Using

MARC
(a nonlinear Finite Element Analysis package)

by

Herbert A. Koenig
Copyright1999HerbertA.Koenig.Allrightsreserved.Printedinthe
UnitedStatesofAmerica.ExceptaspermittedundertheUnitedStates
CopyrightActof1976,nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedor
distributedinanyformorbyanymeans,orstoredinadatabaseor
retrievalsystem,withoutpriorwrittenpermissionoftheauthor.

Library of Congress

Registration Number:

2
 Introduction

This tutorial, the third in a series (after PATRAN and MENTAT), differs in the fact that

it is not an original work of the author. Instead, the author has taken most of this work

from an existing document entitled, MARC PRIMER. Thus, it is with

acknowledgement to the MARC Corporation that this tutorial is offered.

The author has attempted in this document to include the parts of that primer

which he feels will enhance the readers ability to perform Finite Element Analysis using

MARC. Any aspects of the MARC analysis that is missing from this document can be

found either in the MARC USER MANUALS which are available in Room 202 of

Engineering II or from the online documentation which is included with the MARC

software. The reader is encouraged to use these aids to enhance the material which is

presented in this tutorial.

The material which is presented in the next sections will acquaint the user to most

of the aspects of MARC. The remainder of this introductory section will now be devoted

to teaching the user how to invoke MARC from a workstation and how to configure his

run properly.

At the University of Connecticut, MARC is initiated by issuing the command

/apps/apps_me/marc/run_marc7.2

or an appropriate alias which is created by the user. This command will result in a menu

which looks like

3
Program name marck72

Job ID

User subroutine name

Restart file job ID

Substructure file ID

Post file job ID

Defaults file ID

View Factor ID

Save generated module no

Number of tasks 1

Number of threads 1

Message passing type 0

Run job in queue background

input file .dat not accessible

job id required

Please correct or quit (correct, quit, <correct>):

There will now follow an explanation of most of these items with

recommendations for their usage.

The first line informs the user that he is using marc version 7.2. The user must

not change this parameter at any time.

4
 The next line, which is initially blank, is asking the user to provide the name of

the MARC data file that will be used to run the analysis. The reader notices that, near the

bottom of the screen, the program is telling him that the .dat file is missing. This is

because he does not have a blank.dat file. Instead, the user has a MARC file that is, for

example, called cantilever.dat. Therefore, when the user corrects this item he will have

to type cantilever in the portion of the menu that requests the Job ID. A note of caution

is appropriate here. The analysis always assumes that the data file has a .dat extension

(you must have this). Therefore, the user need only provide the name of the file and must

leave off the extension.

The next line, which is initially blank, is asking the user to provide the name of

the MARC User subroutine (if included in the analysis). If there is no user subroutine

that is necessary for this analysis, the item may be left blank (See section on User

subroutines at the end of this document). If, however, a user subroutine is present, it must

be written in FORTRAN and have an extension .f (e.g. hypela.f). When the user inserts

the name of the routine into the MARC menu, he should only type hypela since the

analysis already assumes that it is a FORTRAN subroutine.

The next several lines are generally not adjusted by the user so they will be

ignored here. The last line of the menu informs the user that the analysis will be run in the

background. It is strongly suggested that the user not change this setting to foreground. In

the latter case, the computer will be locked for the duration of the analysis. Additionally,

the user will be unable to log off without breaking the execution of the program.

The final menu item invites the user to change any of the settings on the menu. At

the least, the user will have to supply a Job ID (name of the data file). Thus, the user

5
choose correct or just c. By pressing enter to accept a menu item, and by typing the

new information for other menu items, the user will arrive again at a menu item which

now is ready for execution. At this point, he may accept the menu selections and perform

the analysis, or he may correct any menu item.

The analysis is then started. Progress of the analysis may be followed (if desired)

by typing ps from the keyboard or by periodically viewing the file that is called, for

example, cantilever.log.

6
 The Primer

This primer is a tutorial for the novice who is using MARC for the first time. MARC is a

powerful, modern, general-purpose nonlinear finite element program for structural and

thermal analysis. This primer covers only some typical linear and nonlinear applications

and does not describe all of the capabilities in MARC. The reader is presumed to have

had some exposure to linear finite element (FE) analysis, either through coursework or

by having used other FE software. The primer is written with the assumption that the

reader has had little or no experience in nonlinear FE analysis.

In a typical FE analysis, the reader will need to define the:

mesh (which is an approximate model of the actual structure)

material properties (Youngs modulus, Poissons ratio, etc.)

applied loads (static, dynamic, temperature, inertial, etc.)

boundary conditions (geometric and kinematic constraints)

type of analysis (linear static, nonlinear, buckling, thermal, etc.)

These steps leading up to the actual FE analysis are generally termed pre-

processing and have been discussed in depth in the two preceding tutorials comprising

PATRAN and MENTAT. After an analysis, the results evaluation phase is called post-

processing, where the user checks the adequacy of the design (and of the approximate FE

model) in terms of critical stresses, deflections, temperatures, and so forth. These features

have also been discussed in the tutorials on PATRAN and MENTAT.

7
 The primary emphasis of this document is to explain the MARC input and output

for stress analysis problems. An example for structural analysis will be presented herein.

In addition to this tutorial, several other MARC manuals are available. These are

referential in nature, and describe the feature and applications of the MARC program in

greater detail. These other manuals are:

MARC User Manuals

Vol. A User Information Manual

(technical basis of program and capabilities)

Vol. B MARC Element Library

Vol. C Program Input

Vol. D User Subroutines and Special Routines

MARC Demonstration Manual (Volume E)

Vol. E1 Linear Problems, Plasticity and Creep Problems

Vol. E2 Large Displacement, Heat Transfer, Dynamics, Special and Recent

Analysis Capabilities

MARC Background Papers (Volume F)

Theoretical papers on MARC procedures

In addition to the above manuals, HELP regarding the MARC program is

available on-line.

8
I. Program Features

MARC is a general-purpose finite element program designed for both linear and

non-linear analyses of structural, thermal, and electric field problems. In addition, it can

handle coupled thermal-mechanical and electrical-thermal analyses. In nonlinear and

transient problems, MARC makes the users analysis easier by offering automatic load

incrementation and time-stepping capabilities.

