DLOAD

1.1.5 DLOAD: User subroutine to specify nonuniform distributed loads.

Product: Abaqus/Standard

References

• “Distributed loads,” Section 28.4.3 of the Abaqus Analysis User’s Manual

• *DLOAD
• *DSLOAD

Overview

User subroutine DLOAD:

• can be used to define the variation of the distributed load magnitude as a function of position, time,
element number, load integration point number, etc.;
• will be called at each load integration point for each element-based or surface-based nonuniform
distributed load definition during stress analysis;
• will be called at each stiffness integration point for computing the effective axial force, ESF1, for
pipe elements subjected to nonuniform load types PENU and PINU;
• cannot be used in mode-based procedures to describe the time variation of the load; and
• ignores any amplitude references that may appear with the associated step definition or nonuniform
distributed load definition.

User subroutine interface

SUBROUTINE DLOAD(F,KSTEP,KINC,TIME,NOEL,NPT,LAYER,KSPT,
1 COORDS,JLTYP,SNAME)
C
INCLUDE 'ABA_PARAM.INC'
C
DIMENSION TIME(2), COORDS (3)
CHARACTER*80 SNAME

user coding to define F

RETURN
END

1.1.5–1

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Variable to be defined

F
Magnitude of the distributed load. Units are FL−2 for surface loads and FL−3 for body forces. F
will be passed into the routine as the magnitude of the load specified as part of the element-based
or surface-based distributed load definition. If the magnitude is not defined, F will be passed in as
zero. For a static analysis that uses the modified Riks method (“Static stress analysis,” Section 6.2.2 of
the Abaqus Analysis User’s Manual) F must be defined as a function of the load proportionality factor,
. The distributed load magnitude is not available for output purposes.

Variables passed in for information

KSTEP
Step number.

KINC
Increment number.

TIME(1)
Current value of step time or current value of the load proportionality factor, , in a Riks step.

TIME(2)
Current value of total time.

NOEL
Element number.

NPT
Load integration point number within the element or on the element’s surface, depending on the
load type. (Stiffness integration point number while computing effective axial force, ESF1, for pipe
elements subjected to load types PENU and PINU.)

LAYER
Layer number (for body forces in layered solids).

KSPT
Section point number within the current layer.

COORDS
An array containing the coordinates of the load integration point. These are the current coordinates if
geometric nonlinearity is accounted for during the step (see “Procedures: overview,” Section 6.1.1
of the Abaqus Analysis User’s Manual); otherwise, the array contains the original coordinates of
the point. For axisymmetric elements that allow nonaxisymmetric deformation, COORDS(3) is the
angular position of the integration point, in degrees.

1.1.5–2

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JLTYP
Identifies the load type for which this call to DLOAD is being made. The load type may be a body force,
a surface-based load, or an element-based surface load. For element-based surface loads, this variable
identifies the element face for which this call to DLOAD is being made. This information is useful when
several different nonuniform distributed loads are being imposed on an element at the same time. See
Part VI, “Elements,” of the Abaqus Analysis User’s Manual for element face identification. The key
is as follows:

JLTYP Load type

0 Surface-based load
1 BXNU
1 BRNU
2 BYNU (except for axisymmetric elements)
2 BZNU (for axisymmetric elements only)
3 BZNU (for three-dimensional elements and asymmetric-axisymmetric
elements)
20 PNU
21 P1NU
22 P2NU
23 P3NU
24 P4NU
25 P5NU
26 P6NU
27 PINU
28 PENU
41 PXNU
42 PYNU
43 PZNU

SNAME
Surface name for a surface-based load definition (JLTYP=0). For a body force or an element-based
surface load the surface name is passed in as blank.

1.1.5–3

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Examples

• “Nonuniform crack-face loading and J -integrals,” Section 1.15.7 of the Abaqus Benchmarks Manual
• “Pure bending of a cylinder: CAXA elements,” Section 1.3.33 of the Abaqus Verification Manual
• “Cylinder subjected to asymmetric pressure loads: CAXA elements,” Section 1.3.35 of the Abaqus
Verification Manual
• “Patch test for axisymmetric elements,” Section 1.5.4 of the Abaqus Verification Manual
• “Transient internal pressure loading of a viscoelastic cylinder,” Section 2.2.8 of the Abaqus Verification
Manual
• “DLOAD,” Section 4.1.3 of the Abaqus Verification Manual

1.1.5–4

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