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Ansys Learning Forum › Forums › Discuss Simulation › General Mechanical › Connecting different elements together › Reply To: Connecting different elements together

May 28, 2024 at 9:25 am
Asitang
Ansys Employee

Hi Janne,

Directly joining elements that have different DOF characteristics might lead to inconsistencies at the interface. It is important to note that the solution might not be able to transfer the appropriate forces or moments between various elements if the elements are inconsistent with one another. Even though this might not invalidate your analysis, you should be aware of what happens at the interface of two different element types.

However, if you wish to connect different elements, you can certainly do that. The SHELL181 and SOLID185 elements can be connected using contact with MPC formulation, where the target surface must be on the solid side and the contact surface/edge must be on the shell side. Depending on your requirements, you can also modify the type of constraint. To know more about the constraint types, refer to the Help document here -  14.5.3.3. Advanced Settings (ansys.com)

Hope this helps!
Regards,
Asitang