MESH200 Meshing Facet
2.3. Selecting Elements for Your Analysis
Use this list of elements sorted by application to select the best elements for your analysis. Primary applications are as follows:
Contact (p. 34) Structural (p. 22)
Combination (p. 35) Explicit Dynamics (p. 26)
Matrix (p. 35) Thermal (p. 27)
Infinite (p. 35) Acoustic (p. 29)
Load (p. 36) Diffusion (p. 30)
Meshing (p. 37) Fluid (p. 30)
Reinforcing (p. 37) Magnetic Electric (p. 31)
User-Defined (p. 37) Electric Circuit (p. 32)
Coupled-Field (p. 32)
Within each element category, the elements appear in order of shape function (topology). Current-technology elements take precedence.
Structural
Pictorial Element
Dimen-sion Type
SOLID185 8-Node Structural Solid
3-D Structural Solid
SOLID186 20-Node Structur-al Solid
SOLID187 10-Node Tetrahed-ral StructuTetrahed-ral Solid
SOLID285 4-Node Tetrahed-ral StructuTetrahed-ral Solid with Nodal Pressures
SOLID65 8-Node Reinforced Concrete Structural Solid
PLANE182 4-Node Structural Solid
2-D
PLANE183 8-Node Structural Solid
PLANE25 4-Node Axisymmet-ric-Harmonic Structural Solid
PLANE83 8-Node Axisymmet-ric-Harmonic Structural Solid
SOLID272 4- to 48-Node General Axisymmetric Solid General
Axisym-metric
SOLID273 8- to 96-Node General Axisymmetric Solid
SOLSH190 8-Node Structural Solid Shell
3-D Structural Solid
Shell
SHELL181 4-Node Structural Shell
3-D Structural Shell
SHELL281 8-Node Structural Shell
SHELL28 4-Node Structural Shear/Twist Panel
SHELL41 4-Node Structural Membrane Shell
SHELL208 2-Node Axisym-metric Shell
2-D
SHELL209 3-Node Axisym-metric Shell
SHELL61 2-Node Axisymmet-ric-Harmonic Structural Shell
SOLID185 8-Node Layered Solid
3-D Structural
Layered Com-posite
SOLID186 20-Node Layered Structural Solid
SOLSH190 8-Node Solid Shell
The following elements can also be used for layered applications:SHELL181, SHELL208,SHELL209,SHELL281,ELBOW290
BEAM188 2-Node Structural Beam
3-D Structural Beam
BEAM189 3-Node Structural Beam
PIPE288 2-Node Pipe 3-D
Structural Pipe
PIPE289 3-Node Pipe
ELBOW290 3-Node Elbow
LINK180 2-Node Structural 3-D Spar (or Truss)
3-D Structural Line
LINK11 2-Node Structural Linear Actuator
MASS21 1-Node Structural Mass
3-D Structural Point
INTER194 Interface 16-Node Gasket
3-D Structural
Inter-face
INTER195 Interface 8-Node Gasket
INTER204 Interface 16-Node Cohesive
INTER205 Interface 8-Node Cohesive
INTER192 Interface 4-Node Gasket
2-D
INTER193 Interface 6-Node Gasket
INTER202 Interface 4-Node
INTER203 Interface 6-Node Cohesive
MPC184 3-D
Structural Multi-point Con-straint
MPC184-Link/Beam
MPC184-Slider
MPC184-Revolute
MPC184-Universal
MPC184-Slot
MPC184-Point
MPC184Translational
MPC184Cylindrical
MPC184-Planar
MPC184-Weld
MPC184-Orient
MPC184-Spherical
MPC184-General
MPC184-Screw
Pictorial Element
Dimen-sion Type
SOLID164 8-Node Explicit Structural Solid
3-D Explicit Solid
