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/lates/Shells
The plate/shell finite element allows you to easily model shear walls, diaphragms, shells, tanks
and many other surface structures. We refer to the elements as plate elements, but they are
actually plate/shell elements. Plate data may be viewed and edited in three ways: graphically, in
the 0n-ormation dialog or in the /lates spreadsheet.
Drawin+ /lates
There are several graphic-editing features that make the creation and modification of models
uite easy. !se the "nsert and #odify menus or the $rawing Toolbar to use these features in the
model view. To create new members or plates, you can draw them using a drawing grid or draw
%dot to dot% from e&isting 'oints. (nce you have created these items you may use other graphic
features to load the model and set boundary conditions.
)reating plate models reuires more forethought than beam models. *ee Plate #odeling Tips and
Plate #odeling +&amples for tips on building plate models. To create new plates you can draw
them using a drawing grid, a pro'ect grid, or draw %dot to dot% from e&isting 'oints. ,ou can set
all of the plate properties up front or you can modify these properties after you draw them.
#odifying properties is discussed in the ne&t sections. *ee Plate *preadsheet for information on
plates and their properties.
The Draw /lates tool lets you graphically draw plates in your model. +nter the appropriate plate
parameters, click 23 and draw plates between e&isting 'oints or on the drawing grid. ,ou will
also notice that the coordinates of the 'oint or grid point that is closest to your cursor are
displayed in the lower right hand corner of the model view. The new plates will be shown on
screen and will be recorded in the /lates Spreadsheet.
To actually draw a plate, you have two options. The fastest way is to use the *reate /lates b4
*lic5in+ on 6rid )reas option, and then create plates by clicking on the grid areas formed by
the intersecting grid lines. -s you click on an area, a plate will automatically be created in that
area. The second option is to create plates by drawing them one 'oint at a time. ,ou click on the
grid point or 'oint that you want to be the %-% 'oint for the plate, then you click on the %.% 'oint,
%)% 'oint, and then the %$% 'oint in either clockwise or counter clockwise order. The plate will
%stretch% like a rubber band as you draw from 'oint to 'oint.
The parameters shown are the same parameters that you would enter on the /lates
Spreadsheet. /or help on an item, click and then click the item.
To $raw Plates
0 "f there is not a model view already open then click on the 70S) Toolbar to open
a new view and click to turn on the Drawin+ Toolbar if it is not already
displayed.
0 "f you are not drawing between e&isting 'oints, you will need to create a drawing grid or
define 'oints on the 8oint *oordinates spreadsheet.
0 )lick the Draw / 9odi-4 /lates button and select the Draw /lates tab. Then set
the plate properties. /or help on an item, click and then click the item.
a ,ou must click four points in a clockwise or counter-clockwise order. To create a
triangular plate click on the third 'oint twice.
a "f in step 1 you chose to click in grid areas then you create plates by clicking
between the drawing grids.
0 )lick 23 to start drawing plates by clicking on the 'oints or grid points with the left
mouse button.
0 To stop drawing altogether right click or press the :sc key.
2ote
To draw more plates with different properties, press )T34-$ to recall the /late
/roperties settings.
,ou may also specify or edit plates in the /lates Spreadsheet.
,ou may also view and edit plate properties by double-clicking on a plate.
,ou may undo any mistakes by clicking the !ndo button.
9odi-4in+ /lates
There are a number of ways to modify plates. ,ou may view and edit the member data in the
Plates *preadsheet. ,ou may double-click a plate to view and edit its properties. ,ou can use the
#odify #embers tool to graphically modify a possibly large selection of members.
The graphical Plate #odify tool discussed here lets you modify the properties of plates that
already e&ist in your model. To use this, you will typically specify the properties you want to
change, then select the plates that you want to modify. ,ou can modify plates one at a time by
selecting the *lic5 to )ppl4 option and then click on the plates you wish to modify. ,ou may
also modify entire selections of plates by selecting the plates first and then use the )ppl4 to
Selected option. *ee the 5raphic *election topic for more on selecting.
The parameters shown are the same as those used to define new plates. /or help on an item,
click and then click the item.
