Adams Advanced Package > Adams MaxFlex > Appendix > Appendix C: Working Directory Content

Appendix C: Working Directory Content

In addition to the typical files generated by Adams in the working directory, use of nonlinear flexible bodies will generate a number of additional files in the working directory. These files are typical for MSC Nastran analyses but may unfamiliar to those not experienced with finite element analysis and/or MSC Nastran.
 
Files used and generated by Adams Solver upon .adm creation and analysis:
.dat/bdf
A finite element solver input file. A text file generated by MSC Nastran which defines the model (preprocessing analysis data, model setup, and job information) which is documented in the QRG of the MSC Nastran documentation set. The .dat suffix is common, Patran uses .bdf by default in reference to the fact that it is the "bulk data file". With regard to the Adams nonlinear flexible body, the Adams View and Adams Car interfaces expect a .bdf extension on the file used to create the nonlinear flexible body and these interfaces apply a .dat extension to the run-ready Nastran file generated when writing the .adm file for analysis. For more detail on what the Adams interfaces do in creating the run ready .dat, see Appendix G: Building the Run-Ready NLFE Service Data Deck.
.f04
Execution Summary text File. Provides NLFE Service execution: time of day, elapsed time, I/O seconds, CPU seconds, module execution messages, matrix trailers, and so on. Gives a history of the assigned files, disk space usage, and modules used during the analysis. Useful for debugging.
.f06
Status/output text file, NLFE Service status/result text file. Detailed formatting, warning and error messages, as well as output, can be written to this file by MSC Nastran during processing the analysis. Often a large file, it can also contain results in human-readable format. While no pre/postprocessors read results from this file, it has the advantage that all output blocks can be written to it. A very common use of this file is to, once the run has stopped, search it for the word "fatal" to determine if there were any "fatal" messages telling why the run failed. Also provides output results, that is, displacements, stresses, strains, and so on. which have been specifically requested in text format.
.op2
Binary results file. Result file of the nonlinear flexible body solution which is read by Adams PostProcessor to animate the body and recover stress and strain. Also readable by FEA post-processors like Patran and SimXpert for more detailed FEA post-processing.
.sts
Status file. Summary of the NLFE Service execution, shorter in size than the .f06. This file reports the subset of the total Adams Solver analysis time which was dedicated to solving the particular nonlinear flexible body in the model defined by the file name. That is, there will be as many .sts files generated as there are nonlinear flexible bodies in the Adams model.
.pch
Contains the punch output as requested in the input file, for example, if requested punch file can contain the ECHO of the entire Bulk data section of the MSC Nastran model.
.log
The "log" file - A summary of the command line options used and the execution links. More specifically, it's a summary of system-level messages written by MSC Nastran documenting the progress of the analysis by giving a time-stamped chronology.
Files generated upon import of .bdf into Adams View and Adams Car:
create_*.MASTER
create_*.DBALL
create_*.IFPDAT
The Nastran database files for each nonlinear flexible body. Adams View and Adams Car import the geometry, mass property and nodal stiffness information from them. These files will remain until the end of the Adams View or Adams Car session and then will be automatically deleted. They are not deleted in-session immediately upon deletion of the corresponding nonlinear flexible body because they are required if one wants to perform an undo action after deleting the nonlinear flexible body.
db.T*
Nastran database and related files for Adams View and Adams Car to access the Nastran databases of all nonlinear flexible bodies. These files are removed at the end of the Adams View or Adams Car session.