Many types of analyses can be obtained by any combination of these basic

MARC capabilities. The following is a cursory listing of MARC capabilities. Please

refer to the appropriate manuals for more detailed descriptions.

Geometry

1-D: truss, beams (open or closed section)

2-D: plane stress, plane strain, generalized plane strain

Axisymmetric

2-D: solid or shell (with nonaxisymmetric loading for linear problems)

3-D: solids, plates, shells, membranes

Behavior

linear/nonlinear for geometry or material

static/dynamic

steady-state/transient

Material

linear elastic

isotropic/orthotropic/anisotropic

composites

9
 elastic-plastic, work hardening

isotropic, kinematic, and combined hardening

finite strain

cyclic loading

viscoplasticity

rigid plastic flow

nonlinear elastic, elastomers, rubber

viscoelastic (Maxwell, Kelvin, combined)

Boundary Conditions vary with

time/increment

temperature

displacements, velocities, accelerations

open/close contact.

10
 In addition to the above capabilities, MARC has four comprehensive libraries

which are described below. The user may combine almost any number of options from

each of the four libraries, and, consequently, can solve virtually any structural mechanics

or thermal problem.

Procedure Library

This includes all the analysis types available in MARC.

1- Linear elastic standard linear finite element analysis

superposition of multiple load cases

Fourier (nonaxisymmetric) analysis of linear axisymmetric bodies

2- Substructuring multilevel, quasi-static

3- Nonlinear automatic load incrementation

elastoplastic scaling to first yield

large deformation/finite strain

total and updated Lagrangian approaches

buckling/collapse linear/nonlinear

creep buckling

postbuckling with adaptive load step

rigid plastic flow Eulerian, metal forming

creep with adaptive time step

viscoplastic

state equations (Kelvin model)

hereditary integrals (generalized Maxwell or generalized

Kelvin-Voight model)

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 thermo-rheologically simple behavior

viscoplastic-modified creep option to include plasticity effects

contact/friction automatic convergence

4- Fracture mechanics

linear/nonlinear

brittle/ductile

J-integral evaluation

dynamic J-integral

brittle cracking concrete model

5- Dynamics

modal analysis/eigenvalue extraction

inverse power sweep method

Lanczos method

transient response

modal superposition

direct integration:

Newmark-beta method

Houbolt method

Central difference method

harmonic response

spectrum response

time-stepping-linear/nonlinear

adaptive time-stepping algorithm

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6- Heat transfer

steady-state and transient analyses

conduction-linear/nonlinear

convection/radiation boundary conditions

internal heat generation

latent heat/phase changes

adaptive time steps

7- Hydrodynamic bearings

lubrication problems

pressure distribution and mass flow

8- Joule heating

coupled electric flow with heat transfer

9- Fluid/structure interaction

incompressible and inviscid fluid

10- Thermo-mechanical

quasi-coupled thermally driven stress analysis

fully coupled thermo-mechanical analysis solved by staggered

scheme

heat generated by plastic deformation and friction effects

large displacement effects on thermal boundary conditions

automated contact/friction capability

11- Change of state

transient thermal analysis with change of phase and volume

13
associated stress analysis with plasticity and residual stresses

14
Material Library

This includes more than 40 different material models:

1- Linear elastic

isotropic, orthotropic, and anisotropic

(properties may be temperature dependent)

2- Composites

laminated plates and shells

isotropic, orthotropic, or anisotropic layers

elastic or elastic-plastic behavior

arbitrary material orientation definition

with respect to any element edge.

with respect to global Cartesian axes.

with respect to a user-defined axis or through user

subroutines.

relative ply angle for each layer

multiple failure criteria

maximum stress

maximum strain

Tsai-Wu

Hill

Hoffman, or

user-defined.

3- Hypolelastic

15
 nonlinear elastic (reversible)

4- Elastomers

nonlinear elastic, incompressible

Mooney-Rivlin model (allows large strains)

5- Elastic-plastic

Prandtl-Reuss flow rule

user-defined non-associative flow law

von Mises yield criterion

Drucker-Prager yield criterion

isotropic, kinematic or combined hardening

strain hardening (or softening) as a function of strain rate and

temperature

temperature dependence of yield stress and work hardening slopes

isotropic, orthotropic, and anisotropic

Hills anisotropic plasticity

6- Cyclic plasticity

isotropic, kinematic, combined hardening

7- Creep

deviatoric or volumetric (swelling) strains

piecewise linear or exponential forms for rate of equivalent creep

strain

temperature dependence

Oak Ridge National Lab. Model combines creep, plasticity and

16
 cyclic loadings

8- Viscoelasticity

Maxwell and Kelvin models

combined Kelvin-Voight and Maxwell models

hereditary integrals of strain histories with both small and large

strain formulations

thermo-rheologically simple behavior

isotropic or anisotropic material

9- Polymers

thermo-rheologically simple behavior

10- Viscoplasticity

combining plasticity and the Maxwell model of plasticity

11- Soils

yield surfaces as a function of hydrostatic stress

linear or parabolic Mohr-Coulomb law

12- Concrete

low-tension cracking

crushing surfaces

rebars

17
Function Library

This includes kinematic constraints, loads, bandwidth optimization, rezoning, in-

core and out-of-core solution, user subroutines, restart, output on post files, selective

print, error analysis, etc. Only loads and constraints are summarized below; refer to the

MARC manuals for descriptions of the others.

1- Loads and constraints

mechanical loads concentrated, distributed, centrifugal,

volumetric forces

thermal loads initial temperatures read from a post file produced

from a thermal analysis, or from direct data input

initial stresses and initial plastic strains

kinematic constraints

transformation of degrees of freedom

elastic foundation

tying (multipoint constraints or MPCs)

boundary conditions in user-defined axes

springs and gaps with and without friction

18
Element Library

MARC has a library of approximately 100 elements. Only the most important

subset (the recommended elements) will be discussed in this tutorial. The heart of an

FE program lies in its element library, which allows the user to model a structure for

analysis. MARC has a very comprehensive element library which lets the user model

virtually any conceivable 1-D, 2-D, or 3-D structure. This section gives some basic

definitions, summarizes MARC element types, and describes the most commonly used

elements of interest to the beginner.