SOLID16810-Node Explicit Tetrahedral Structural Solid
PLANE162 4-Node Explicit Solid
2-D
SHELL163 4-Node Explicit Thin Structural Shell 3-D
Explicit Shell
BEAM161 3-Node Explicit Beam
3-D Explicit Beam
LINK160 3-Node Explicit Spar (or Truss)
3-D Explicit Line
LINK167 3-Node Explicit Tension-Only Spar
COMBI165 2-Node Explicit Spring-Damper
MASS166 1-Node Explicit Structural Mass
3-D Explicit Point
Thermal
Pictorial Element
Dimen-sion Type
SOLID278 8-Node Thermal Solid
3-D Thermal Solid
SOLID279 20-Node Thermal Solid
SOLID70 8-Node Thermal Solid
SOLID87 10-Node Tetrahed-ral Thermal Solid
SOLID90 20-Node Thermal Solid
PLANE35 6-Node Triangular Thermal Solid
2-D
PLANE55 4-Node Thermal Solid
PLANE75 4-Node Axisymmet-ric-Harmonic Thermal Solid
PLANE77 8-Node Thermal Solid
PLANE78 4-Node Axisymmet-ric-Harmonic Thermal Solid
SOLID278 8-Node Thermal Solid
3-D Thermal
Layered Solid
SOLID279 20-Node Thermal Solid
SHELL131 4-Node Thermal Shell
3-D Thermal Shell
SHELL132 8-Node Thermal Shell
LINK31 2-Node Radiation Link
3-D Thermal Line
LINK33 2-Node Thermal Conduction Bar
LINK34 2-Node Convection Link
MASS71 1-Node Thermal Mass
3-D Thermal Point
LINK68 2-Node Coupled Thermal-Electric Line 3-D
Thermal Electric
SHELL157 4-Node Thermal-Electric Shell
Acoustic
Pictorial Element
Dimen-sion Type
FLUID30 8-Node Acoustic Fluid
3-D Acoustic
Volume
FLUID220 20-Node Acoustic Fluid
FLUID221 10-Node Acoustic Fluid
FLUID29 4-Node Acoustic Fluid
2-D
FLUID130 4-Node Infinite Acoustic
3-D Acoustic Planar
FLUID129 2-Node Infinite Acoustic
2-D Acoustic Line
Diffusion
Pictorial Element
Dimen-sion Type
PLANE238 8-Node Diffusion Solid
2-D Diffusion Solid
SOLID239 20-Node Diffusion Solid
3-D
SOLID240
10-Node Tetrahedral Diffusion Solid Fluid
Pictorial Element
Dimen-sion Type
HSFLD242 9-Node Hydrostat-ic Fluid
3-D Fluid Volume
HSFLD241 4-Node Hydrostat-ic Fluid
2-D
FLUID142 8-Node Fluid-Thermal
3-D Fluid CFD
FLUID141 4-Node Fluid-Thermal
2-D
FLUID38 2-Node Dynamic Fluid Coupling
3-D Fluid - Gap
FLUID136 4- or 8-Node Squeeze Film Fluid
FLUID138 2-Node Viscous Fluid Link
FLUID139 2- or 32-Node Slide Film Fluid
FLUID116 2-Node Coupled Thermal-Fluid Pipe
3-D Fluid Pipe
Magnetic Electric
Pictorial Element
Dimen-sion Type
SOLID96 8-Node Magnetic Scalar Solid
3-D
---SOLID97 8-Node Magnetic Solid
HF119 10-Node High-Fre-quency Magnetic Electric Tetrahedral Solid
HF120 20-Node High-Fre-quency Magnetic Electric Brick Solid
SOLID122 20-Node Electro-static Solid
SOLID123 10-Node Tetrahed-ral Electrostatic Solid
SOLID231 20-Node Electric Solid
SOLID232 10-Node Tetrahed-ral Electric Solid
SOLID236 20-Node Electro-magnetic Solid
SOLID237 10-Node Electro-magnetic Solid
PLANE53 8-Node Magnetic Solid
2-D
HF118 8-Node High-Fre-quency Magnetic Electric Quadrilateral Solid
PLANE121 8-Node Electro-static Solid
PLANE230 8-Node Electric Solid
PLANE233 8-Node Electro-magnetic Solid
