Chapter 51: Creep of a Tube

51 Creep of a Tube


Summary 1051

Introduction 1052

Modeling Details 1052

Solution Procedure 1053

Results 1055

Modeling Tips 1057

Input File(s) 1057
 CHAPTER 51 1051
Creep of a Tube

Summary
Title Chapter 51: Creep of a Tube
Features Real time creep analysis based on adaptive time stepping
• Assumed strain formulation to ease bending locking
Geometry
x-symmetry
0.26 in
y-symmetry

pressure
X

1.9175 in
Z Y

Material properties · 4.51

E = 21.46Mpsi ,  = 0.3 , Norton Creep  c = 4x10 – 24 

Analysis characteristics Quasi static analysis using adaptive time stepping for real time creep with geometric and
material nonlinearity due to large strain and creep
Boundary conditions Only half of the tube is modeled due to symmetry. The symmetric conditions are applied
to suppress rigid body motions
Applied loads • A pressure of 66 psi is applied to the inner surface of the tube in the first load step
within the second. This is to apply pressure load at the beginning of analysis.
• At the second load step, the pressure load remains unchanged for 1000 hours during the
creep step.
Element types CQUAD4 with assumed strain formulation
FE results Creep strain contours on deformed shape
1052 MD Demonstration Problems
CHAPTER 51

Introduction
This problem demonstrates the ability of the Nastran SOL 400 nonlinear solution sequence to perform a creep analysis
using adaptive time stepping. A stainless steel oval is pressurized at a uniformly high temperature and over time
allowed creep. The details of the finite element model, material and creep properties, load, boundary conditions,
solution procedure, and adaptive creep stepping are discussed below.

Modeling Details
Element Modeling
The FE-mesh of the tube is shown in Figure 51-1. The model consists of 200 4-node plane strain elements and 255
nodes. Only half of the tube is modeled due to symmetry. The symmetric conditions are applied to suppress rigid body
motions.

Y Z

Figure 51-1 The Finite Element Mesh of (half of) the Tube

Besides the standard options to define the element connectivity and grid coordinate location, the bulk data section
contains various options which are especially important for nonlinear analysis. The nonlinear extensions to lower-
order plane strain element CQUAD4 can be activated by using the PSHLN2 property option in addition to the regular
PLPLANE property option:

PLPLANE 1 1
PSHLN2 1 1 1 1.0 +
+ C4 PLSTRN L
The PSHLN2 option allows the element to be used in both large displacement and large strain analysis and has no
restrictions on the kinematics of deformation unlike the regular CQUAD4 elements with only the PLPLANE property
entry. These standard elements are more suitable for large rotations but small strain analysis due to their linear
formulation in the co-rotational system. While the difference may be small or even negligible in a truly linear analysis,
nonphysical behavior may be seen in the results from analyses in which the linear assumptions are exceeded and these
options are not used.

Material Modeling
The isotropic, Hookean elastic material along with the creep properties are defined using the following MAT1 and
MATVP options:

MAT1 1 2.14+7 .3
MATVP 1 4.e-24 4.51,
 CHAPTER 51 1053
Creep of a Tube

The Young's modulus is taken to be 21.4 Mpsi with a Poisson's ratio of 0.3. The Norton creep model is defined by
· 4.51
 c = 4x10 – 24  .

The standard options to define the element connectivity, the grid locations, and the element properties are used in the
bulk data section of the input:
$ Elements and Element Properties for region : lower_plate
PSHELL 1 1 1.2 1 1
$ Elements in: "lower_plate"
CQUAD4 1 1 1 2 13 12
CQUAD4 2 1 2 3 14 13
...
$ Elements and Element Properties for region : upper_plate
PSHELL 2 1 1.2 1 1
$ Elements in: "upper_plate"
CQUAD4 169 2 211 212 231 230
CQUAD4 170 2 212 213 232 231
...
$ Nodes of the Entire Model
GRID 1 0. 0. 0.
GRID 2 10. 0. 0.
...

Loading and Boundary Conditions

The symmetric conditions are defined to suppress the rigid motion motions:
SPCADD 2 1 3
SPC1 1 1 81 91 101 111 121 206
216 226 236 246
SPC1 3 2 16 32 48 64 80
A pressure of 66 psi, acting on the inner surface of the tube, is converted to a set of equivalent nodal forces:
LOAD 3 1. 1. 2
FORCE 2 1 1.573 1. 0. 0.
FORCE 2 2 1.573 1. 0. 0.
...