Definitions

isoparametric a single function is used to define both the element

geometry and the deformation

numerical integration a method used for evaluating integrals over an

element. Element quantities, such as stresses,

strains, and temperatures are calculated at each

integration point of the element.

Gauss points the optimal integration point locations for numerical

accuracy.

full integration requires, for every element, 2d integration points

(quadrature) for linear interpolation, and 3d points for quadratic

interpolation. The scalar d is the number of

geometric dimensions of an element (i.e. d=2 for a

quad, d=3 for a hexahedron). This results in exact

19
 integration of linear functions in linear elements, or

quadratic functions in quadratic elements.

reduced integration means using a lower number of integration than

necessary to integrate exactly. For example, for an

8-noded quadrilateral, the number of integration

points is reduced from 9 to 4, and for a 20-node

hexahedron, from 27 to 8.

Caution: The use of reduced integration near singularities and

in regions of high strain gradients can lead to

oscillations in the displacement and produce

inaccurate results. This problem is highly

problem dependent.

interpolation (shape function) an assumed function relating the

displacement at points inside an element to

the displacements at the nodes of the

element. In MARC, four types of shape

functions are used: linear, quadratic, cubic,

and Hermitian.

Degrees of freedom (DOF) the number of unknowns at a node. In the

general case, there are six DOFs at a node

in structural analysis (three translations and

three rotations), and one DOF in thermal

20
 analysis (nodal temperature). In special

cases, the number of DOFs is: 2

(translations) for plane stress, plane strain,

and axisymmetric elements; 3 (translations)

for 3-D solid elements; 3 (translations) for a

3-D truss element; 6 (three translations and

three rotations) for a 3-D beam element.

incompressible elements MARC has a special class of elements

which can be used to analyze incompressible

(zero volume change) and nearly

incompressible materials such as elastomers

and rubber. They are based on a modified

Hermann variational principle, and are

sometimes referred to as Hermann

elements. Unlike regular finite element

formulations, they can handle the case of

Poissons ratio equal to one-half. They are

used for elastic analysis, but are capable of

analyzing large displacement effects as well

as thermal and creep strains. The

incompressible constraint is imposed by

using Lagrange multipliers.

21
Element Types

MARC has an extensive element library numbering approximately 100 elements.

They are basically of two categories: structural and thermal. They cover a wide variety of
geometric domains and problems:

truss 3-D rod with axial stiffness only (no bending)

membrane thin sheet with in-plane stiffness only (no bending resistance)

beam 3-D bar with axial, bending and torsional stiffnesses

plate flat thin structure carrying in-plane and out-of-plane loads

shell curved thin or thick structure with membrane/bending capabilities

plane stress thin plate with in-plane stresses only. All normal and shear stresses

associated with the out-of-plane direction are assumed to be zero.

(In MARC, all plane stress elements lie in the global X-Y plane.)

plane strain structure with in-plane strains only, with all normal and shear

strains associated with the out-of-plane direction equal to zero. (In

MARC, all plane strain elements lie in the global X-Y plane.)

generalized same as plane strain except that the normal Z-strain can be a
plane strain
prescribed constant or function of x and y

axisymmetric 2-D idealized structure with radial and circumferential degrees of

freedom only. In MARC, all axisymmetric elements lie in the Z-R

[X-Y] plane.

3-D solid solid structure with only translational degrees of freedom for each

node (linear or quadratic interpolation functions)

22
 special MARC special elements include: a gap/friction element, a pipe-

bend element, a shear panel element, rebar elements, and several

semi-infinite elements (which are useful for modeling a domain

unbounded in one direction).

Heat Transfer Elements

Heat transfer elements in MARC consist of 3-D links, planar and axisymmetric

elements, 3-D solid elements, and shell elements. For each heat transfer element, there

exists at least one corresponding stress element. Temperature is the only degree of

freedom for each node in these elements (except in the case of Joule heating analysis

which is a coupled thermal-electrical analysis).

23
Element Usage Hints

Before summarizing the most commonly used elements in MARC, the author will

provide hints on element usage which should be helpful to most MARC users, especially

the novice:

1- Element input data generally include:

element connectivity

thickness for 2-D beams, plates, and shell elements

cross section for 3-D beam elements

coordinates of nodal points

face identifications for distributed loadings

2- The user may select different element types to represent various parts of a model.

If they are incompatible (meaning conflicting degrees of freedom), the user has to

provide appropriate tying constraints.

3- The user may select most MARC elements for both linear and nonlinear analyses;

except as noted in Vol. A.

4- In linear analysis, the user should consider using higher-order elements, especially

in problems involving bending action. In nonlinear analysis, lower-order elements

are preferred.

5- When using lower-order elements (whether the analysis is linear or nonlinear), 4-

node quadrilaterals are preferred over 3-node triangles in 2-D problems. Similarly,

8-node bricks perform significantly better than 4-node tetrahedra in 3-D

problems.

24
6- Stresses and strains in all continuum elements are defined in the global coordinate

system. For truss, beam, plate, and shell elements, stresses and strains are output

in the local system of the element and the output must be interpreted accordingly.

The user should pay special attention to the use of these elements if the material

properties have preferred orientations.

7- The coordinates and degrees of freedom of all continuum elements are defined in

the global coordinate system. Truss, beam, plate, and shell elements may be

defined in a local coordinate system and the user must interpret the output

accordingly.

8- Distributed loads may be applied along element edges, over element surfaces, or

over the volume of the element. MARC will automatically evaluate the consistent

nodal forces using numerical integration. Concentrated forces may be applied at

the nodes.

9- For the five bilinear elements (Types 7, 10, 11, 19, and 20), an optional

integration scheme may be used which imposes a constant dilatational strain

constraint on the element. This option is often useful in approximately

incompressible, inelastic analysis, such as large strain plasticity, because

conventional elements give results which are too stiff for nearly incompressible

behavior.

