A longstanding capability in Ansys Mechanical is the ability to add your own user-defined material with the Usermat function. The Usermat.f routine is one of many user-programmable features (UPFs) in Mechanical APDL, the solver behind Ansys Mechanical and the original Ansys program from which the company takes its name.
In order to keep computational performance the same as with any material model that comes with Ansys Mechanical, the Usermat.f routine is an actual Fortran subroutine that the user modifies, compiles, and links to the solver. Don’t panic, you don’t have to be someone who watched the Apollo landings live on a black and white TV in order to use this capability. PADT’s Alex Grishin has laid out the whole process for using the Usermat function with Ansys Mechanical on Microsoft Windows.
We created a post on Usermat.f back and 2012, and some things have not changed. But others have, including the compiler you will use. Alex has created a great update that also takes the example to something a bit more useful, showing how to do custom plasticity with the Usermat.f UPF.
Note: Alex added a second part to this series, Customizing the Usermat.f Algorithm: Creating A Combined Isotropic/Kinematic Hardening Model
Don’t Be Scared of FORTRAN, You Can do a Custom Material with Usermat.f
Alex has laid out a pretty great example that should help you get started on your own custom material. If you need some assistance or want to just have someone else get a custom material or any other custom feature in Ansys Mechanical up and running, please reach out to PADT. Alex, or one of his co-workers, are ready to help.
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