Solution Procedure

Control Parameters
Creep and large strain effects are included in the nonlinear analysis using the option:
NLMOPTS,CREEP,
,LRGSTRN,1,
,ASSM,ASSUMED
1054 MD Demonstration Problems
CHAPTER 51

The CREEP field activates the creep analysis. The LRGSTRN field indicates the use of large displacement, large rotation
kinematics and large strains of the element.
Because it is an analysis with isotropic, elastic Hookean material, and the large strain option is on, the assumed strain
formulation is toggled on with the NLMOPTS input. The assumed strain formulation provides better bending behavior
for the continuum elements.

Solution Parameters
The case control section of the input contains the following options for nonlinear analysis:
SUBCASE 1
STEP 1
TITLE=This is a default subcase.
ANALYSIS = NLSTATIC
NLSTEP = 1
SPC = 2
LOAD = 3
DISPLACEMENT(SORT1,REAL)=ALL
NLSTRESS(SORT1,REAL,NLOUT=101)=ALL
STEP 2
TITLE=This is a default subcase.
ANALYSIS = NLSTATIC
NLPSTEP = 2
SPC = 2
LOAD = 3
DISPLACEMENT(SORT1,REAL)=ALL
NLSTRESS(SORT1,REAL,NLOUT=101)=ALL
$
BEGIN BULK
NLOUT 101 CCASTRSS CCRPSTRN EQCRSTRN
$
The analysis contains a single subcase with two steps. The internal pressure of the tube is applied in the first load step
in one increment. The real time in the first load step is second implying (nearly) no creep in the step. In the second
load step, the pressure remains unchanged for seconds to allow the material to creep. Each step has a convergence
control via NLSTEP, single point constraints via SPC, load via FORCE, and the displacements and stress results for
the .f06 (output) file. The NLOUT entry specifies the quantities of output sought via Cauchy stress, creep strain, and
equivalent creep strain.
The nonlinear procedure used is defined through the following NLSTEP entry. In the first load step:
NLSTEP 1 1.00E-09
GENERAL 40 0 10 0
FIXED 1 1
MECH PV 0.00 .100E-010.00 PFNT 0 3
$
The total time of this step is 1.0E-09 with fixed stepping of one increment. The PV method is used for convergence
control with the tolerance as 0.01 and with stiffness update method as PFNT signifying full Newton Raphson procedure
with stiffness being updated during every iteration.
 CHAPTER 51 1055
Creep of a Tube

In the second load step, the load stepping is controlled by the following NLSTEP entry:
NLSTEP 2 3.47e6
GENERAL 40 0 10 1
ADAPT 5.0E-06 1.0E-12 .500 6 1.50 -1 999999
0 .200E-03 1 1 1 .100 10.0
MECH PV 0.00 .100 0.00 PFNT -1 3
$
TABSCTL 1
ENCSI 5.00E-011.00E+30
The NLSTEP entry for the second load step has the total time as 3.47e6. Adaptive time stepping is employed in this
step with user-driven criteria using the option CRITID=1 (5th field in second line of the ADAPT entry).
The TABSCTL entry specifies the user criteria for load step control which is referred to by the NLSTEP entry for the
second load step. The data ‘ENCSI’ specifies the type of user criterion to use followed by the first and second target
values (5.00e-1 and 1.00e+30).

Results
Figure 51-2 shows the original and deformed tube at the end of simulation. The x-displacements of node 80, node with
largest displacement, after the two load steps are 5.486e-3 and 2.083e-1 in, respectively (Figure 51-3). About 98%
deformation comes from the material creep.

Figure 51-2 Original and the Deformed Tube

1056 MD Demonstration Problems
CHAPTER 51

Figure 51-3 X Displacement History for Node 80

A curve of the equivalent von Mises stress with respect to the creep strain at node 80 is given in Figure 51-4. The
significant stress relaxation over time due to creep effects can be observed.

Figure 51-4 Curve of Equivalent Stress via Creep Strain at Node 80

 CHAPTER 51 1057
Creep of a Tube

Modeling Tips
There are three critical inputs for a creep analysis.
• Activate creep analysis using NLMOPTS,CREEP,
• Input creep material properties using MATVP (and MATEP for implicit creep).
• Define real time adaptive stepping for creep using NLSTEP.

Input File(s)
File Description
nug_51.dat MD Nastran input