10- Five Fourier shell and solid elements (Types 62, 63, 73, 74, and 90) exist for the

analysis of linear axisymmetric structures with nonaxisymmetric loads. The

circumferential load and displacement is represented by a Fourier series, but the

geometry and the material properties may not change in the circumferential

25
direction. The user may, therefore, decouple a 3-D problem into a series of 2-D

problems. These elements can only be used for linear elastic analysis, because the

principle of superposition applies to only this type of analysis.

26
 In the abbreviated Element Summary Table of Figure 1, the most

commonly used elements are circled. The following element types are intentionally

excluded from the table because they are unlikely to be used by the novice: all reduced

integration elements; generalized plane strain elements; axisymmetric shell/solid Fourier

elements; axisymmetric solid elements with torsional and bending capabilities;

incompressible elements which are of generalized plane strain and axisymmetric Fourier

types; rebar elements; semi-infinite elements; and pipe bend elements.

27
Recommended Elements

The following 18 elements are recommended elements, which should serve the

novices (as well as most users) purposes for the bulk of structural and thermal analysis

problems:

2-D 4-node quadrilaterals Elements 3, 10, 11, 39, 40, 80, 82

3-D 8-node hexahedra: Elements 7, 43, 84

2-node truss and beams: Elements 9, 25, 52, 98

3-node axisymmetric, Element 89

curved thick shell:

thin/thick shells: Elements 22, 72, 75

These five classes of structural/thermal elements will be briefly described below.

Notice the emphasis on quadrilateral elements in preference to triangles because of

better overall performance. Likewise, hexahedral solid elements are preferred over

tetrahedral elements.

In internal MARC calculations, stress-strain relationships are computed at the

Gauss (integration) points. Stresses and strains may be printed at those integration points,

where the values are most accurate. To reduce computational costs for linear analysis, the

user can optionally specify that calculations be performed only at the centroid. This is not

recommended for nonlinear analysis. Nodal values of stresses and strains, produced by

extrapolation of integration point values, can be printed out in both linear and nonlinear

analyses.

2-D 4-node Quads: (Elements 3, 10, 11, 39, 40, 80, 82)

These are isoparametric quadrilateral 2-D continuum elements with straight edges

and bilinear interpolation. Figure 2 shows this type of element.

28
 Element Type

3 plane stress

10 axisymmetric solid

11 plane strain

39 thermal-planar

40 thermal-axisymmetric

80 incompressible-plane strain

81 incompressible-axisymmetric

All these elements have four nodes with two DOFs per node, except for elements

80 and 82 (two of the so-called Hermann elements) which have an extra node

with a single degree of freedom (pressure). The node numbering is

counterclockwise as shown in Figure 2. These elements use a four-point Gaussian

integration scheme. Elements 10 and 11 have an optional constant dilatation

integration scheme, which is useful in plasticity problems.

8-node Hexahedra: (Elements 7, 43, 84)

These are 3-D isoparametric continuum elements with straight edges and trilinear

interpolation. These are shown in Figure 3.

Element Type

7 solid cube for stress analysis

43 solid cube for thermal analysis

84 solid cube for incompressible problems

29
 These three elements are basically 8-noded elements with three DOFs per node,

except that element 84 has an extra node with a single DOF (pressure). The node

numbering is counter-clockwise as shown in figure 3, first for the bottom face and

then for the top face. The elements have an eight-point Gaussian integration

scheme. (Element 7 also has an optional constant dilatation integration scheme.)

These solid elements are arbitrarily distorted hexahedra.

2-node Truss and Beams: (Elements 9, 25, 52, 98)

These are straight truss or beam elements with constant cross sections.

Element Type

9 truss

25 3-D closed section thin-walled beam with twist

52 3-D solid-section elastic beam

98 3-D elastic beam with transverse shear

These four elements (shown in Figure 4) are two-noded straight elements with

linear interpolation (constant axial force) along the axis. In addition, element 52

features cubic interpolation (constant beam curvature) normal to the axis and also

has linear interpolation for twist. Element 52 is a thin-walled closed-section beam

for which material nonlinearity is allowed in the cross section. Element 9 has

three DOFs at each node, which are the three translations. It can be used for large

strain, large displacement analysis. Element 52 has six DOFs at each node: three

translations and three rotations. It can be used only for elastic materials. Large

30
 curvature changes are neglected in the large displacement formulation. Element

98 is a straight elastic beam including transverse shear effects.

Axisymmetric, Curved Thick Shell: (Element 89)

This 3-noded curved element (shown in figure 5) has better performance than the

2-noded curved element 1. In addition, it includes transverse shear effects and hence is

recommended for axisymmetric thick shell analysis. It is suitable for large displacement

analysis with small strains.

Thin/Thick Shells: (Elements 22, 72, 75)

These thin/thick shell elements will be appropriate for the bulk of plate and shell

analyses. They are shown in figure 6.

Element Type

22 8-noded curved quadrilateral thick-shell element

72 8-noded bilinear constrained thin-shell element

75 4-noded bilinear thick shell

Element 22 is a quadratic thick-shell element with global displacements and

rotations as DOFs. Second-order interpolation is used for coordinates, displacements,

and rotations. The membrane strains are obtained from the displacement field; the

curvatures from the rotation field. The transverse shear strains are calculated at ten

special points and interpolated to the integration points. In this way, this element behaves

correctly in the limiting case of thin shells. It has eight nodes (4 corners, 4 midsides) with

31
6 DOFs per node (3 displacements and 3 rotations). Bilinear thickness variation is

allowed in the plane of the element. There are four Gaussian integration points.

Element 72 is an 8-noded thin shell element. It has straight edges. A bilinear

variation in thickness is allowed. Bilinear interpolation is used for global displacements

and coordinates. Global rotations are interpolated quadratically from the rotation vectors

at the centroid and at the midside nodes. The element has 3 DOFs (global Cartesian

displacements) at the four corner nodes, and one rotation DOF (of the edge about itself)

at each of the midside nodes. It has four Gaussian integration points. The element is

efficient for the analysis of curved shells and plate structures, and is fairly insensitive to

distortion. Because of the relatively few degrees of freedom per element, a large number

of elements may be required.

