Reducing computing time, non linear composite, looking for deformed shape

Hello All,

  I am currently running a non linear simulation that requires around 25hrs of computing time on a 16 cores machine. 

It's got 300000 elements. Radioss adjust the timestep automatically and reduces to something around 4e-4s. I therefore need around 2500 time steps to converge.

  The problem I am trying to solve is something similar to a beam in bending ( I do need non-linear) and my requirement is to find the static deformed shape (not a dynamic case, it will converge to a steady result).

  I have tried explicit but timestep is 1e-9s and it would take 175days to converge... 

   Are there any tricks/ideas that could be used to speed up the convergence?

Thanks,

NR