Inside Abaqus 2024

What's New in Abaqus 2024: Targeted Improvements for Advanced Simulation Workflows 

The Abaqus 2024 General Availability (GA) release introduces a curated set of enhancements across structural mechanics, materials, battery modeling, contact behavior, design sensitivity, and automation. Many of these features were developed in Fix Packs throughout the Abaqus 2023 cycle and are now consolidated for full release. 

This post outlines the most impactful updates with relevance to experienced users working in product development, high-fidelity R&D, and regulatory-driven sectors. 

Python 3, CAE Interface Improvements, and Contact Upgrades 

Abaqus/CAE now operates natively on Python 3.10, bringing it in line with modern scripting standards and open-source integration workflows. This change is essential for users maintaining toolchains or automation based on Python 3 packages. Visualization and contact setup have also improved: you can now assign render styles to continuum particle elements and activate linearized contact capabilities within perturbation steps, useful for small-sliding, frictionless contact analyses in static simulations. 

CAE also supports general contact definitions directly within analysis steps rather than only in the initial step, enabling more controlled contact behavior over time. 

Better Beam Modeling and Section Definitions 

Modeling with beams is now more flexible. Abaqus/CAE supports rebar definitions directly inside beam elements, including control over position, cross-sectional area, and reinforcement material. You can also define offsets for *BEAM SECTION and channel or hat profiles natively in the property module. These changes significantly reduce the need for custom profiles or post-import tweaking. 

Discrete fasteners now allow rotational couplings, giving more precise control in assemblies that rely on rotational degrees of freedom. This is especially relevant when distributing loads across complex connections. 

Step-Dependent Loads and Pressure Penetration 

The ability to define a fluid pressure penetration load within CAE adds realism in FSI setups. For simulations involving interfaces, Abaqus also now supports cohesive bond awareness during pressure penetration, wetting does not occur unless cohesive bonds are nearly failed, aligning better with physical behavior. 

On the Explicit side, contact mass scaling can now be defined to help stabilize simulations with nondefault penalty stiffness values and reduce step increments. 

Adjoint Sensitivity and Design Optimization 

Significant upgrades were introduced for adjoint sensitivity analysis, especially in dynamic regimes. You can now perform sizing optimization based on steady-state harmonic response using direct-solution methods. Composite shell elements now support thickness and fiber orientation as design variables in sensitivity studies, extending design exploration capability to anisotropic systems. 

Design response values in linear perturbation steps can now include the total values from both general and perturbation loads, especially useful when preloading is followed by service-level multi-case loading scenarios. 

Submodeling and Structural Refinement 

You can now transition from a global model using beam elements to a submodel using solids, ideal when detailed stress resolution is needed in localized areas. Beam-to-surface submodeling imposes cut-surface conditions effectively, supporting hybrid global-local workflows. 

Also notable is the support for contact involving noncircular beam cross-sections. Instead of simplifying all contact radii, Abaqus now accounts for true beam profile, improving realism in contact-driven deformation and buckling simulations. 

Battery Simulation and Electrochemical Expansion 

Battery modeling continues to evolve. Abaqus now supports degradation in lithium-ion batteries over charge-discharge cycles, along with fully coupled structural-thermal-electrochemical simulation of solid-state batteries. New degrees of freedom allow for accurate modeling of lithium species diffusion, while support for interface fluxes at contact boundaries helps resolve thermal-electrochemical gradients. 

These capabilities allow better simulation of battery aging, performance loss, and heat generation, key for EV design, portable electronics, and regulatory validation. 

New Material Models and Process Physics 

Viscoelastic modeling has been expanded to include orthotropic and transversely isotropic formulations. The Valanis–Landel hyperelastic model is now supported via test-based inputs, enabling faster ramp-up for soft materials. For curing processes, Abaqus includes both built-in kinetics and user-defined UCURE subroutines, along with multiscale homogenization support. 

These features reflect ongoing efforts to close the gap between real-world manufacturing processes and high-fidelity simulation. 

User Subroutines and Automation Support 

New user subroutines extend control over custom physics. UCOHESIVEOFFSET supports offset behavior in cohesive elements with fluid interaction. USETTLING models settling velocity of particles in slurry simulations. VFILM and VUTEMP improve temperature control in Abaqus/Explicit analyses, and UCURE gives flexibility in defining custom cure behaviors. 

Collectively, these additions strengthen the extensibility of Abaqus across fluid-structure, thermal, and manufacturing process simulations. 

Conclusion: Focused Evolution for Serious Simulation Teams 

The Abaqus 2024 release is not about flashy new interfaces, it’s a targeted expansion aimed at users doing advanced, highly specific simulation work. It delivers better beam modeling, contact realism, adjoint design control, and battery process physics while aligning the core toolchain with modern Python workflows. 

Whether you're modeling complex connections, optimizing frequency response, or simulating aging in electrochemical systems, these updates deliver depth where it matters. 

Curious How These Features Fit Your Workflow?

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