Co-simulation with other softwares

[Fabio Marghella]

Hi everyone,

I need to simulate the interaction of a FEM model in Abaqus with particles and I decided to move towards Chrono (in particular DEM engine) since I can model arbitrary shapes and implement custom contact models.

My idea was to model the particles with DEM engine, co-simulate DEM-Engine with Chrono and through the FMI module finally co-simulate Chrono with Abaqus.

Is this correct or is there a better way to do it? For example, is it possibile to import the Abaqus FEM model directly in Chrono and use the FEA instead of FMI?

Thank you in advance,

Fabio