The Use? check bo&es ne&t to the data fields indicate whether the particular parameter will be
used or not when the modification is applied. "f the bo& ne&t to a field is checked, that parameter
will be applied to any selected plates. "f the bo& is 2(T checked, the parameter will 2(T be
applied, even if a value is entered in the field. This lets you easily change one or two properties
on members without affecting all the rest of the properties. 2ote that if a no value is entered in a
field 6".e. the field is blank7 and the corresponding check bo& is checked, clicking 8-pply9 will
have the effect of clearing the data for these fields.
7otatin+ /lates
These options allow the user to perform a clockwise, or counter clockwise rotation so that they
can better align the plate local a&es. "t also allows the user to flip the local :-a&is so that it is
headed in the other direction.
To #odify Plates
0 "f there is not a model view already open then click on the 70S) Toolbar to open
a new view and click to turn on the Drawin+ Toolbar if it is not already
displayed.
0 )lick the Draw / 9odi-4 /lates button and select the 9odi-4 /lates tab. Then
set the parameters for the new plates. )heck the Use? .o& for the items to apply. /or
help on an item, click and then click the item.
0 ,ou may choose to modify a single plate at a time or to an entire selection of plates.
a To modify a few plates choose )ppl4 :ntr4 b4 *lic5in+ 0tems 0ndivid.all4 and
click )ppl4. )lick on the plates with the left mouse button.
a To modify a selection, choose )ppl4 :ntries to )ll Selected 0tems and click
)ppl4.
2ote
To modify more plates with different parameters, press )T34-$ to recall the 9odi-4
/lates settings.
,ou may also modify plates in the /lates *preadsheet.
,ou may undo any mistakes by clicking the Undo button.
"t may not be possible to perfectly align the plate local a&es.
S.bmeshin+ /lates
).to9esh /lates
The -uto#esh tool allows you to draw a polygon that 3"*--1$ will automatically submesh into
smaller uadrilateral plate elements. ;ust as with $rawing Plates, the material set and plate
thickness of the plates within the mesh may be indicated prior to drawing the polygon. "n
addition to these parameters, a plate edge minimum can also be provided. Polygons of virtually
any si:e and shape may be drawn provided the drawing lines do not cross. Polygons may be
drawn in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. To complete a polygon, simply
double click on the last 'oint/grid intersection, or click on the starting 'oint/grid intersection.
(nce a polygon is drawn, 3"*--1$will create a submesh of uadrilateral plate elements, limited
by the edges of the polygon, and of a si:e corresponding to the plate edge minimum indicated by
the user. 2ote that only uadrilateral plate elements are created with the -uto#esh tool.
When drawing a polygon with the -uto#esh tool, any e&isting 'oints within the boundary and in
the plane of the polygon will be considered control points. These *ontrol /oints will be
considered %fi&ed% points within the mesh and will dictate the layout of individual plates
surrounding them. "t is important to note that only currently selected 'oints at the time the
polygon is drawn will be used as control points.
The -uto#esh tool will attempt to use the Plate +dge #inimum that the user enters. <owever, if
it cannot successfully create a valid mesh, it will automatically re-set the Plate +dge #inimum
entry to an edge minimum eual to the minimum distance between two control points.
To -uto#esh a Polygon
0 "f there is not a model view already open then click on the 70S) Toolbar to
open a new view and click to turn on the Drawin+ Toolbar if it is not already
displayed.
0 "f you are not drawing between e&isting 'oints, you will need to create a drawing grid or
define 'oints on the 8oint *oordinates spreadsheet.
0 #ake sure that all 'oints that are to be considered *ontrol /oints are selected.
0 )lick the Draw / 9odi-4 /lates button and select the ).to9esh tab. Then set
the plate properties including the plate edge minimum. /or help on an item, click
and then click the item.
0 )lick 23 to start drawing a polygon by clicking on the 'oints or grid points with the left
mouse button.
0 To complete the drawing of a polygon, double click the last point or click on the original
starting point.
