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User Guide
This manual provides details on the features, functionality, and simulation methods available in Altair Radioss.
Explicit Structural Finite Element Analysis
In this section, available explicit features for different explicit analyses are presented.
Time Step
An explicit is solved by calculating results in small time increments or time steps. The size of the time step depends on many factors but is automatically calculated by Radioss.
Time Step Control Methods
The time step can often be increased using some of these time step control methods.
Advanced Mass Scaling (AMS)
Capabilities and Limitations

Welcome
What's New
View new features for Radioss 2024.1.
Overview
Radioss^® is a leading explicit finite element solver for crash and impact simulation.
Tutorials
Discover Radioss functionality with interactive tutorials.
User Guide
This manual provides details on the features, functionality, and simulation methods available in Altair Radioss.
- Run Radioss
  The Radioss solver can be executed using different methods described here.
- Explicit Structural Finite Element Analysis
  In this section, available explicit features for different explicit analyses are presented.
  - Time Step
    An explicit is solved by calculating results in small time increments or time steps. The size of the time step depends on many factors but is automatically calculated by Radioss.
    - Element Time Step
      The default time step calculation used by Radioss is the element time step.
    - Nodal Time Step
      The nodal time step calculates the time step based on the nodal mass and nodal stiffness in the model.
    - Global Time Step
      The global time step (GTS) method can be used to calculate the time step of a model based on the natural frequency of the model.
    - Contact Interface Time Step
      The contact interface time step is calculated in two different ways. First, based on stiffness and second, based on the velocity of the secondary nodes.
    - Time Step Output from a Model
      The time step of the initial model is output to the Starter output file. Whereas the time step of a running model can be output to the animation files.
    - Time Step Control Methods
      The time step can often be increased using some of these time step control methods.
      - Nodal Time Step Control
      - Element Time Step Control
      - Contact Interface Time Step Control
      - Advanced Mass Scaling (AMS)
        Increase Computation Speed and Maintain Accuracy
        AMS (Advanced Mass Scaling) saves significant computation time by increasing the time step of the model for an explicit computation. This is similar to traditional mass scaling, except that the added mass does not increase the translational kinetic energy of the system.
        Capabilities and Limitations
        Limitations (may coexist, but out of the selected AMS part group)
        Recommended Checklist
        Example: Automotive Application
        Metal Forming Application Example
        1.out File Examples
    - Time Step Scale Factor
      The theoretical stable time step for both elements and nodes is an approximation and may change during the following time increment.
    - General Recommendations
      Every time step control method has advantages and limitations.
  - Finite Elements
  - Modeling Tools
  - Materials
    Different material tests could result in different material mechanic character.
  - Failure
  - Composites
    Composite materials consist of two or more materials combined each other. Most composites consist of two materials, binder (matrix) and reinforcement. Reinforcements come in three forms, particulate, discontinuous fiber, and continuous fiber.
  - Connections
  - Kinematic Constraints
    In Radioss, a kinematic condition is a nodal constraint applied to a set of nodes.
  - Interfaces
    Several interfaces are available in Radioss, this section deals with contact interfaces only. Each interface is distinguished with a type number.
  - Loads
  - Airbag Modeling
    Airbags are modeled as monitored volumes /MONVOL in several different ways.
  - Debugging Guidelines
  - Appendix
- Implicit Structural Finite Element Analysis
- Fluid and Fluid-Structure Simulation
  In this section, fluid and fluid-structure simulation is presented.
- Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH)
  The Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics method formulation is used to solve the equations of mechanics, when particles are free from a meshing grid.
- Multi-Domain Technique
  The objective of the Multi-Domain technique (also referred to as RAD2RAD) is to optimize the computing performances of large scale Radioss models.
- Design Optimization
  Optimization in Radioss was introduced in version 13.0. It is implemented by invoking the optimization capabilities of OptiStruct and simultaneously using the Radioss solver for analysis.
- Error Message Database
  This section is comprised of error messages in ascending numerical order.
- Engine Error Messages
- Warning Message Database
  This section is comprised of warning messages in ascending numerical order.
Reference Guide
This manual provides a detailed list of all the input keywords and options available in Radioss.
Example Guide
This manual presents examples solved using Radioss with regard to common problem types.
Verification Problems
This manual presents solved verification models.
Frequently Asked Questions
This section provides quick responses to typical and frequently asked questions regarding Radioss.
Theory Manual
This manual provides detailed information about the theory used in the Altair Radioss Solver.
User Subroutines
This manual describes the interface between Altair Radioss and user subroutines.

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Capabilities and Limitations

AMS is compatible with the following options:

Kinematic Conditions

Boundary conditions: /BCS
Imposed velocities: /IMPVEL
Imposed displacements: /IMPDISP
Imposed accelerations: /IMPACC
Tied contacts: /INTER/TYPE2 Spot_flag 0, 1, 2 (kinematic formulation), 25, 27 or 28 (penalty formulation)
- Rigid bodies: /RBODY (provided they are not sensor activated or deactivated)
- Fixed rigid walls: /RWALL with node_ID= 0 or blank (in case of friction, it is still advised to use a rigid meshed impactor, due to AMS cost)
- Moving rigid walls: /RWALL with node_ID > 0 (in case of friction, it is still advised to use a rigid meshed impactor, due to AMS cost)
- Rigid links: /RLINK
- Kinematic joints: /KJOINT (/PROP/TYPE33) and /KJOINT2 (/PROP/TYPE45)
- Cylindrical joints: /CYL_JOINT
- Active sections: /SECT
- Velocities: /VEL/TRA or /VEL/ROT
- Initial velocities: /INIV/TRA or /INIV/ROT
Rigid bodies can be activated and deactivated with /RBODY/ON and OFF as Engine keywords
Rigid elements: /RBE2
Interpolation constraint elements: /RBE3

Elements

All classical: trusses, beams, springs, shells, and solids
4-node tetra: /TETRA4, only if I_tetra4=0
10-node tetra: /TETRA10, only if I_tetra10=0
Element formulation:
- QEPH I_shell=24 and all other I_shell options
- HEPH I_solid=24

Interfaces

/DT/AMS is compatible with interfaces.

TYPE2 (see Tied contacts above)
TYPE7
TYPE10
TYPE11
TYPE19
TYPE21
TYPE24
TYPE25
Dynamic relaxation: /DYREL, /ADYREL
Rayleigh damping: /DAMP
/DT/Eltyp/Keyword3 is compatible with /DT/AMS
This includes /DT/Eltyp/CST for which the small strain formulation is activated for an element when
$Δ T_{s c a} \cdot \frac{l}{c} < Δ T_{\min}$
Where,

$l$

Element characteristic length,

$c$

Speed of sound into the material
/DT/AMS applied to selected parts (in /AMS from Starter Input file) does not exclude concurrent usage of /DT/NODA/CST applied to non-AMS designated parts of the rest of the model. This is even advised in order to minimize computing time in models where AMS only applies to selected parts.
Note: It is pointless to use a higher time step in AMS than the one used in classic mass scaling since the smaller time step limits the performance.
Airbags without reference metrics should work