Three-dimensional solid elements for structural analysis include:
Brick (Hex), 8 nodes linear interpolation or 20 nodes quadratic interpolation
Figure-1: Solid elements
The various elements comes with several options such as full or reduced integration, incompatible mode and hourglass control.
Figure-2: Hex meshing
A detailed description and discussion on solid 3D elements can be found in [1]. The most relevant issues for TMM4175 Polymer Composites are emphasized below:
General recommendations:
Figure-3: Performance of solid elements when subjected to predominantly bending. The most accurate
results are obtained by C3D20R elements or a sufficient number of C3D8R elements.
Figure-4: Example of hourglassing for element type C3D8R compared to C3D8 or C3D20R subjected to concentrated loads
Elements for composites and layered solid structures
For most of the examples and problems in TMM4175 Polymer Composites, we will be using one of two solid 3D elements:
Shell elements are used to model structures in which the thickness is significantly smaller than the other dimensions. Conventional shell elements use this condition to discretize a body by defining the geometry at a reference surface. In this case the thickness is defined through the section property definition. The nodes in conventional shell elements have both displacement and rotational degrees of freedom.
Figure-5: Shell elements
A detailed description and discussion on shell elements can be found in [2]. The most relevant issues for TMM4175 Polymer Composites are emphasized below:
General recommendations:
Note: All shell elements mentioned above include methods for estimating the contribution of transverse shear strain to the out-of-plane deformation.
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