0 To stop drawing altogether, click the button, right click or press the :sc key.
2ote
The -uto#esh feature is only available for plates that lie entirely within one of the global
planes 6=,, =>, or ,>7. - future update may e&tend this feature into co-planar area
which do 2(T lie in the main global planes.
To draw more plates with different properties, press )T34-$ to recall the /late
/roperties settings.
,ou may also specify or edit plates in the /lates Spreadsheet.
,ou may also view and edit plate properties by double-clicking on a plate.
,ou may undo any mistakes by clicking the !ndo button.
/or additional advice on this topic, please see the 3"*- 2ews website: www.risanews.com. Type
in *earch keywords: /late 9esh.
;.adrilateral /lates
,ou can submesh uadrilateral 6? sided7 plate elements into a mesh of smaller elements. This
new mesh can be any si:e up to the program limits for 'oints and/or plates. This is very useful
for refining a coarse mesh of elements, 'ust make sure that all ad'acent plate elements 6elements
sharing an edge7 maintain connectivity.
,ou can define different submesh increments in each direction. The -,.,) and $ 'oints for each
plate are displayed in the plates spreadsheet. ,ou can determine which side is which by
displaying the plate local a&es and reali:ing that the local 8&9 a&is is parallel to the $-) edge of
the plate. The - 'oint is the first 'oint clicked on when you created the plate. The . 'oint is the
second and so on.
,ou can submesh the plates one at a time by selecting the *lic5 to )ppl4 option and then
clicking on the plates you wish to submesh. ,ou may also modify entire selections of plates by
selecting the plates and then using the )ppl4 to Selected option.
To *ubmesh @uadrilateral Plates
0 "f there is not a model view already open then click on the 70S) Toolbar to
open a new view and click to turn on the Drawin+ Toolbar if it is not already
displayed.
0 *elect the plates you want to sub mesh.
0 )lick the Draw / 9odi-4 /lates button and select the S.bmesh ;.ads tab.
Then specify the number of plates. /or help on an item, click and then click the
item.
2ote
To submesh more plates with different parameters, press )T34-$ to recall the S.bmesh
/lates settings.
,ou may undo any mistakes by clicking the Undo button.
Trian+.lar /lates
This is used to sub-mesh the selected triangular 61 sided7 elements into a mesh of 1
uadrilaterals. This is done by first creating a new 'oint at the center of each selected triangular
element and also at the center point along each edge of the triangular element. These new 'oints
are then used to create three uadrilateral elements that replace the triangular element.
To *ubmesh Triangular Plates
0 "f there is not a model view already open then click on the 70S) Toolbar to open
a new view and click to turn on the Drawin+ Toolbar if it is not already
displayed.
0 *elect the plates you want to sub mesh.
0 )lick the Draw / 9odi-4 /lates button and select the S.bmesh Tris tab.. /or
help on an item, click and then click the item.
2ote
To submesh more plates with different parameters, press )T34-$ to recall the S.bmesh
/lates settings.
,ou may undo any mistakes by clicking the Undo button.
/lates Spreadsheet < /rimar4 Data
The Plates *preadsheet records the properties for the plate/shell elements of the model and may
be accessed by selecting Plates on the *preadsheets menu.
The following data columns hold the /rimar4 data for the plates:
/late =abels
,ou may assign a uniue label to any or all of the plates. ,ou can then refer to the plate by its
label. +ach label has to be uniue, so if you try to enter the same label more than once you will
get an error message. ,ou may relabel plates at any time with the 3elabel Plates option on the
Tools menu.
/late 8oints
The -, ., ), and $ 'oint entries are used to define the ? corner 'oints of a uadrilateral element.
6To define a 1-'oint triangle element, 'ust leave the $ 'oint entry blank, or make it the same as the
) 'oint.7 The 'oints must all lie on the same plane and be entered in either a clockwise or
counter-clockwise seuence.
The direction and seuence in which you define the 'oints determines how the elements local
coordinate system is set up. This is discussed in the section on Plate 4ocal -&es.
/late 9aterial
The material set label links the plate with the desired material defined on the #aterial
*preadsheet.
