Expansion object

The Expansion object specifies thermal expansion.

The following topics are discussed:

Access

import material
mdb.models[name].materials[name].expansion
import odbMaterial
session.odbs[name].materials[name].expansion

Expansion(...)

This method creates an Expansion object.

Path

mdb.models[name].materials[name].Expansion
session.odbs[name].materials[name].Expansion

Required arguments

None.

Optional arguments

type

A SymbolicConstant specifying the type of expansion. Possible values are ISOTROPIC, ORTHOTROPIC, ANISOTROPIC, and SHORT_FIBER. The default value is ISOTROPIC.

userSubroutine

A Boolean specifying whether a user subroutine is used to define the increments of thermal strain. The default value is OFF.

zero

A Float specifying the value of θ0 if the thermal expansion is temperature-dependent or field-variable-dependent. The default value is 0.0.

temperatureDependency

A Boolean specifying whether the data depend on temperature. The default value is OFF.

dependencies

An Int specifying the number of field variable dependencies. The default value is 0.

table

A sequence of sequences of Floats specifying the items described below. The default value is an empty sequence.

This argument is required only if type is not USER.

Table data

If type=ISOTROPIC, the table data specify the following:

  • α in Abaqus/Standard or Abaqus/Explicit analysis.

  • Temperature, if the data depend on temperature.

  • Value of the first field variable, if the data depend on field variables.

  • Value of the second field variable.

  • Etc.

If type=ORTHOTROPIC, the table data specify the following:

  • α11.

  • α22.

  • α33.

  • Temperature, if the data depend on temperature.

  • Value of the first field variable, if the data depend on field variables.

  • Value of the second field variable.

  • Etc.

If type=ANISOTROPIC, the table data specify the following:

  • α11.

  • α22.

  • α33. (Not used for plane stress case.)

  • α12.

  • α13.

  • α23.

  • Temperature, if the data depend on temperature.

  • Value of the first field variable, if the data depend on field variables.

  • Value of the second field variable.

  • Etc.

If type=SHORT_FIBER, there is no table data.

Return value

An Expansion object.

Exceptions

RangeError.

setValues(...)

This method modifies the Expansion object.

Required arguments

None.

Optional arguments

The optional arguments to setValues are the same as the arguments to the Expansion method.

Return value

None.

Exceptions

RangeError.

Members

The Expansion object has members with the same names and descriptions as the arguments to the Expansion method.

Corresponding analysis keywords