The mid-surface of the block is highlighted.
A shell element created at the mid-surface with the nodes shown.
When you mesh a model, the software generates a mixture of solid, shell, spring, and contact elements based on the created geometry and the study settings. For study types other than fatigue and optimization, the software allows the following options when creating a study:
Solid mesh. All components in the Solids folder that are not suppressed or have shells created on their faces, are meshed with tetrahedral 3D solid elements. Tetrahedral elements are suitable for bulky objects.
Shell Mesh using mid-surfaces. Use this option for sheet metals and simple thin solid parts made of a single material. During meshing, the software creates shell elements based on midsurfaces. The thickness of elements is calculated automatically based on surface pairs. This option is not available for assemblies and surface models and can fail to generate the proper mesh for complex parts and parts with intersections. View the mesh and see if it represents the actual model before proceeding with the solution.
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The mid-surface of the block is highlighted. |
A shell element created at the mid-surface with the nodes shown. |
Shell mesh using surfaces. This option allows you to create shells on selected faces or surfaces. For each shell, you can specify thickness, material, and formulation. It is available for solid parts, solid assemblies, and surface models. Shell elements are placed such that the associated face or surface is located at the middle of the element across the thickness.
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Beam Mesh (Structural Members). Use this option to simulate weldments, frames, and truss structures. The program creates elements automatically from weldments or you can define elements manually. A beam element is a line element defined by two end points and a cross-section. Beam elements are capable of resisting axial, bending, shear, and torsional loads. Trusses resist axial loads only. When used with weldments, the software defines cross-sectional properties and detects joints.
Mixed mesh. Use this option to include solid and shell elements in the same study.
