The characteristic element length is passed in to the VUMAT from ABAQUS/Explicit in the variable 'charLength'. It is used, for instance, if you are modeling a sub-element phenomenon like a local decohesion or embedded localization zone and the averaged stress-strain response will depend on the ratio of the zone size to the element size.
Use, not calculate
Michael,
The characteristic element length is passed in to the VUMAT from ABAQUS/Explicit in the variable 'charLength'. It is used, for instance, if you are modeling a sub-element phenomenon like a local decohesion or embedded localization zone and the averaged stress-strain response will depend on the ratio of the zone size to the element size.
Matt Lewis
Los Alamos, New Mexico