Element 75 is a 4-noded bilinear thick shell element. A bilinear variation in

thickness is allowed. Each node has six DOFs : 3 global displacements and 3 global

rotations. Bilinear interpolation is used for the coordinates, displacements, and rotations.

The membrane strains are obtained from the displacement field; the curvatures from the

rotation field. The transverse shear strains are calculated at the middle of the edges and

interpolated to the integration points. The element has four Gaussian integration points. It

is very efficient for analyzing curved shells, plate structures, and nonlinear problems, and

is not very sensitive to distortion.

32
 INPUT

This section highlights MARC input concepts. Concepts such as PARAMETER,

MODEL DEFINITION, and LOAD INCREMENTATION are briefly described, as are

input formats (fixed versus free field input of numerical data, lists) and input of loads and

constraints. For details, the user is referred to MARC User Information Manual Volume

C.

Input Units

No units are actually entered in the input file by the user. MARC simply assumes

that all input is being provided in a consistent set of units.

Input Sections

MARC is a batch program. This means that the user defines the input, and this

input is not changed during the program execution. The input may be modified upon

restart for nonlinear analysis.

MARC input consists of three major sections: (well use the term card

throughout this tutorial to refer to an individual line in the users input file.)

PARAMETER define the title of the analysis, the storage

allocation, analysis type, element type(s) etc. (This

section terminates with an END card.)

MODEL DEFINITION define coordinates, connectivity, materials,

boundary conditions, initial loads, initial stresses,

nonlinear analysis controls, output options, etc.

(This section ends with an END OPTION card.)

33
 At this point, the model is completely defined. MARC proceeds to solve

Increment 0. Linear static analysis ends here. Nonlinear and/or transient analyses are

performed by increments (steps). The information required to define the load history

requires the additional section:

LOAD INCREMENTATION: define the increments in terms of load increments

or HISTORY DEFINITION
and/or boundary condition changes occurring

during the increment. (This section ends with a

CONTINUE card.)

At this stage, one or more increments are analyzed.

The first two sections (PARAMETER, MODEL DEFINITION) are always

present. The user may stack as many load incrementation cards as is desired; they are

analyzed by MARC in sequence until the last CONTINUE card is encountered. At the

end of this section, the user will see the input of a simple linear static example which will

show only the first two sections of input data.

Input Format

A MARC input file consists of many blocks of lines of input, each headed by a

keyword. A keyword describes some property of the FE model of the structure

(coordinates, materials, boundary conditions, etc.). A keyword can also describe a

control function for the analysis (generation of printout, writing of a post file,

numerical tolerances, etc.).

A block may contain three different types of input:

alphabetic keyword describes the contents of the block; placed on a single line.

numerical data quantify the properties of the model; floating point or

34
 integer; placed on one or more lines.

lists denote the nodes, elements, and DOFs to which the

properties apply; free format.

The numerical data may be in free or fixed format. Lines in free and in fixed

format may both exist in the input deck, although a particular card may use only one

format.

free field is easier, safer, and recommended for hand generated input

(MENTAT casts input data in fixed field format. This type

of input is flagged by at least one comma existing in the

input line. The last item of line has to be a comma only if

the single entry on a card is I5 format. Data items on a card

are separated by commas, which may be preceded or

followed by an arbitrary number of blanks. No imbedded

blanks may appear within the data item itself. Each card

must contain the same number of data items that it would

have using the fixed format. Floating point numbers may be

given with or without an exponent. The mantissa must

contain a decimal point. If an exponent is given, it must be

preceded by the letter E or D and must immediately follow

the mantissa (no imbedded blanks).

Example:

5.4E6,0.3,11.,0.,18.

fixed field described in detail in MARC Vol. C. Standard FORTRAN

35
 convention is used. Integers must be right-justified in the

field. Floating point numbers may be given with or without

exponent. The mantissa must contain a decimal point. If an

exponent is given, it must be preceded by the letter E or D,

and it must be right-justified.

A list is a convenient way to identify a set of elements, nodes, DOFs, integration

points, shell layers, etc. Lists come in three forms:

sequence n1,n2,n3 the list includes n numbers placed on one or more cards

separated by blanks or commas. If a sequence continues

onto another card, a C must be the last item on the card.

range m TO n BY p the list includes all numbers from m to n with interval p

(Default p=1)

set name STEEL the list includes the numbers in the set named STEEL

previously specified by the DEFINE command of the

MODEL DEFINITION cards.

Furthermore, lists can be operated upon by the logical operations AND,

EXCEPT, and INTERSECT. For example:

2 TO 38 BY 3 AND STEEL

36
PARAMETER Cards

PARAMETER cards control the scope and type of the analysis. Typically, the

first card, TITLE, is the name of the problem. The SIZING card defines the problem

size in words of the core buffer used by MARC. ELEMENTS indicates what MARC

element types are used in the analysis. Other optional PARAMETER cards include:

ALL POINTS (asking for stress output at all the integration points of the element);

BEAM SECT (defining the cross-sectional properties of a beam, i.e. prismatic or thin-

walled); CENTROID (asking for stress output only at the centroids of the elements);

ELASTIC (flags linear elastic stress analysis); SHELL SECT (defines the number of

integration points across the shell thickness ranging from 3 to 99); STOP (telling MARC

not to do the analysis a check run of input only); and THERMAL (flags initial

temperatures being input for stress analysis).

In this set of cards, only TITLE, SIZING, and END cards are mandatory. The

ELEMENTS card may, however, be used instead of (or in conjunction with) the

SIZING card. All other PARAMETER cards are optional.

The PARAMETER cards do not have to appear in any order. The only

requirement is that they must terminate with an END card.

MODEL DEFINITION Cards

These cards describe the complete FE model for analysis:

mesh

materials

applied loads

37
 constraints

controls

Here, this author will point out the more important ones which the user will come

across repeatedly. In a nonlinear analysis, the user may alter most of this data during the

later stages of the analysis. For a linear elastic analysis, the model is defined once and

for all with the MODEL DEFINITION cards. The MODEL DEFINITION cards also

control the output. The selective output features will be described later under the

OUTPUT section.

