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code_aster and MFront: modelling complex mechanical behaviour

Master MFront in conjunction with code_aster to develop, validate and integrate your own behaviour models, in order to simulate non-linear materials and behaviour in industrial studies.

Course summary

Do you recognize yourself?

  • You want to switch to open-source code for better technological control and a cost advantage, but you don't know where to start or how to structure your first simulations.
  • You run mechanical simulations that fail to converge or produce inconsistent results: poorly defined boundary conditions, incorrect material properties, contact or non-linearity issues… and you spend hours trying to figure out what's going wrong.
  • You struggle to interpret .mess files and solver messages: has the simulation actually converged? Are the Newton iterations acceptable? Are the results physically consistent?
  • You want to go beyond tutorials and fully master code_aster to adapt it to your industrial use cases: automating simulations, chaining multiple analyses, running parametric studies, or integrating the solver into a broader simulation workflow.

Why our training in particular?

Theory revisited, immediate practice

Two days of hands-on practice backed by a review of theoretical fundamentals. Each practical exercise is more demanding than the previous one: you progress in concrete steps, from discovery to industrial-level work — not through slides.

From installation to post-processing: the complete workflow

You learn to operate and master the tools (Salomé, code_aster and Paraview) together, as in your day-to-day work. Not just the solver: the entire simulation chain.

Practitioner trainers, in front of you

Our engineers and PhDs use code_aster daily on industrial projects at Simvia. In person, they share with you live the best practices, the pitfalls to avoid and the troubleshooting tips you won't find in any documentation.

Close-knit supervision

1 trainer for a maximum of 8 trainees during practical work. When you get stuck, an expert is right beside you.

A network, not just a training course

The inter-company format brings together engineers from different sectors and backgrounds around the same challenges. You exchange feedback, compare approaches and leave with a network of peers who share your technical day-to-day.

Audience

  • Corporate: engineers and technicians with a basic understanding of the physical and digital aspects covered by the course.
  • Academic: researchers, PhD students and students at higher education and research institutions.

Prerequisites

Basic proficiency in code_aster. Good general knowledge of continuum mechanics and numerical solution methods. Basic knowledge of non-linear analysis.

Detailed programme

  1. Day 1 – Morning: Introduction to MFront and Non-Linear Behaviours

    Training Introduction

    • Presentation of objectives
    • Round table introduction of participants

    MFront / MGIS / code_aster Ecosystem

    • Role of MFront in material simulation
    • Interactions with MGIS and finite element solvers

    Fundamentals of Non-Linear Behaviours

    • Plasticity, viscoplasticity and damage
    • Internal variables and evolution laws

    Structure of an MFront File

    • Organisation of a behaviour
    • Material parameters and internal variables
    • Automatic code generation

  2. Day 1 – Afternoon: First Implementations and Validation with MTest

    Introduction to MFront Bricks

    • Presentation of the StandardElastoViscoPlasticity brick
    • Principle and advantages of behavioural bricks

    Introduction to MTest

    • Material point simulation of material tests
    • Analysis of stress–strain responses

    TP1 – Cyclic Test Simulation

    • Implementation of elasto-viscoplastic behaviour
    • Analysis of material response

    TP2 – Full Implementation of a Behaviour Law

    • Implementation of an elastoplastic law
    • Compilation and validation with MTest

  3. Day 2 – Morning: Integration of an MFront Behaviour into code_aster

    Introduction to the Day

    MFront ↔ MGIS ↔ code_aster Coupling

    • Principle of material behaviour integration
    • Compilation and loading into code_aster
    • Non-linear solver configuration

    TP3 – Finite Element Simulation with MFront Behaviour

    • Simulation of a tensile test with elasto-viscoplastic behaviour
    • Simulation setup in code_aster
    • Results analysis

  4. Day 2 – Afternoon: Command Variables and Multiphysics Coupling

    Fields and Command Variables in code_aster

    • Temperature, irradiation, environmental variables
    • Use in behaviour laws

    Information Transfer between code_aster and MFront

    • Management of external variables
    • Environment-driven behaviour control

    TP4 – Tensile Test with Environmental Dependency

    • Implementation of an environment-dependent behaviour
    • Simulation and results analysis

    Training Closing

    • Questions
    • Discussion and debrief

Practical details

  • Hours: 9:00 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 17:00.
  • On site: EDF Lab Paris-Saclay (Palaiseau), lunches and coffee breaks included. Remote: two days one week apart, to practise in between.
  • Language: spoken French with English material (remote sessions in English).
  • Each trainer supervises at most 8 trainees during hands-on work.
  • Help installing the latest version of the code and certificate of completion.

Dates, place, language, prices and registration are given on each session page.

Accessibility

We are committed to making our training accessible to people with disabilities. Every situation is unique, so please contact us before registering so that we can study together the educational, technical or organisational adaptations that can be put in place.

Upcoming sessions

Past sessions (1)