Re-using a preload step

[346gnu]

Hi,

Take a bolted structure with fasteners preloaded and then subjected to many loadcases.

Contact interfaces making the problem non-linear. Using SPA. No changes to geometry and mesh re-used.

The first part of the calculation for each loadcase is identical.

Is there a way of re-using the solution to pass1?

This would better than halve the time. Studies I have just completed are 4 hours elapsed each.

Thanks

Charles

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[346gnu]

Hi Steven,

I thought that too. My SPA studies reach 6/7th order with the majority of the time (75% or there abouts) on Pass1 where the edge orders are all 3. Wouldn't increasing all edges to 7th order would make it much slower? I shall try it later and surprise myself. Besides, I can't anticipate all areas where the edges need to be a higher order for any particular load case.

We used to have a 'restart' function for MPA but not to select different loads before restarting; only changing plotting grids, max p-level, output tab checks and some others I never used.

We lost the restart function for MPA sometime ago. It's not even a mecbatch option that I've found.

I know SPA doesn't write intermediate results to disk like MPA.

Thanks

[346gnu]

Steven,

No, this model cannot be shared.

Any trivial contact model will do to illustrate; fasteners are optional.

Thanks

[sdensberger · Accepted solution]

Unfortunately, no; you'll have to re-run the preload phase for each different load case you want to look at.

[346gnu]

Thanks for your confirmation Shaun.