Many analyses with volumetrically compacting materials such as crushable foams see large compressive and shear deformations, especially when the crushable materials are used as energy absorbers between stiff or heavy components. The material behavior for crushable materials usually stiffens significantly under high compression. When a finer mesh is used, the stiffening behavior of the material model is enough to prevent excessive negative element volumes or other excessive distortion from occurring under high compressive loads. However, analyses may fail prematurely when the mesh is coarse relative to strain gradients and the amount of compression.

Abaqus/Explicit offers distortion control to prevent solid elements from inverting or distorting excessively for these cases. The constraint method used in Abaqus/Explicit prevents each node on an element from punching inward toward the center of the element past a point where the element would become non-convex. Constraints are enforced by using a penalty approach, and you can control the associated distortion length ratio.

Distortion control is available only for solid elements and cannot be used when the elements are included in an adaptive mesh domain. Distortion control is activated by default for elements modeled with hyperelastic, hyperfoam, or low-density foam materials. Using adaptive meshing in a domain modeled with hyperelastic or hyperfoam materials is not recommended since better results are generally predicted using the enhanced hourglass method in combination with element distortion control. However, if you decide to use hyperelastic or hyperfoam materials in an adaptive mesh domain, you must specify section controls to deactivate distortion control.

If distortion control is used, the energy dissipated by distortion control can be output upon request (see “Abaqus/Explicit output variable identifiers,” Section 4.2.2, for details). Although developed for analyses of energy absorbing, volumetrically compacting materials, distortion control can be used with any material model. However, care must be used in interpreting results since the distortion control constraints may inhibit legitimate deformation modes and lock up the mesh. Distortion control cannot prevent elements from being distorted due to temporal instabilities, hourglass instabilities, or physically unrealistic deformation.

it can be  from the excessive load that you are applying and your system can not tolerate up to that stage. You can  check the material properties to be sure that everything is going right.If it is from mesh, then you may change the mesh and try to use brick element. 

At first, check your material properties whether they are realistic.

Secondly, check the simulation time and increment whether it is appropriate.

Then, check your loading history whether it jumps.

Also, check the element type whether you are using the element type with reduced integration (hourglass effect).

I wish these can help you.

In addition to the previous suggestions, you can make finer your discretisation (more elements).

Yes, when you work in the framework of large transformations (displacements, rotations and espacially strains), you have to click on NLGEO.

Hi Mahdi,

I have the same problem with excessive distorted elements as well. I have tried all suggested methods but still have problem with this issue. Could you please say how you fixed this problem finally? Best

Hi Mehdi Eskandarzade

I have this error still now and I can not solve this error.

As you say, I examine all of the suggested way presented in this post, but this error is remaining.

If you find the solution, please inform me.

Thanks

I got such errors. But later, all is fine. keep changing your parameters/mesh size/ and check the consistency of units. Yes, It's a complex solution but you have to figure it out by yourself. :-) Thanks

Hi,

you can use ALE method too,

regards.

Hi,

If you're working on blast analysis and such distructive analysises you can use (convert to particles) in mesh module, if you're working on such analyses like deep drawing you have to use ALE in step module...otherwise if you don't expect large deformations then check your loading and properties but check the the distortion control in mesh module as well

good luck

Dear Ali Zahedi,

I think ALE method is not available in Abaqus/standard and you have create Explicit step.

If you know "How to use ALE in Abaqus/standard", please inform us.

Thanks.

ALE can be used in ABAQUS Standard. I am using 2016 version and it works fine.

I am facing the same problem but i remember solving this problem earlier by using Hybrid Formulation. Now, it is not working. Any other leads would be greatly appreciated

Hi every one

I have a model in Abaqus standard with Heat transfer. When I restart this model , Abaqus exit with this error:

"An attempt to open the file E:\Temp \Job-recovery.mdl has failed."

How I can fix this error?

Thanks

Recently I had faced a similar issue regarding excessive distortion. It was fixed by changing the material properties. Maybe you will have to include plasticity in your material definition in addition to the elastic properties.

It may have to do something with singularity effect. If so than try refining the mesh

that ... or ... material properties (something could be inadequately defined) ... or it can also have something to do with the hour-glass control of your elements.

Many analyses with volumetrically compacting materials such as crushable foams see large compressive and shear deformations, especially when the crushable materials are used as energy absorbers between stiff or heavy components. The material behavior for crushable materials usually stiffens significantly under high compression. When a finer mesh is used, the stiffening behavior of the material model is enough to prevent excessive negative element volumes or other excessive distortion from occurring under high compressive loads. However, analyses may fail prematurely when the mesh is coarse relative to strain gradients and the amount of compression.

Abaqus/Explicit offers distortion control to prevent solid elements from inverting or distorting excessively for these cases. The constraint method used in Abaqus/Explicit prevents each node on an element from punching inward toward the center of the element past a point where the element would become non-convex. Constraints are enforced by using a penalty approach, and you can control the associated distortion length ratio.

Distortion control is available only for solid elements and cannot be used when the elements are included in an adaptive mesh domain. Distortion control is activated by default for elements modeled with hyperelastic, hyperfoam, or low-density foam materials. Using adaptive meshing in a domain modeled with hyperelastic or hyperfoam materials is not recommended since better results are generally predicted using the enhanced hourglass method in combination with element distortion control. However, if you decide to use hyperelastic or hyperfoam materials in an adaptive mesh domain, you must specify section controls to deactivate distortion control.

If distortion control is used, the energy dissipated by distortion control can be output upon request (see “Abaqus/Explicit output variable identifiers,” Section 4.2.2, for details). Although developed for analyses of energy absorbing, volumetrically compacting materials, distortion control can be used with any material model. However, care must be used in interpreting results since the distortion control constraints may inhibit legitimate deformation modes and lock up the mesh. Distortion control cannot prevent elements from being distorted due to temporal instabilities, hourglass instabilities, or physically unrealistic deformation.

I'm facing similar problem regarding excessive distortion for stent simulation. Can I go through Abaqus/Explicit for stent simulation?

I'm using 3 parts as balloon, stent, and an artery.

1. balloon as a surface section and mesh- 4 node quadrilateral surface element (SFM3D4R)

2. stent of elastic-plastic material and mesh- 4 node linear tetrahedron (C3D4H)

3. artery as hyperelastic material and mesh- 8 node linear brick, hybrid (C3D8H)

Dear Jannatul,

Hybrid elements can only be used in abaqus standard.

Interesting,,,

Hi, everyone, I've encountered the same waring in the axial tension simulation of hyperelastic material. For material property, I used Mooney Rivlin model with corresponding parameters on the basis of one paper; NLGEO is on; ALE technogy and C3D8RH element were used in ABAQUS standrad. However, during the running, there are still warnings of "Excessive distortion at a total of 50678 integration points in solid (continuum) elements". How can I solve the warnings and whether the distortion will effect the results or not.

Thanks

share your cae file

Hi, I am getting a similar error. I am using the a modified equation of hollomon-ludwik equation and I am using V-uhard. Interestingly, when I set m lower than 0.3 I get this same error. It does not make any sense for me because the equations work really fine for m=1,0.5, 0.4,0.3 and 0. Any one has experienced something similar before?

Thanks Hamid