The program includes about 40 elements (described below) to help you perform steady-state thermal analyses.
For detailed information about the elements, see the Element Reference, which manual organizes element descriptions in numeric order.
Element names are shown in uppercase. All elements apply to both steady-state and transient thermal analyses. SOLID70 also can compensate for mass transport heat flow from a constant velocity field.
Table 2.1: 2D Solid Elements
| Element | Dimens. | Shape or Characteristic | DOFs |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLANE35 | 2D | Triangle, 6-node | Temperature (at each node) |
| PLANE55 | 2D | Quadrilateral, 4-node | Temperature (at each node) |
| PLANE75 | 2D | Harmonic, 4-node | Temperature (at each node) |
| PLANE77 | 2D | Quadrilateral, 8-node | Temperature (at each node) |
| PLANE78 | 2D | Harmonic, 8-node | Temperature (at each node) |
| PLANE292 | 2D | Quadrilateral, 4-node | Temperature (at each node) |
| PLANE293 | 2D | Quadrilateral, 8-node | Temperature (at each node) |
Table 2.2: 3D Solid Elements
| Element | Dimens. | Shape or Characteristic | DOFs |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOLID70 | 3D | Brick, 8-node | Temperature (at each node) |
| SOLID87 | 3D | Tetrahedron, 10-node | Temperature (at each node) |
| SOLID90 | 3D | Brick, 20-node | Temperature (at each node) |
| SOLID278 | 3D | Brick, 8-node | Temperature (at each node) |
| SOLID279 | 3D | Brick, 20-node | Temperature (at each node) |
| SOLID291 | 3D | Tetrahedron, 10-node | Temperature (at each node) |
Table 2.3: Radiation Link Elements
| Element | Dimens. | Shape or Characteristic | DOFs |
|---|---|---|---|
| LINK31 | 2D or 3D | Line, 2-node | Temperature (at each node) |
Table 2.4: Conducting Bar Elements
| Element | Dimens. | Shape or Characteristic | DOFs |
|---|---|---|---|
| LINK33 | 3D | Line, 2-node | Temperature (at each node) |
Table 2.5: Convection Link Elements
| Element | Dimens. | Shape or Characteristic | DOFs |
|---|---|---|---|
| LINK34 | 3D | Line, 2-node | Temperature (at each node) |
Table 2.7: Coupled-Field Elements
| Element | Dimens. | Shape or Characteristic | DOFs |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLANE13 | 2D | Thermal-structural; 4-node | Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential, magnetic vector potential |
| FLUID116 | 3D | Thermal-fluid; 2-node or 4-node | Temperature, pressure |
| SOLID5 | 3D | Thermal-structural and thermal-electric; 8-node | Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential, and magnetic scalar potential |
| SOLID98 | 3D | Thermal-structural and thermal-electric; 10-node | Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential, magnetic vector potential |
| LINK68 | 3D | Thermal-electric; 2-node | Temperature, electric potential |
| SHELL157 | 3D | Thermal-electric; 4-node | Temperature, electric potential |
| TARGE169 | 2D | Target segment element | Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential |
| TARGE170 | 3D | Target segment element | Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential |
| CONTA172 | 2D | Surface-to-surface contact element; 3-node | Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential |
| CONTA174 | 3D | Surface-to-surface contact element; 8-node | Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential |
| CONTA175 | 2D/3D | Node-to-surface contact element; 1-node | Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential |
| PLANE222 | 2D | Thermal-structural thermal-electric, structural-thermoelectric, thermal-piezoelectric, thermal-diffusion, thermal-electric-diffusion, structural-thermal-diffusion, structural-thermal-electric-diffusion; 4-node | Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential, concentration |
| PLANE223 | 2D | Thermal-structural, thermal-electric, structural-thermoelectric, thermal-piezoelectric, thermal-magnetic, thermal-electromagnetic, thermal-diffusion, thermal-electric-diffusion, structural-thermal-diffusion, structural-thermal-electric-diffusion; 8-node | Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential, magnetic vector potential, concentration |
| SOLID225 | 3D | Thermal-structural, thermal-electric, structural-thermoelectric, and thermal-piezoelectric, thermal-diffusion, thermal-electric-diffusion, structural-thermal-diffusion, structural-thermal-electric-diffusion; 8-node | Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential, concentration |
| SOLID226 | 3D | Thermal-structural, thermal-electric, structural-thermoelectric, and thermal-piezoelectric, thermal-magnetic, thermal-electromagnetic, thermal-diffusion, thermal-electric-diffusion, structural-thermal-diffusion, structural-thermal-electric-diffusion; 20-node | Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential, edge-flux, concentration |
| SOLID227 | 3D | Thermal-structural, thermal-electric, structural-thermoelectric, and thermal-piezoelectric, thermal-magnetic, thermal-electromagnetic, thermal-diffusion, thermal-electric-diffusion, structural-thermal-diffusion, structural-thermal-electric-diffusion; 10-node | Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential, edge-flux, concentration |
Table 2.8: Specialty Elements
| Element | Dimens. | Shape or Characteristic | DOFs |
|---|---|---|---|
| MASS71 | 1D, 2D, or 3D | Mass, one-node | Temperature |
| COMBIN37 | 1D | Control element, 4-node | Temperature, structural displacement, rotation, pressure |
| SURF151 | 2D | Surface-effect element, 2-node to 4-node | Temperature |
| SURF152 | 3D | Surface-effect element, 4-node to 9-node | Temperature |
| SURF251 | 2D | Radiation surface-effect element, 2-node | None |
| SURF252 | 3D | Radiation surface-effect element, 4-node | None |
| MATRIX50 | [1] | Matrix or radiation matrix element, no fixed geometry | [1] |
| INFIN47 [2] | 3D | Infinite boundary, 4-node | Temperature, magnetic vector potential |
| INFIN110 [2] | 2D | Infinite boundary, 4 or 8 nodes | Temperature, magnetic vector potential, electric potential |
| INFIN111 [2] | 3D | Infinite boundary, 8 or 20 nodes | Temperature, magnetic scalar potential, magnetic vector potential, electric potential |
| COMBIN14 | 1D, 2D, or 3D | Combination element, 2-node | Temperature, structural displacement, rotation, pressure |
| COMBIN39 | 1D | Combination element, 2-node | Temperature, structural displacement, rotation, pressure |
| COMBIN40 | 1D | Combination element, 2-node | Temperature, structural displacement, rotation, pressure |
As determined from the element types included in this superelement.
For information on modeling the effects of far-field decay, see Far-Field Elements in the Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Analysis Guide.