Elements Reference
Table of Contents

1 About This Manual

1.1 Guide to the ANSYS Documentation

1.2 The Elements Manual

2.1 Element Input

2.1.1 Element Name

2.1.2 Nodes

2.1.3 Degrees of Freedom

2.1.4 Real Constants

2.1.5 Material Properties

2.1.6 Surface Loads

2.1.7 Body Loads

2.1.8 Special Features

2.1.9 KEYOPTs

2.2 Solution Output

2.2.1 Nodal Solution

2.2.2 Element Solution

2.3 Coordinate Systems

2.3.1 Element Coordinate Systems

2.3.2 Elements that Operate in the Nodal Coordinate
System

2.4 Linear Material Properties

2.5 Data Tables - Implicit Analysis

2.5.1 Nonlinear Stress-Strain Materials

2.5.2 Mooney-Rivlin Hyperelastic Material Constants

2.5.3 Viscoelastic Material Constants

2.5.4 Magnetic Materials

2.5.5 Anisotropic Elastic Materials

2.5.6 Piezoelectric Materials

2.5.7 Creep Equations

2.5.8 Swelling Equations

2.6 Explicit Dynamics Materials

2.6.1 Linear Elastic Materials

2.6.2 Nonlinear Elastic Materials

2.6.3 Plastic Materials

2.6.4 Foam Materials

2.6.5 Composite Material

2.6.6 Equation of State Materials

2.6.7 Miscellaneous Materials

2.7 Node and Element Loads

2.8 Triangle, Prism and Tetrahedral Elements

2.9 Axisymmetric Elements with Nonaxisymmetric Loads

2.10 Shear Deflection

3.1 Lists of Element Types

3.1.1 Two-Dimensional versus Three-Dimensional Models

3.1.2 Element Characteristic Shape

3.1.3 Degrees of Freedom and Discipline

3.1.4 User Elements

3.2 Pictorial Summary

3.2.1 Pictorial Summary of Element Types

4.1 LINK1 2-D Spar

4.2 PLANE2 2-D 6-Node Triangular Structural Solid

4.3 BEAM3 2-D Elastic Beam

4.4 BEAM4 3-D Elastic Beam

4.5 SOLID5 3-D Coupled-Field Solid

4.7 COMBIN7 Revolute Joint

4.8 LINK8 3-D Spar

4.9 INFIN9 2-D Infinite Boundary

4.10 LINK10 Tension-only or Compression-only Spar

4.11 LINK11 Linear Actuator

4.12 CONTAC12 2-D Point-to-Point Contact

4.13 PLANE13 2-D Coupled-Field Solid

4.14 COMBIN14 Spring-Damper

4.16 PIPE16 Elastic Straight Pipe

4.17 PIPE17 Elastic Pipe Tee

4.18 PIPE18 Elastic Curved Pipe (Elbow)

4.19 SURF19 2-D Surface Effect

4.20 PIPE20 Plastic Straight Pipe

4.21 MASS21 Structural Mass

4.22 SURF22 3-D Surface Effect

4.23 BEAM23 2-D Plastic Beam

4.24 BEAM24 3-D Thin-walled Beam

4.25 PLANE25 4-Node Axisymmetric-Harmonic Structural Solid

4.26 CONTAC26 2-D Point-to-Ground Contact

4.27 MATRIX27 Stiffness, Damping, or Mass Matrix

4.28 SHELL28 Shear/Twist Panel

4.29 FLUID29 2-D Acoustic Fluid

4.30 FLUID30 3-D Acoustic Fluid

4.31 LINK31 Radiation Link

4.32 LINK32 2-D Conduction Bar

4.33 LINK33 3-D Conduction Bar

4.34 LINK34 Convection Link

4.35 PLANE35 2-D 6-Node Triangular Thermal Solid

4.36 SOURC36 Current Source

4.37 COMBIN37 Control

4.38 FLUID38 Dynamic Fluid Coupling

4.39 COMBIN39 Nonlinear Spring

4.40 COMBIN40 Combination

4.41 SHELL41 Membrane Shell

4.42 PLANE42 2-D Structural Solid

4.43 SHELL43 Plastic Large Strain Shell

4.44 BEAM44 3-D Tapered Unsymmetric Beam

4.45 SOLID45 3-D Structural Solid

4.46 SOLID46 3-D Layered Structural Solid

4.47 INFIN47 3-D Infinite Boundary

4.48 CONTAC48 2-D Point-to-Surface Contact

4.49 CONTAC49 3-D Point-to-Surface Contact

4.50 MATRIX50 Superelement

4.51 SHELL51 Axisymmetric Structural Shell

4.52 CONTAC52 3-D Point-to-Point Contact

4.53 PLANE53 2-D 8-Node Magnetic Solid

4.54 BEAM54 2-D Elastic Tapered Unsymmetric Beam

4.55 PLANE55 2-D Thermal Solid

4.56 HYPER56 2-D 4-Node Mixed U-P Hyperelastic Solid

4.57 SHELL57 Thermal Shell

4.58 HYPER58 3-D 8-Node Mixed U-P Hyperelastic Solid

4.59 PIPE59 Immersed Pipe or Cable

4.60 PIPE60 Plastic Curved Pipe (Elbow)

4.61 SHELL61 Axisymmetric-Harmonic Structural Shell

