Analyzing Thin Structures Efficiently Using Ansys Mechanical — Lesson 2

Structures whose thickness is significantly smaller than the other two dimensions are referred to as thin structures and analyzing such structures poses some challenges. In this video, we address these challenges by discussing how to efficiently model thin structures as surface bodies and how to use shell elements to mesh them. Nodes of shell elements, in addition to having translational degrees of freedom, have three rotational degrees of freedom. This allows them to have both membrane and bending behaviour. In addition, they have several attributes such as thickness, offset, local coordinate system etc. In this walkthrough workshop, we discuss each of these attributes in detail, and also some tips and tricks to keep in mind when using shell elements. // INTERESTED IN MORE? Visit Ansys Innovation Courses for free courses, including videos, handouts, simulation examples with starting files, homework problems and quizzes. Visit today → // DOWNLOAD FREE A