MSC.Marc Product Details
MSC.Marc Solver	Element Library Metallic Material Models Nonmetallic Material Models Loads and Constraints Adaptive Meshing Solution Procedures Automated Contact Analysis	Heat Transfer Dynamic Analysis Nonstructural Analysis Design Sensitivity and Optimization Failure Analysis User Subroutines System Requirement
MSC.Marc Mentat
MSC.Patran for Marc

MSC.Marc allows the user to perform a wide variety of structural, thermal, fluid and coupled analyses using the finite element method. These procedures provide solutions for simple to complex linear and nonlinear engineering problems. MSC.Marc includes a vast selection of element types, material models, analysis capabilities, automated contact procedures and adaptive meshing.

Element Library

Over 150 elements are available for structural, thermal and field analyses. These elements are modern, robust and accurate. Elements available in MSC.Marc can handle large displacements, large rotations and finite strains. MSC.Marc includes lower- and higher-order triangular, quadrilateral, tetrahedral and hexahedral elements with both conventional and reduced integration elements with hourglass control. Special element formulations are also available for modeling incompressible and nearly incompressible behavior.

Trusses Shells (thick, thin and axisymmetric) Membranes Plane Stress Generalized Plane Strain 3D Solids Gaps Rebar Elements

Semi-Infinite Beams (solid, open and closed section) Plates Plane Strain Axisymmetric Solids Incompressible Pipe Bends Cables

Metallic Material Models
MSC.Marc can represent material behavior beyond the yield stress, which distinguishes elastic from plastic behavior. These complex models can be used both for traditional metals, such as steel, aluminum and copper, and nontraditional metals, such as powder and “super plastic” metals. All of the material models can be used in conjunction with any of the finite elements to provide maximum flexibility to the analyst. The material parameters can be temperature-dependent and/or allow for anisotropic behavior. Rate-dependent material behavior can be modeled using a variety of approaches. For large strain plasticity analysis, which is encountered in manufacturing simulation, MSC.Marc provides for either the traditional additive decomposition of strain, or the modern multiplicative decomposition (FeFp). A state-of-the-art numerical implementation is used to ensure accuracy, stability and computational efficiency.

Linear Elastic

• Isotropic
• Orthotropic
• Anisotropic
• Temperature-dependent

Elastic-Plastic

Powder Metallurgy

• Viscoplastic model of powder materials
• Hot isostatic pressing process
• Temperature and density changes

Nonmetallic Material Models
In recent years, the use of nonmetallic materials has become widespread in engineering design. These materials range from concrete used in civil engineering to polymers used in biomedical applications. MSC.Marc has an extensive material library which can be used to represent the behavior of these materials. The material models and their typical applications include:

Elastomers

• Nonlinear elastic in Total Lagrange and Updated Lagrange framework
• Generalized Mooney-Rivlin model
• Ogden Model
• Foam model - large strain compressible
• Large-strain viscoelastic model
• Elastomer damage and fatigue
• User-defined strain energy function

Hypoelastic

• Nonlinear elastic (reversible)

Rigid-Plastic Flow

• Fast sheet metal forming analysis
• Implicit/explicit approach
• Plane stress option
• Superplastic forming simulation

Creep

• Deviatoric or volumetric strains
• Piecewise linear or exponential forms for rate of equivalent creepstrain
• Temperature dependence
• ORNL model: combines creep, plasticity, cyclic loadings

Viscoelasticity

• Maxwell and Kelvin models
• Hereditary integrals formulation for small and large strains
• Thermo-Rheologically Simple behavior
• Narayanaswamy viscoelastic thermal expansion model
• Isotropic and anisotropic materials

Viscoplasticity

• Combined plasticity and Maxwell creep model

Composite Materials

• Laminated plates and shells
• Elastic-plastic behavior
• Arbitrary material orientations
• Relative ply angle for each layer
• Multiple failure criteria
• maximum-stress
• maximum-strain
• Tsia-Wu
• Hill
• Hoffman
• user-defined
• Progressive-failure

Concrete

• Low-tension cracking
• Compression-induced crushing surfaces
• Rebar

Poro-Elasticity and Soils

• Yield surfaces as a function of hydro-static stress
• Linear or parabolic Mohr-Coulomb law
• Fully-coupled fluid-solid soil problems
• Modified Cam-Clay model

Loads and Constraints

• Mechanical loads — concentrated, distributed, centrifugal, Coriolis, volumetric and gravity
• Thermal loads
• Wave loading for beam and pipe elements
• Initial stresses and initial plastic strains
• Kinematic constraints
• Transformation of DOFs
• Elastic foundation
• Tying (multipoint constraints)
• Boundary conditions in user-defined axes

Adaptive Meshing
MSC.Marc’s easy to use, powerful adaptive meshing procedures improve accuracy while reducing overall computational cost. The Adaptive Load option moderates the load to assure convergence and stability. It can be used for a variety of analysis types, including structural, dynamic, creep, and thermal.

