity
Process of Elimination Contact
Exercise: Units Postprocessing
MPP Decomposition Standard Control Cards
Default Vs. Custom
Commands
Examples

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Acknowledgements

• Notes prepared with help and enthusiasm from all our support staff in Livermore and
Troy offices
• Special thanks to
‐ Raghavendra Chivukula
‐ Hari Devaraj
‐ Adya Srikanth
‐ Dilip Bhalsod
‐ Satish Pathy
‐ Isheng Yeh

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 Introduction

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LSTC Company Background

• 1976, Dr. John O. Hallquist writes public domain code DYNA3D at

LLNL for weapons simulation
• 1988, Dr. Hallquist, recognizing market for commercial applications,
establishes LSTC and LS-DYNA3D
• In the 1990’s following a One-Code Strategy
‐ LS-DYNA2D and LS-DYNA3D combined (LS-DYNA)
‐ Implicit capability (LS-NIKE3D) folded into LS-DYNA
‐ Thermal capability (TOPAZ) folded into LS-DYNA
‐ MPP capability introduced
‐ LS-POST and LS-OPT introduced
‐ Eulerian/ALE element formulations and Euler/Lagrange coupling introduced

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LSTC Company Background (continued...)

• Since 2000...
‐ MPP capability expanded
‐ Meshless methods introduced
‐ Linear element formulations added
‐ LS-POST expanded to include preprocessing (LS-PrePost)
• 2003, Troy, Michigan branch of LSTC opened
• LSTC has over ~100 full-time employees and consultants
• Worldwide distribution: US, UK, Nordic countries, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands,
Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, India, Brazil, Canada, Mexico
• List of distributors can be seen here
‐ http://www.lstc.com/corporate/distributors

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LSTC OFFICES
LSTC LSTC
LIVERMORE, CA TROY,MI

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LSTC PRODUCTS

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What is LS-DYNA?

• A code originally developed for explicit, nonlinear stress analysis of structures subjected to
impact loading
• Now, a multiphysics code...

• ...with well-developed parallel processing capability

‐ SMP (Shared Memory Parallel)
‐ MPP (Massively Parallel Processing)
‐ HYBRID (SMP+MPP)

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Features & Capabilities

• 2D and 3D nonlinear transient dynamics (explicit time integration)

• Deformable and Rigid bodies
• Numerous element types and formulations
• 250+ constitutive (material) models
• 15 equations of state
• 50 contact algorithms
• Coupled fluid/structure analysis (Euler/ALE/Lagrange element formulations)
• Rigid body coupling (primarily for occupant modeling)

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Applications

• Automotive ▪ Structural
‐ Airbags • Earthquake Safety
‐ Occupant Safety • Concrete Structures
‐ Crashworthiness ▪ Electronics
• Aerospace • Drop analysis
‐ Bird strike • Package design
‐ Blade containment • Thermal
‐ Crash ▪ Defense
• Manufacturing • Weapons design
‐ Stamping • Blast response
‐ Forging • Penetration
‐ Casting ▪ Bio Sciences
• Consumer Products • Impact injury
‐ Comfort analysis • Cardio biomechanics
‐ Leakage analysis • Masticatory and dental system
‐ Assembly Line
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Applications – Frontal Crash

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Applications

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Applications

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Applications – Airbag Inflation

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Aerospace Applications

• Crash landing

• Bird strike

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Applications – Implicit Steering System

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Applications Meshless Methods

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MULTIPHYSICS

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Medical Applications

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ICFD R10
Two-way Coupling with DEM, Particles affect fluid volume

Courtesy of:
Samuel Hammarberg,
doktorand.
Water management: Rain Simulation Pär Jonsén, Professor.
Göran Lindkvist, PhD.
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Other Sources of Information

• LSTC Website (http://www.lstc.com)

‐ Short course offerings
‐ AVI library
‐ Documentation downloads
‐ Links to other sites
• LSTC FTP Site (ftp://ftp.lstc.com)
‐ Latest production software
‐ Manuals and example input files
‐ Barrier and dummy models
‐ Contact LSTC Support for username/password
• FEA Newsletter (http://www.feainformation.com)

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Other Sources of Information

• Example Models and Tips & Tricks

‐ ftp://ftp.lstc.com/outgoing/jday/faq
(text files with useful information and procedures)
‐ http://blog.d3view.com (LS-DYNA blog)
‐ http://www.lstc.com/lspp (LS-PrePost manual and tutorials)
‐ http://www.dynamore.info/support (DYNAmore and LSTC)
‐ http://www.dynaexamples.com (DYNAmore and LSTC)
‐ http://www.lsdyna-portal.com/index.php?id=703
(examples from CADFEM)
‐ http://www.lsdyna-portal.com/index.php?id=2451
(tips & tricks from CADFEM)