Mesh

The shape and geometry of the FE mesh are specified using the following

MODEL DEFINITION cards:

COORDINATES of the nodes in the mesh

CONNECTIVITY of the elements connecting the nodes

GEOMETRY geometric properties of beam and shell elements (e.g. beam

cross section, shell thickness, etc.)

PROPERTY material properties, e.g.:

ISOTROPIC

ORTHOTROPIC

GAP DATA

MOONEY

WORK HARD

TEMPERATURE EFFECTS

RATE EFFECTS

38
 CREEP

The DOFs (loads, displacements) at a node depend on the element type

connected to the node, unless a triad of local axes is defined for a set of nodes using:

TRANSFORMATIONS establishes the directions of the local nodal axes with

respect to the global axes.

Mechanical Loads

Mechanical loads are of two types: concentrated and distributed.

POINT LOAD concentrated load vector acting on a node

DIST LOADS volumetric (body forces such as gravity) or pressure loads

(acting on surfaces or edges). The type is specified by

defining the variable IBODY. The loads can be uniform or

non-uniform.

Thermal Loads

The INITIAL STATE option can be used to define a nonhomogeneous initial

temperature field in a stress analysis. This temperature does not produce any thermal

strains. The temperatures can be then modified using the CHANGE STATE option. The

change in temperature causes thermal strains, and possible changes in the material

properties, if THERMAL EFFECTS are included.

Kinematic Constraints

The user can prescribe values to individual DOFs using:

39
FIXED DISP prescribed values for specified DOFs on a set of nodes

The input displacements refer to the directions associated with the element,

generally global Cartesian, unless a TRANSFORMATIONS card is provided to refer

them to user-defined local axes. These prescribed displacements can be subsequently

modified using the DISP CHANGE load incrementation option.

Support Springs

Elastic springs may be defined between any two DOFs at any two nodes:

SPRINGS assigned spring constant between two DOFs for two nodes.

CONTROL Card

Another important MODEL DEFINITION option is the CONTROL card,

which lets the user select input parameters governing convergence and accuracy in a

nonlinear analysis. Items in CONTROL are mostly integers (except for tolerances which

are in floating point). The first two items are the most important. Note that the number of

cycles includes the first cycle and the number of increments likewise includes the first

increment.

Item Meaning Default

step maximum number of increments in analysis 4

cycl maximum number of iterations per increment 3

There are other items on the CONTROL card, but they are usually not needed by

the novice. These items flag such options as convergence tests, iteration schemes, non-

positive definiteness checks, etc. Please see Volume C p. C3.3-4.

40
 The first increment in the analysis is considered increment zero and should be

linear elastic. Thus, four increments in the CONTROL card imply 0, 1, 2, and 3.

Similarly, three cycles imply the first cycle and two iterations.

OPTIMIZE Option

Finally, the user needs to be aware of the OPTIMIZE option in the MODEL

DEFINITION section. This option lets the user choose a bandwidth optimization

algorithm. The default algorithm is Cuthill-McKee, which is widely used in many FE

codes and suffices for most cases. Minimizing the bandwidth in a problem reduces

computer costs in medium to large-sized problems. Therefore, the user should make a

habit to invoke the OPTIMIZE option before performing an analysis. For a description

of other available bandwidth optimization algorithm, see Volume C, p. C3.3-11.

41
 OUTPUT

This section summarizes MARC output and post-processing options. MARC

output can be obtained in four forms:

printed output (standard)

selective printed output

post file (also called post tape) for MENTAT/PATRAN post-processing

restart file (for continuation of analysis)

Printed Output

A standard printed output from a MARC run contains three different parts: an

input echo and interpretation; analysis messages; and output of analysis results.

Input Echo and Interpretation

This portion repeats the input to allow the user to verify its correctness. It

includes various items such as: position of the card columns; a card count for the blocks;

set up of parameters for the run; and interpretation of the input (e.g. connectivity,

coordinates, properties, geometry, boundary conditions, loads, etc.).

Analysis Messages

During the analysis, MARC produces several diagnostic messages. Those

of interest include:

algebraic sum of the distributed and point loads over the whole model

singularity ratio of the matrix. This is a measure of the conditioning number

(hence the accuracy) in the solution of the linear equations. The ratio and

its meaning are:

between 10-4 and 1 acceptable

42
 between 10-8 and 10-4 possible numerical problems

on order of machine accuracy singular equations

During the analysis, MARC will print out the elapsed CPU time at the

following points:

start of increment

start of assembly

start of matrix solution

end of matrix solution

end of increment

Output of Analysis Results

At the end of the analysis, MARC will print out (for each increment): element

data (stresses, strains, etc.); nodal data (displacements, equivalent nodal forces, and

reaction forces at fixed boundary conditions).

a) Element Output

At every Gaussian integration point, stresses (or forces) and strains are printed

out, depending on the element type. (If the user includes a CENTROID

PARAMETER card, only the centroidal results will be reported.)

continuum elements physical components (in global axes); principal

values; mean normal values (hydrostatic); Tresca

and Mises equivalent values.

shell elements generalized total stress and strain resultants (stretch

and curvature) at midplane; total physical stresses at

43
 integration points through the thickness.

beam elements resultant forces at Gauss points; axial force, bending

moment (referred to local axes of beam element),

and torque.

b) Nodal Output

For every node, the vectors of these nodal quantities are printed out, depending on

the analysis:

static incremental and total displacements; equivalent

nodal loads; reaction forces (at boundary nodes);

residual loads, at nodes without boundary

conditions.

dynamic eigenvectors (for modal analysis)

for transient analysis:

total displacements, velocities, and accelerations;

equivalent nodal loads; reaction forces; residual

loads.

for heat transfer:

total temperatures and optional fluxes

c) Selective Output

The user may selectively print out data for elements or nodes using these

MODEL DEFINITION cards:

PRINT ELEMENT selects elements, integration points, and layers (for

plate and shell elements) to be printed in the output.