MSC.Marc provides an adaptive meshing capability for both linear and nonlinear analysis. In linear problems, the mesh is repetitively enriched until the error criteria are satisfied. As many as 10 different criteria can be used simultaneously. When geometric information is available, such as the boundary curves or surface definitions, the adaptive meshing feature uses this information, resulting in a more geometrically precise mesh. The adaptive meshing technology can be used with the linear order triangular, tetrahedral, quadrilateral, brick continuum, and shell elements. Also, the mesh can automatically unrefine, in areas where the refinement is no longer needed, to keep the model computationally inexpensive.

• Linear and nonlinear analysis
• Choice of multiple adaptive criteria
• Applicable to any geometry
• Mesh enhancement and mesh consolidation
• Plasticity
• For plasticity problems, the adaptive meshing technique can be used advantageously to enrich the mesh in areas where material nonlinearity occurs.
• Welding
• In welding analysis, the adaptive meshing process can be used to improve the solution in the region of high thermal gradients.
• Contact
• For contact problems, the mesh is automatically enriched to improve the precision in the contact region.
• Moving Boundary
• For many moving boundary problems, such as rolling and extrusion, it’s possible to enrich the mesh in a particular region and have the mesh return to the original refinement at a later stage.
• Structural and heat transfer analyses
• Design Sensitivity and Optimization
• MSC.Marc performs design sensitivity and sizing optimization for linear structural analysis. Design variables include:
  • Shell thickness
  • Beam area and moments of inertia
  • Young's modulus
  • Poisson ratio
  • Mass density
• Other Applications
• For composite shell structures, the ply orientation and ply thickness may be optimized. The optimization is efficiently performed such that the final design satisfies the constraints on multiple load cases. Constraints may be on displacements, strains, stresses, or modal frequencies. Design sensitivity may be used to determine which variables result in the largest contribution to the response.

Solution Procedures

MSC.Marc uses the latest proven numerical analysis techniques to provide the fastest, most accurate results possible. All calculations are performed in double precision. The optimal computation algorithm is available for a large spectrum of analysis capabilities.

Linear and nonlinear analysis can be solved with a variety of user control, including:

• Superpostion of loadcases
• Fourier (asymmetric) analysis of axisymmetric bodies
• Adaptive load/time control
• Available for static, post-buckling, dynamic, contact, creep, and heat transfer analyses
• Arc length methods
• Residual methods
• User-Controlled

Large deformation and finite strain behavior can be represented using several formations, including:

• Total and Updated Lagrangian
• Buckling - linear and nonlinear
• Creep buckling
• Postbuckling - with adaptive loadstep
• Perturbation buckling
• Mesh rezoning - for distorted meshes
• Finite strain plasticity using FeFp theory
• Eulerian and Updated Eulerian

Transient analysis problems can be solved using a variety of time integration procedures. Nonlinear systems are solved with minimal computation costs using one of the following strategies:

• Newton Raphson
• Quasi-Newton
• Adaptive Load/Time Stepping
• Implicit Dynamics
• Explicit Dynamics

The efficient solution of the system of linear equations is at the core of the MSC.Marc program. Problems of 500,000 degrees of freedom are routinely solved on modern workstations. The following solution techniques are available:

• Direct Methods (profile storage or sparse storage)
• symmetric
• non-symmetric
• complex
• Iterative Methods (sparse storage or element-by-element storage)
• symmetric
• preconditioned conjugate gradient

MSC.Marc has unique capabilities to solve very large analysis problems in parallel using the Domain Decomposition technique. Significant reductions in wall clock time may be achieved on either shared memory, distributed memory, or clustered workstations.

Automated Contact Analysis
MSC.Marc has the world’s most advanced capabilities to model contact between bodies. This allows the automated solution of problems where contact occurs between a deformable body and a rigid body, or between multiple deformable bodies. Unlike other FEA codes, MSC.Marc does not require special “interface” or “gap” elements to be placed between these bodies or surfaces. There is no limit to the number of contacting bodies. The rigid body can be defined using a variety of geometric descriptions, including NURBS (nonuniform rational B-splines), curves and surfaces. It can assume any arbitrary shape and can be subjected to any motion definition (displacement, velocity, or force controlled). The easy definition of such bodies distinguishes MSC.Marc from other FEA codes claiming to solve contact problems. In MSC.Marc, you do not have to specify where bodies will come into contact or the nature of the contact. The increment (load step) size is automatically adjusted to satisfy the contact conditions.

