Composite materials, and parts constructed with one material enclosed within another, are commonly observed in engineered or natural structures. The embedded materials generally provide additional structural stiffness or other functional properties (such as heat generation, and thermal and electrical conduction).

Because embedded materials often appear within a large number of distinctive members with irregular patterns, standard modeling methods (such as full modeling requiring detailed discretization of embedded members, base material, and their interfaces) may always not be feasible. Therefore, Mechanical APDL offers both a reinforcing workflow and a direct embedding workflow for modeling embedded members.

Both workflows are capable of establishing bonded connections automatically between two independently meshed and intersecting element components. Neither workflow requires mesh conformity between the embedded and base elements.