Starting off with the finite element method is rarely easy. Neither is starting with Abaqus. Put the 2 together, and what can you do?

What you should do is check out the Getting Started With Abaqus series.

The first of these richly-illustrated Workbooks showed you how to build your first Abaqus model using Abaqus/CAE. This second Workbook, using the same step-by-step explanations so that you can go further on your own, shows you how to look at your model with a critical eye and figure out why, where and how to improve the FE mesh.

Areas covered include

• a review of the basis for element selection
• a discussion on files involved in an analysis
• a walkthrough of the contents of a typical “INP” file
• the relevance of mesh generation in the modeling-process
• automatic mesh generation using Abaqus/CAE
• the interface for mesh-verification methods and metrics
• evaluation of the quality of an FE solution
• how to identify regions where the mesh should be improved
• recommended assignments
• an overview of advanced mesh-generation