Electric Circuit
Pictorial Element
Dimen-sion Type
SOURC36 3-Node Magnetic Electric Current Source 3-D
---CIRCU124 2- to 6-Node Magnetic Electric Circuit CIRCU125 2-Node Magnetic Electric Diode
CIRCU94 2- or 3-Node Coupled-Field Piezoelectric Circuit
2-D
Coupled-Field
Pictorial Element
Dimen-sion Type
SOLID226 20-Node Coupled-Field Solid
3-D
---SOLID227 10-Node Coupled-Field Solid
SOLID5 8-Node Coupled-Field Solid
LINK68 2-Node-Coupled Thermal-Electric Line SOLID98 10-Node Tetrahed-ral Coupled-Field Solid
ROM144 20- or 30-Node Re-duced-Order Electrostatic-Structural Coupled-Field
SHELL157 4-Node Thermal-Electric Shell
CPT215 8-Node Coupled Pore-Pressure Mechanical Solid
CPT216 20-Node Coupled Pore-Pressure Mechanical Solid
CPT217 10-Node Coupled Pore-Pressure Mechanical Solid
PLANE223 8-Node Coupled-Field Solid
2-D
PLANE13 4-Node Coupled-Field Solid
CPT212 4-Node Coupled Pore-Pressure Mechanical Solid
CPT213 8-Node Coupled Pore-Pressure Mechanical Solid
Contact
Pictorial Element
Dimen-sion Type
TARGE170 8-Node Contact 3-D Target Segment 3-D
---CONTA173 4-Node Surface-to-Surface Contact
CONTA174 8-Node Surface-to-Surface Contact
CONTA176 3-Node Line-to-Line Contact
CONTA177 3-Node Line-to-Surface Contact
CONTA178 2-Node Node-to-Node Contact
CONTA175 1-Node Node-to-Surface Contact
2-D/3-D
TARGE169 3-Node Contact 2-D Target Segment 2-D
CONTA171 2-Node Surface-to-Surface Contact
CONTA172 3-Node Surface-to-Surface Contact
Combination
Pictorial Element
Dimen-sion Type
COMBIN14 2-Node Combin-ation Spring-Damper 3-D
---COMBIN37 4-Node Combin-ation Control
COMBIN39 2-Node Combin-ation Nonlinear Spring
COMBIN40 2-Node Combin-ation
PRETS179 3-Node Pretension Combination
2-D/3-D
COMBI214 2-Node Combina-tion Spring-Damper Bearing 2-D
Matrix
Pictorial Element
Dimen-sion Type
MATRIX27 2-Node Stiffness, Damping, or Mass Matrix 3-D
---MATRIX50 Superelement (or Substructure)
2-D/3-D
Infinite
INFIN47 4-Node Infinite Boundary
3-D
---8INFIN111 8- or 20-Node Infin-ite Solid
INFIN9 2-Node Infinite Boundary
2-D
8
INFIN110 4- or 8-Node Infin-ite SolidLoad
Pictorial Element
Dimen-sion Type
SURF152 4- to 10-Node Thermal Surface Effect 3-D
---SURF154 4- to 8-Node Structural Surface Effect
SURF156 3- or 4-Node Structural Surface Line Load SURF159 2- to 36-Node General Axisymmetric Sur-face
FOLLW201 1-Node Follower Load
SURF252 3- or 4-Node Thermal Radiosity Surface
SURF151 2- or 4-Node Thermal Surface Effect 2-D
SURF153 2- or 3-Node Structural Surface Effect SURF251 2-Node Radiosity Surface
Meshing
Pictorial Element
Dimen-sion Type
MESH200 2- to 20-Node Meshing Facet
2-D/3-D
---Reinforcing
Pictorial Element
Dimen-sion Type
REINF264 2- to 20-Node Discrete Reinforcing 3-D
---REINF265 2- to 20-Node Smeared Reinforcing
REINF263 2- to 8-Node Smeared Reinforcing 2-D
User-Defined
Pictorial Element
Dimen-sion Type
---USER300