Using the degenerated tetrahedral and pyramid shapes for SOLID185

- October 4, 2017 at 12:20 pm
  
  Vishal Ganore
  Ansys Employee
  
  Is using the degenerated tetrahedral and pyramid shapes for SOLID185 recommended?
- October 18, 2017 at 4:51 am
  
  Arun Kumar
  Ansys Employee
  
  No. SOLID185 is a lower order element without mid-side nodes. Section 2.5.1 of the MAPDL Element Reference Manual contains a detailed discussion on why using "degenerated elements formed from quadrilateral and brick elements without mid-side nodes" is not recommended. Here is the link to that section of the Help System. help/anselem/HlpECH28.html Also, Benchmark C1 from the Verification Manual contains a sample model that demonstrates that using degenerated lower order elements can produce inaccurate results+. Here is a link to the section of the Help System. help/ansvm/HlpV_VMC1.html