# How to get SPRING2 element stress?

**URL:** <https://calculix.discourse.group/t/how-to-get-spring2-element-stress/1102>\
**Category:** Uncategorized\
**Created:** [May 13, 2022, 8:26am UTC](https://calculix.discourse.group/t/how-to-get-spring2-element-stress/1102 "2022-05-13T08:26:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![arun\_udayakumar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/977dab/32.png) [@arun\_udayakumar](https://calculix.discourse.group/u/arun_udayakumar)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 8:26am UTC](https://calculix.discourse.group/t/how-to-get-spring2-element-stress/1102/1 "2022-05-13T08:26:03Z")

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Hello all,  
**I need to extract the element stress from SPRING2**. Please check the attachment explaining the problem and input file.

 ![test_case_exp](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/calculix/original/1X/facfa54a2c2c4115b991ff4c8ef72982897830da.png)

Abaqus provides S11 values for SPRING2 elements. It will be very helpful to get it from Calculix too.  
Thank you,  
With Best Regards,  
U Arun

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**Author:** ![Calc\_em](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Calc\_em](https://calculix.discourse.group/u/Calc_em)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 8:57am UTC](https://calculix.discourse.group/t/how-to-get-spring2-element-stress/1102/2 "2022-05-13T08:57:44Z")

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What Abaqus provides as S11 for spring elements is just the force in the spring since these elements don’t represent any particular geometry and only model the behavior of springs.

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**Author:** ![jbr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecccb3/32.png) [@jbr](https://calculix.discourse.group/u/jbr)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 2:29pm UTC](https://calculix.discourse.group/t/how-to-get-spring2-element-stress/1102/3 "2022-05-14T14:29:58Z")

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@arun_udayakumar Like @Calc_em mentioned, these elements do not have a geometry associated with them. You need to request forces or displacements at these nodes if that is what you want to get. The documentation is pretty good:

 ![SPRING2](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/calculix/original/1X/877192833b04ce3ba191cfb101f18d1886049d21.png)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![arun\_udayakumar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/977dab/32.png) [@arun\_udayakumar](https://calculix.discourse.group/u/arun_udayakumar)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2022, 6:42am UTC](https://calculix.discourse.group/t/how-to-get-spring2-element-stress/1102/4 "2022-05-16T06:42:38Z")

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Thank you Calc\_em and jbr for your valuable inputs.

**Which input deck cards can be used to print the SPRING2 forces in the model ?**

Thank you,  
With Best Regards,  
U Arun

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**Author:** ![Calc\_em](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Calc\_em](https://calculix.discourse.group/u/Calc_em)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2022, 12:09pm UTC](https://calculix.discourse.group/t/how-to-get-spring2-element-stress/1102/5 "2022-05-16T12:09:51Z")

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I’m afraid that, unlike Abaqus, CalculiX doesn’t offer any output variables for that. You can only request reaction force at the fixed end of a spring. For example:

```auto
*Node
1,0,0,0
2,10,0,0
*Element, type=SPRING2, elset=spring
1,1,2
*Nset, nset=fixed
1
*Nset, nset=loaded
2
*Spring, elset=spring
1,1
0.8
*Step
*Static
*Boundary
1,1,3
2,2,3
*Cload
2,1,300
*El print, elset=spring
S
*Node print, nset=fixed
RF
*Node print, nset=loaded
U
*End step

```

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**Author:** ![JuanP74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5a626/32.png) [@JuanP74](https://calculix.discourse.group/u/JuanP74)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2022, 1:07pm UTC](https://calculix.discourse.group/t/how-to-get-spring2-element-stress/1102/6 "2022-05-16T13:07:45Z")

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Be careful when using RF. From the manual (v2.19):

 ![Captura de pantalla 2022-05-16 a las 15.01.00](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/calculix/original/1X/5c668b6d27287ea4aeb67866ca9deb61649b2e8b.png)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![arun\_udayakumar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/977dab/32.png) [@arun\_udayakumar](https://calculix.discourse.group/u/arun_udayakumar)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2022, 3:57pm UTC](https://calculix.discourse.group/t/how-to-get-spring2-element-stress/1102/7 "2022-05-16T15:57:20Z")

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Thank you for the replies.(@Calc_em @jbr @JuanP74 ).

Is it possible to get something similar to **nodal forces due to element stresses (NFORC)** output for SPRING2?

Thank you,  
With Best Regards,  
U Arun