Large deformations are allowed and multiple friction models (Coulomb and shear) are available. You can customize a friction model to suit you own application, such as adding temperature-dependence to the friction coefficient in metal forming applications. Self-contact and interference fit analyses are possible. MSC.Marc provides unique capabilities for deformable-to-deformable contact that improve the accuracy, even for coarse meshes. The contact capability can be used for either statics or dynamics, and in conjunction with virtually all of the MSC.Marc elements.

Rezoning
In manufacturing simulation, the objective is to deform the original simple geometry to the final complex part. This process results in the distortion of the finite element mesh, which has adverse consequences on the solution accuracy. MSC.Marc has been the leader in rezoning (or remeshing) technology, which allows the introduction of a new undistorted mesh at any time in the analysis process. Rezoning is also beneficial when a change in boundary conditions (such as seen in welding applications) requires a change in the mesh density.

MSC.Marc AutoForge
The AutoForge implementation of MSC.Marc provides fully automatic generation of a new mesh during the analysis in two- and three-dimensional manufacturing applications.

MSC.Marc Contact Capabilities

• 2D and 3D contact
• Automated analysis procedure
• Static, dynamic, and thermal contact including dynamic impact
• Descrete or analytical rigid contact surfaces
• Position, velocity or force control of rigid surfaces
• Automatic imposed constraints
• Continuous normals using spline and Coons surfaces
• Ability to use higher-order elements
• Control of interaction between bodies
• Deformable-to-rigid contact, deformable-to-deformable contact
• Self-contact
• Interference fit calculations
• Stick-slip or continuous friction models
• Coulomb, shear, or user-defined friction laws

Heat Transfer
The solution to thermal problems is crucial in many engineering problems. It’s the first step in performing thermal stress analysis. MSC.Marc has the capability to model any geometric region with elements which permit the temperature data to be directly transferred to the structural analysis. Either a fixed time-stepping or an adaptive time-stepping procedure can be used. As a steady-state condition is approached, the time steps will increase, whereas if material properties or boundary conditions change rapidly, time steps will decrease. Either a steady-state or transient analysis can be performed. The material can be temperature-dependent and isotropic, orthotropic or anisotropic. Latent heat induced by phase changes can be included. Time-dependent boundary conditions can be prescribed, such as temperatures, fluxes, convection, or radiation. Unique capabilities are available for gaps and cooling passages. A coupled electrostatics-heat transfer analysis, which incorporates the Joule heating generated by material resistivity is available.

Additional capabilities exist in MSC.Marc for performing coupled thermal-mechanical analysis, where the change in contact conditions results in a change in the thermal boundary conditions. These temperature-dependent contact conditions are handled automatically.

MSC.Marc also provides a capability to simulate fluid flow, and coupled fluid-thermal behavior. In such problems, the fully convective-conductive simulation is performed. The fluid is considered to be incompressible, single phase, and with- out turbulence.

MSC.Marc Heat Transfer Capabilities

• Steady-state and transient
• temperature-dependent material properties
• latent heat and phase changes
• coupled Joule heating
• coupled thermal-mechanical analysis
• coupled fluid/thermal analysis
• uncoupled mechanical (easy data transfer)
• fixed or adaptive time-stepping
• convection - prescribed velocity
• convection, radiation boundary conditions
• conduction - linear and nonlinear
• internal heat generation
• mass transport
• Calculation of View Factors
• Mentat, the MSC.Marc graphical user interface, provides a sophisticated capability for the calculation of the view factors required in a radiation simulation. An accelerated Monte Carlo approach is used, which provides accurate results for any 2D or 3D geometry
• 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
• Associated stress analysis with plasticity and residual stress

Dynamic Analysis
MSC.Marc has extensive dynamic analysis capabilities. Eigenvalues can be obtained using either the inverse power sweep method or the Lanczos method. These procedures can extract eigenvalues from a few to hundreds of modes. The modal extraction can be performed in conjunction with a nonlinear analysis to determine the influence of pre-stress on the eigenvalues. Vibration studies can be performed using modal superimposition or harmonic analysis. Harmonic analysis of rubber bushings can include the internal damping of the material induced by their viscoelastic nature. In such cases, the damping is a function both of the deformation and the frequency of excitation. The spectral response of a structure subjected to base motion can be obtained.

Linear or nonlinear transient analysis can be performed. When nonlinear analysis is required, either implicit procedures, such as Newmark-beta and Houbolt operators, or the explicit central difference operator can be chosen. The explicit method automatically chooses a stable time step. All available nonlinear capabilities, including contact, are included.