44
 PRINT NODE selects nodes and nodal quantities to be printed (e.g.

displacements, input load vectors, output

reactions/residuals).

Post File

The user may use the POST command to flag the writing of a MARC post file

(post tape), which can be processed later by MENTAT or PATRAN. The post file can be

either binary or formatted. A binary file is machine dependent, but is usually quite a bit

smaller than a formatted file. A formatted file is portable across different types of

computers, but is usually larger than a binary file. It can also be edited.

The file output includes:

complete mesh data (nodal coordinates, element connectivities)

all nodal variables (displacements, forces, etc.)

element variables (strains, stresses, etc.) as selected in the POST option. The user

may select which stress components to write out for which layer; the

output will be produced for all integration points of all elements.

A restart tape can be made using the RESTART Model Definition option (volume

C, p. C3.3-29). This option is very convenient in nonlinear analyses.

45
 SAMPLE PROBLEM AND OUTPUT

A very simple linear static problem is analyzed. The entire MARC output

follows, in figures 8-14, for the purpose of illustrating typical input echo and

interpretation, analysis message, and output of analysis results.

The FE model is a one-element, 2-node rod held at the left end and loaded by an

axial tensile load P of 10,000 lbs. at the right end. The length L is 10 in; the cross-section

area A is 1 in2. Youngs modulus E is 30E6 (30 x 106 or 30,000,000) psi. This

configuration is shown in figure 7.

The theoretical axial displacement at the right end is easily calculated to be:

Ux = PL / AE = (10000) (10) / (1) (30E6) = 3.3333E-3 in.

The MARC calculated displacement agrees exactly with the theoretical value.

The axial stress is, of course, merely P/A, or 10,000 psi which is the same value

that is obtained by MARC.

46
A summary of important PARAMETER and MODEL DEFINITION key

words, along with their locations in the MARC manuals is given in figures 15-18.

47
 User Subroutines

The following sections are for use by the advanced

MARC user and should be ignored by the novice.

In MARC, the user subroutine feature constitutes one of the real strengths of the

program, allowing the user to substitute his own subroutines for several existing in the

program. This feature provides the user with a wide latitude for solving nonstandard

problems. These routines are easily inserted into the program. When such a routine is

supplied, the user is simply replacing the one which exists in the program file using an

appropriate control setup. A description of each of the available subroutines is given

below. In addition, discussions of special routines are found in the MARC manuals or in

the on-line documentation that is available.

The MARC code, and hence all of the user subroutines must be written in

FORTRAN using double precision. The use of the statement IMPLICIT REAL*8 (A-

H, O-Z) is required in the user subroutines.

In addition to the user subroutines, MARC makes certain Common Blocks

available to the user so that he may obtain the values of several internal values, if desired.

A description of these blocks is also provided below. Finally, a utility routine, called

ELMVAR, is available to the user. This will be discussed below.

48
 List of User Subroutines

A. User-defined Loading, Boundary Conditions, and State Variables Subroutines

FORCEM Input of Nonuniform Distributed Loads

FLUX Input of Nonuniform Fluxes

CUPFLX Coupling of Inelastic Energy and Internal Heat Generation

UINSTR Input of Initial State of Stresses

UFOUR Input of a User-defined Function F(Q) for Fourier Analysis

FORCDT Input of Time Dependent Nodal Loads, Displacements or

Time Dependent Nodal Fluxes, Temperatures for Heat

Transfer

FORCDF Input of Frequency Dependent Loads or Displacements in

Harmonic Analysis

FILM Input of Nonuniform Film Coefficients

FLOW Input of Mass Flow Rate and Inlet Temperature

GAPT Input of Thermal Contact (Conrad) Gap Temperature

UFORMS Definition of Constraint Conditions

CREDE Input of Pre-specified State Variables

INITSV Initialize State Variable Values

NEWSV Input New State Variable Values

USSD Input of Spectral Response Density

USINC Input of Initial Conditions

USDATA Input of Initial Data

UVELOC Generation or Modification of Nodal Velocity Vectors

49
 MOTION Definition of Rigid Surface Motion for 2-D Contact

MOTION Definition of Rigid Surface Motion for 3-D Contact

UFRIC Definition of Friction Coefficients

DIGEOM Definition of 3-D Rigid Surface Patch

SEPFOR Definition of Separation Force

SEPSTR Definition of Separation Stress

UHTCOE Definition of Environment Film Coefficient

UHTCON Definition of Contact Film Coefficient

UNORST Definition of Normal Stress, Flow Stress, and Temperature

at Contact Node

UCONTACT User-defined Contact Condition

INITPL Initialize Equivalent Plastic Strain Values

INITPO Initialize Pore Pressure in an Uncoupled Fluid-Soil

Analysis

NEWPO Modify Pore Pressure in an Uncoupled Fluid-Soil Analysis

B. User-defined Anisotropy and Constitutive Relations Subroutines

ANELAS Elastic Anisotropy

HOOKLW Anisotropic Elastic Law

ANPLAS Anisotropic Yield Surface and Creep Potential

UFAIL User-defined Failure Criterion

ORIENT Specification of Preferred Orientation

ANEXP Anisotropic Thermal Expansion

50
ANKOND Input of Anisotropic Thermal Conductivity Matrix

UEPS Input of Anisotropic Permittivity Matrix

UMU Input of Anisotropic Permeability Matrix

USIGMA Input of Anisotropic Electric Conductivity

USPCHT Definition of Specific Heat

CRPLAW Input of Special Creep Law

VSWELL Input of Special Swelling Law

WKSLP User Subroutine for Work-hardening Slope Definition

USPRING Input of Nonlinear Spring, Dashpot, and Foundation

Stiffness

UCRACK Input of Ultimate Stress for Cracking Analysis

TENSOF Input of Tension Softening Modulus for Cracking Analysis

USHRET Input of Shear Retention Factor for Cracking Analysis

UVOID Definition of the Initial Void Volume Fraction

UVOIDN Definition of the Void Nucleation Rate

UPOWDR Definition of Material Data for Powder Metallurgy Model

UPERM Definition of Soil Permeability

UMOONY Mooney-Rivlin Material

UENERG Strain Energy Function

UOGDEN Definition of Ogden Material Parameters

UELDAM Definition of Damage Parameters in Ogden Model

HYPELA Hypoelastic Material

HYPELA2 User-defined Material Behavior

51
 UFINITE Finite Deformation Isotropic Material Models

UPSTRECH Definition of Generalized Principal Stretch-based Elasticity

Models

GENSTR Generalized Stress Strain Law (Shells & Beams)

