Abaqus structural element families model lower-dimensional structural idealizations such as membranes, trusses, beams, frames, elbows, conventional shells, continuum shells, and axisymmetric shells.
How They Work
Structural elements reduce dimensionality by introducing kinematic assumptions and section behavior. Trusses carry axial force. Beams and frames add bending, shear, torsion, rotations, and cross-section behavior. Membranes carry in-plane behavior without bending stiffness. Shells represent surface-like structures with membrane, bending, and transverse shear effects.
The shell library splits into conventional shell elements, continuum shell elements, and axisymmetric shell elements. Conventional shells use midsurface and thickness-section definitions, while continuum shells are three-dimensional in topology but shell-like through their section behavior. This makes element choice tightly coupled to section definition, thickness integration, and expected locking behavior.
Why It Matters
Structural elements are efficient only when their assumptions match the physical structure. A beam or shell can be much cheaper than a solid model, but the section definition, orientation, transverse shear treatment, and connection to other element families become part of the model.
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