• Eigenvalue Extraction Methods
• Lanczos
• inverse power sweep
• nonlinear (preload included)
• Direct Integration Scheme
• Generalized Newmark operator
• Houbolt operator
• Explicit Dynamics - central difference operator
• Rayleigh and Numerical Damping
• Modal superposition
• Harmonic Response
• Spectrum Response
• Fixed or Adaptive Time-Stepping
• Base motion time histories of acceleration

Nonstructural Analysis

The finite element method can also solve various field problems. MSC.Marc can be used for the solution of nonstructural problems, such as:

• Electrostatic Analysis
• predicts the electrical field given a change distribution
• 2D, 3D vector potential
• Magnetostatic Analysis
• calculates the magnetic field given a current distribution; nonlinear properties and permanent magnets may be included
• 2D, 3D vector potential
• Nonlinear B-H relations
• Permanent magnets
• Electromagnetic Analysis
• determines the coupled electrical and magnetic field for either harmonic or transient behavior
• Fully-coupled Maxwell's equations
• Harmonic and transient analyses
• Hydrodynamic Bearing Analysis
• calculates the pressure distribution in a lubricant; special capabilities are included to allow the modeling of geo metric features, such as grooves
• Lubrication problems
• Pressure distribution and mass flow
• Acoustic Analysis
• predicts the sound level in a rigid cavity
• Fluid Analysis performs Navier Stokes analysis for a laminar incompressible fluid
• Rigid reflecting boundaries
• Eigenvalue and transient analyses
• Joule Heating
• Coupled electric flow with heat transfer
• Fluid Analysis
• Navier-Stokes equations in 3D
• Mixed method or penalty approach to satisfy incompressibility
• Newtonian or Non Newtonian fluid
• Fluid-Thermal Coupled Analysis
• performs coupled fluid thermal simulation, which may include free and forced convection
• Fluid-Thermal-Solid Coupled Analysis
• performs thermal-structural analysis on components subjected to fluid loading

Design Sensitivity and Optimization

• static design sensitivity
• modal dynamic design sensitivity
• resizing of design variables, material properties and composites
• multiple load cases
• efficient for large number of design variables

Failure Analysis

MSC.Marc can be used to determine the stress intensity factor for a predetermined crack size. Two methods are available for calculating the J-integral, or the extended J-integral. The crack can be loaded by kinematic, mechanical, or thermal loads. The extended J-integral can also be used in dynamic analysis.

Crack initiation and propagation is predicted by using one of two available microscopic models. The first model is available for brittle materials, such as concrete or ceramics, in which the fracture is based on the principal stress in the material. The orientation of the crack is dependent on the stress orientation. The second model is a microstructural model for composite materials, where the cracking is based on one of the five available failure criteria, such as maximum stress or Tsai-Wu.

Material damage in ductile metals can be predicted using the Gurson model for the determination of void densities. A damage model is available for the prediction of both the Mullins and Miehe effects in carbon-filled rubber materials. The model implemented in MSC.Marc is a modified version of the Simo model, and will simulate stress softening and damage accumulation under cyclic loads.

MSC.Marc Failure Mechanics Capabilities

• J-integrals
• Static and dynamic
• Linear and nonlinear
• Brittle models
• Gurson damage model for ductile metals
• Rubber damage model
• Brittle concrete cracking
• Composite progressive failure

User Subroutines

Over 100 user-defined subroutines are available to customize MSC.Marc for the user applications. These may be used, for instance, to define the geometry parametrically, describe the material behavior, or prescribe complex nonlinear boundary conditions. This capability provides for tremendous flexibility to solve real-world problems.

System Requirements

• Systems are generally presumed to run on later versions unless specifically stated otherwise. In some instances, later versions are also cited if they warrant special mention.

Vendor Model	Processor	Operating System
Compaq (Digital)	Alpha 4100	Digital UNIX 4.0
	Alpha 5500	OSF/1 V3.2
Hewlett-Packard	PA8000 (PA-RISC 2.0)	HP-UX 11.00
	PA8000 (PA-RISC 2.0)	HP-UX 10.20
	PA-RISC 1.1	HP-UX 10.20
IBM RISC 6000	RS6000	AIX 4.3.1
		AIX 4.1.5
		AIX 3.2.5
Intel	Pentium	Windows NT 4.0 (SP3)
SGI	R8000/R10000 (-mips4, -64)	IRIX 6.2
	R5000 (-mips3, -n32)	IRIX 6.3
	R4000 (-mips2, -o32)	IRIX 5.3
Sun SPARC	Ultra2	Solaris 2.5
	Sparc	Solaris 2.4