UBEAM Input for Nonlinear Beam

UPHI Input of PHI Function in Harmonic Analysis

UCOMPL Input of Viscous Stress Strain Relationship

GAPU Input of Gap Direction and Closure Distance

USELEM User-Defined Element

UNEWTN Input of Viscosity in Flow Analysis

URPFLO User Routine for Rigid-Plastic Flow

B. Viscoplasticity and Generalized Plasticity Subroutines

UVSCPL Definition of the Inelastic Strain Rule

CRPLAW Input of Special Viscoplastic Strain Rate Law

NASSOC Input of a Nonasscociated Flow Law

ZERO Calculation of Equivalent Stress

YIEL Calculation of Current Yield

ASSOC Input of Associated Flow Law

SINCER User Subroutine for Improving Accuracy

C. Viscoelasticity Subroutines

CRPVIS Viscoelasticity Generalized Kelvin Material Behavior

52
 TRSFAC Define a Shift Function for Thermo-Rheologically Simple

(T.R.S.) Material Behavior

HOOKVI User Defined Anisotropic Viscoelasticity

D. Geometry Modification Subroutines

UFXORD Coordinate Generation or Modification

UFCONN Connectivity Generation or Modification

MAP2D Boundary Node Coordinates Modification in Mesh2D

UPNOD Update Nodal Positions in Flow Solutions

UACTIVE Activate or Deactivate Elements

REBAR Input of Rebar Positions, Areas, and Orientations

UFRORD Rezoning Coordinate Generation or Modification

URCONN Rezoning Connectivity Generation or Modification

UCOORD Relocate Nodes Created During Adaptive Meshing

UADAP User Defined Error Criteria

UTRANS Implement Local Coordinate System

USHELL Modify Thickness of Shell Elements

SSTRAN Transformation of Substructures

UTHICK User-Specified Nodal Thicknesses

UACTUAT Prescribe the Length of an Actuator

E. Output Quantities Subroutines

PLOTV User-selected Postprocessing of Element Variables

53
 UPOSTV User-selected Postprocessing of Nodal Variables

IMPD Output of Nodal Quantities

ELEVAR Output of Element Quantities

ELEVEC Output of Element Quantities in Harmonic Analysis

INTCRD Output of Integration Point Coordinates

UBGINC Beginning of Increment

UEDINC End of Increment

UBGITR Beginning of Iteration

UELOOP Beginning of Element Loop

F. Hydrodynamic Lubrication Subroutines

UBEAR Input of Spatial Orientation of Lubricant Thickness

UGROOV Input of Groove Depths

URESTR Input of Nonuniform Restrictor Coefficients

UTHICK Generation or Modification of Nodal Thickness or

Thickness Change Field

UVELOC Generation or Modification of Nodal Velocity Vectors

G. Special Routines MARC Post File Processor PLDUMP

PLDUMP MARC Post File Processor

54
 The user subroutines that are listed above are for informational purposes only. For

more detailed descriptions of the subroutines and their usage, the user is directed to the

MARC manuals or to the on-line documentation.

55
 List of ELMVAR Utility Routine

To facilitate extraction of solution results, it is possible to use subroutine

ELMVAR. This routine can be called from any user subroutine that is within an element

loop. This routine is used in conjunction with the MARC post element post codes to

return the calculated values to the user.

This routine is called with the following header:

CALL ELMVAR (ICODE, M, NN, KC, VAR)

where:

ICODE is the post code.

M is the element number.

NN is the integration point number.

KC is the layer number.

VAR is the current value(s) of the items requested.

The values of ICODE are given in Volume C: Program Input in the model

definition section in the POST option.

If subroutine ELMVAR is called from a routine within the element assembly or

stress recovery stage, the values of VAR are the current ones for this iteration. They are

not necessarily the converged values.

This subroutine can be called from user subroutines:

ANELAS FILM NEWSV UCRACK UNEWTN USIGMA

ANEXP FLUX ORIENT UELDAM UOGDEN USPCHT

ANKOND FORCEM PLOTV UELOOP UPERM UVOIDN

ANPLAS GENSTR REBAR UENERG UPOWDR UVSCPL

56
ASSOC HOOKLW SINCER UEPS UPSTRECH VSWELL

CRPLAW HOOKVI TENSOF UFAIL URESTR WKSLP

CRPVIS HYPELA TRSFAC UHTCOE URPFLO YIEL

CUPFLX HYPELA2 UACTIVE UHTCON USELEM ZERO

ELEVAR INTCRD UADAP UMOONY USHELL

ELEVEC NASSOC UCOMPL UMU USHRET

57
 MATDAT Common Block

The material identification numbers (1,2,3, etc.) for cross-referencing to various

quantities such as TEMPERATURE EFFECTS, WORK HARD, etc. must be used in

user subroutines ANELAS, HOOKLW, ANPLAS, ANEXP, ANKOND< ORIENT,

CRPLAW, VSWELL, etc. The common block elmcom (which is described below)

contains the material identification number MATS for each material type.

In addition, the reference values of the material properties as given in the model

definition section can be obtained in common block MATDAT. All of the variables

within this common block are delineated in the MARC manuals or in the on-line

documentation for this common block.

CONCOM Common Block

Two common blocks might be particular useful for advanced usage of MARC.

Common block concom contains most of the program controls in MARC. The variables

and their meaning are delineated in the MARC manuals or in the on-line documentation

for this common block.

ELMCOM Common Block

In subroutines that are within an element loop, information about a particular

element can be found in common block elmcom. These variables are also placed in an

array IPROPS, that is used in those versions that support parallelization on an element

level. The variables in common block elmcom and their meaning are delineated in the

MARC manuals or in the on-line documentation for this common block.

58
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