4.62 SOLID62 3-D Magneto-Structural Solid

4.63 SHELL63 Elastic Shell

4.64 SOLID64 3-D Anisotropic Solid

4.65 SOLID65 3-D Reinforced Concrete Solid

4.66 FLUID66 Thermal-Fluid Pipe

4.67 PLANE67 2-D Thermal-Electric Solid

4.68 LINK68 Thermal-Electric Line

4.69 SOLID69 3-D Thermal-Electric Solid

4.70 SOLID70 3-D Thermal Solid

4.71 MASS71 Thermal Mass

4.72 SOLID72 3-D 4-Node Tetrahedral Structural Solid with
Rotations

4.73 SOLID73 3-D 8-Node Structural Solid with Rotations

4.74 HYPER74 2-D 8-Node Mixed U-P Hyperelastic Solid

4.75 PLANE75 Axisymmetric-Harmonic Thermal Solid

4.77 PLANE77 2-D 8-Node Thermal Solid

4.78 PLANE78 8-Node Axisymmetric-Harmonic Thermal Solid

4.79 FLUID79 2-D Contained Fluid

4.80 FLUID80 3-D Contained Fluid

4.81 FLUID81 Axisymmetric-Harmonic Contained Fluid Element

4.82 PLANE82 2-D 8-Node Structural Solid

4.83 PLANE83 8-Node Axisymmetric-Harmonic Structural Solid

4.84 HYPER84 2-D 8-Node Hyperelastic Solid

4.86 HYPER86 3-D Hyperelastic Solid

4.87 SOLID87 3-D 10-Node Tetrahedral Thermal Solid

4.88 VISCO88 2-D 8-Node Viscoelastic Solid

4.89 VISCO89 3-D 20-Node Viscoelastic Solid

4.90 SOLID90 3-D 20-Node Thermal Solid

4.91 SHELL91 Nonlinear Layered Structural Shell

4.92 SOLID92 3-D 10-Node Tetrahedral Structural Solid

4.93 SHELL93 8-Node Structural Shell

4.95 SOLID95 3-D 20-Node Structural Solid

4.96 SOLID96 3-D Magnetic Scalar Solid

4.97 SOLID97 3-D Magnetic Solid

4.98 SOLID98 Tetrahedral Coupled-Field Solid

4.99 SHELL99 Linear Layered Structural Shell

4.106 VISCO106 2-D Large Strain Solid

4.107 VISCO107 3-D Large Strain Solid

4.108 VISCO108 2-D 8-Node Large Strain Solid

4.110 INFIN110 2-D Infinite Solid

4.111 INFIN111 3-D Infinite Solid

4.115 INTER115 3-D Magnetic Interface

4.116 FLUID116 Thermal-Fluid Pipe

4.117 SOLID117 3-D Magnetic Solid

4.119 HF119 3-D High-Frequency Tetrahedral Solid

4.120 HF120 3-D High-Frequency Brick Solid

4.121 PLANE121 2-D 8-Node Electrostatic Solid

4.122 SOLID122 3-D 20-Node Electrostatic Solid

4.123 SOLID123 3-D 10-Node Tetrahedral Electrostatic Solid

4.124 CIRCU124 General Circuit

4.129 FLUID129 2-D Infinite Acoustic

4.130 FLUID130 3-D Infinite Acoustic

4.141 FLUID141 2-D Fluid-Thermal

4.142 FLUID142 3-D Fluid-Thermal

4.143 SHELL143 Plastic Shell

4.145 PLANE145 2-D Quadrilateral Structural Solid p-Element

4.146 PLANE146 2-D Triangular Structural Solid p-Element

4.147 SOLID147 3-D Brick Structural Solid p-Element

4.148 SOLID148 3-D Tetrahedral Structural Solid p-Element

4.150 SHELL150 8-Node Structural Shell p-Element

4.151 SURF151 2-D Thermal Surface Effect

4.152 SURF152 3-D Thermal Surface Effect

4.153 SURF153 2-D Structural Surface Effect

4.154 SURF154 3-D Structural Surface Effect

4.157 SHELL157 Coupled Thermal-Electric Shell

4.158 HYPER158 3-D 10-Node Tetrahedral Mixed U-P
Hyperelastic Solid

4.160 LINK160 Explicit 3-D Spar

4.161 BEAM161 Explicit 3-D Beam

4.163 SHELL163 Explicit Thin Structural Shell

4.164 SOLID164 Explicit 3-D Structural Solid

4.165 COMBI165 Explicit Spring- Damper

4.166 MASS166 Explicit 3-D Structural Mass

4.167 LINK167 Explicit Tension-Only Spar

4.169 TARGE169 2-D Target Segment

4.170 TARGE170 3-D Target Segment

4.171 CONTA171 2-D Surface-to-Surface Contact

4.172 CONTA172 2-D 3-Node Surface-to-Surface Contact

4.173 CONTA173 3-D Surface-to-Surface Contact Element

4.174 CONTA174 3-D 8-Node Surface-to-Surface Contact

4.181 SHELL181 Finite Strain Shell

4.182 PLANE182 2-D Structural Solid

4.185 SOLID185 3-D Structural Solid

4.188 BEAM188 3-D Linear Finite Strain Beam

4.189 BEAM189 3-D Quadratic Finite Strain Beam

Indices .