Finite Element Analysis (FEA) has become a standard tool for engineers, allowing product performance to be evaluated before making a physical prototype. But not all FEA is the same. Choosing between a linear or nonlinear solver can make the difference between results that are realistic and actionable and results that appear convincing but fail to capture real-world behavior.
The size and complexity of product designs that are analyzed and tested with Abaqus continue to grow. Submodeling is an effective technique that can be used when detailed product simulation results are required for a small, localized region within a larger model, allowing the analyst to significantly reduce the computational demands and runtime of an analysis. In this blog, we will look at the theory behind submodeling, the two submodeling techniques available in Abaqus, and how to implement submodels. We will also highlight the limitations of submodeling in Abaqus and the important step of verifying analysis results.