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Other Sources of Information

• Conference Papers
‐ http://www.dynalook.com
‐ http://www.feapublications.com
• Technical Support
‐ Contact LS-DYNA distributor first (if not LSTC)
‐ support@lstc.com
• Additional Classes
‐ http://www.lstc.com for training schedule
‐ jane@lstc.com to purchase class notes

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 FEA Basics

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Process Overview

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Preprocessing

• Discretize Geometry
‐ Nodes
‐ Elements
• Section Properties
‐ Shell Thicknesses
‐ Beam Diameters
‐ Spring Stiffnesses
• Material Properties
‐ Elastic
‐ Elastic-Plastic
‐ Foam
‐ Rubber

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Preprocessing (continued...)

• Loads / Constraints / BCs

‐ SPCs
‐ Nodal Forces
‐ Segment Pressures
‐ Initial Velocities
‐ Prescribed Motions
‐ Joints
‐ Welds
‐ Thermal Conditions
• Database Output Requests
• Control Cards

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Element Types

• Point Elements (Masses, Inertias) – 1 node

• Discrete Elements (Springs, Dampers) – 2 nodes
• 1D Beams, Cables, Seatbelts, Trusses, Welds – 2 nodes
• 2D Shells – 3,4 nodes
• 3D Solids (Lagrangian, Eulerian, ALE) – 4,6,8,10 nodes
• Thick Shells – 8 nodes
• EFG and SPH – meshless

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Discretized Geometry

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Data for Postprocessing

• Displacements, velocities, accelerations of

parts/nodes
• Deformed geometry animations/snapshots
• Element stresses/strains
• Vector plots of velocity, displacement
• Reaction forces at nodes with constraints or BCs
• Energies (total, internal …)
• Contact forces/pressures
• Cross section forces

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Starting LS-Dyna

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Starting LS-Dyna

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Starting LS-Dyna

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Starting LS-Dyna

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Starting LS-Dyna

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 Keyword Input Deck

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Keyword Syntax

• The Keyword User’s Manual is arranged alphabetically

• Keyword order is generally unimportant
• Every Input deck
‐ Starts with *KEYWORD
‐ Ends with *END
• Keywords must be left justified and start with “*”
• Keywords are strings of words separated by underscores (e.g., *INITIAL_VELOCITY_NODE)
• Keywords are NOT case sensitive
• Default values are used for any parameter this is zero or blank
• A “$” in the first column indicates a comment line

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Keyword Input Deck (continued...)

• Fields can be fixed-width OR comma delimited

• For fixed-width, 80 columns are used, typically...
‐ 8 fields, each with 10 columns (e.g., *PART) or
‐ 10 fields, each with 8 columns (e.g., *ELEMENT)

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Keyword Input Deck (continued...)

Keywords are first categorized based on “family”

‐ *AIRBAG, *MAT, *SECTION, *PART, *CONTROL, etc
Keywords are then followed by required string
‐ *AIRBAG_WANG_NEFSKE
‐ *MAT_ELASTIC
Optional keywords appear at the end
‐ *AIRBAG_WANG_NEFSKE_JETTING
‐ *MAT_ELASTIC_FLUID
Every keywords requires 0 or more lines of input
‐ *CONTROL_STRUCTURED (requires no lines of input)
‐ *MAT_ELASTIC (requires at least ONE Line of input)
Optional cards work the same way
‐ *MAT_ELASTIC_FLUID (requires one more additional line of input)

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KEYWORD SYNTAX MANUAL PAGES

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KEYWORD MANUAL

• There are three volumes for the LS-Dyna Manual

‐ Volume I [J.O Halquist,2007a]
➢ Introduction
➢ General commands
➢ Appendices
➢ References
‐ Volume II: MATERIALS
‐ Volume III: MULTI-PHYSICS SOLVER KEYWORDS
• Each command will have
‐ Purpose
‐ Mandatory cards
‐ Optional cards
‐ Description of each parameters
‐ List of default values and expected field types
‐ A remark section

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Keyword Manual

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Keyword Manual

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Keyword Manual

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Keyword Manual

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Creating An Input Deck for LS-Dyna
*PART

*SECTION

Thickness

Steel Mat *NODE

*ELEMENT
*MAT_24

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Keyword ID References

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