2ote
Plates are always defined with general materials. This is because the other material sets
6<ot 3olled, )old /ormed, Wood, and )oncrete7 are used to designate member code
checking specifications. *ince plates are only used for analysis, no code checking is
provided and the material must be designated as a general material.
/late Thic5ness
The thickness field on the Plates spreadsheet is the thickness of the element. This thickness is
constant over the entire element.
/lates Spreadsheet < )dvanced Data
The following data columns hold the )dvanced data for the plates:
)> &> *> $ D 7elease
The /late *orner 7eleases for 'oints -, ., ), and $ of each plate may be set in these four data
columns. *ee Plate )orner 3eleases for more information.
0nactive
The 0nactive data column allows for plates to be set to A-ctiveA, A"nactiveA, or A+&cludedA. These
choices may be made by selecting them from the drop down list or by entering an A"A for A"nactiveA
or an A+A for A+&cludedA. "f the cell is left blank the plate will be A-ctiveA by default. *ee "nactive
and +&cluded Plates for more information.
/lane Stress
The plate formulation may be changed to indicate that the plate is a /lane Stress plate by
checking the bo& in this data column. This is useful for creating diaphragms that have only in-
plane stiffness and will not attract out of plane shear or moment. The default is to have this bo&
unchecked which allows for both in-plane and out of plane behavior.
/late 0n-ormation Dialo+
;ust as with the 'oints and members you may double-click any plate to view itBs properties. -ll of
the same information that is stored in the /lates Spreadsheet is displayed for the plate you
choose, and may be edited. This is a uick way to view and change plate properties. /or large
selections of plates however the spreadsheet and graphic editing tools may be the faster solution.
=abel - ,ou can view and edit the plate label.
*orner 8oints - The corner 'oint labels are displayed for you to view or edit.
Thic5ness 9aterial - The plate thickness 6in the current dimension units7 and the material may
be viewed or edited.
)ctivation - The activation state of the plate may be changed. "f the plate is made inactive, you
will need to activate the plate from the Plates spreadsheet, or by using the )riteria *elect feature
to find and select inactive plates.
/late &ehavior- The plate formulation may be changed to indicate that the plate is a Plane *tress
plate. This is useful for creating diaphragms that have only in-plane stiffness and will not attract
out of plane moments. The default is to leave this bo& unchecked which allows for both in-plane
and out of plane behavior.
9eshin+ 2ptions - The section allows you to mesh the current plate. ,ou may choose between
the auto-mesh function or the uad and tri submesh. 3efer to the section on #odifying plates for
information on meshing.
2ote
"tBs generally more efficient to use the 5raphic +diting features if you want to change the
properties for many plates at once.
/late *orner 7eleases
The )> &> *> $ D 7elease fields are used to designate whether the forces and moments at the
corners of the plate are considered fi&ed to or released from the platesAs points of attachment 6the
-, ., ), and $ 'oints7. +ach plate has C force components at each corner 6/&, /y, /:, #&, and
#y7. -ny or all of these force components can be released from the plateAs point of attachment. "f
a force component is released, that force is not transferred between the 'oint and the plate.
To specify plate corner releases go to the )> &> *> or D 7elease fields for the plate on the
)dvanced Tab of the /lates Spreadsheet, click the button, and specify the condition.
-lternatively, you may specify the corner condition by directly typing in the field. To indicate
that a force component is released, put a ?@? for that component in the release field. ,ou can
move within the release field using the space bar which will result in a ?2? for no release.
3"*--1$ has a special %keyword% release configuration built-in. That is:
P"2 DE #& and #y 6all moments7 released 6(((==7
This keyword entry is included because FFG of the release configurations youAll ever want to
define will be %P"2%. ,ou can call out the keyword entry by 'ust entering the first letter of the
keyword, %p%. *o if you go to a release field and enter %p%, the keyword %P"2% will be filled in
automatically.
2ote
"tBs generally more efficient to use the 6raphic :ditin+ features if you want to change
the properties for many plates at once.
0nactive and :(cl.ded /lates
#aking an item such as a member or plate inactive allows you to analy:e the structure without
the item, without having to delete the information that defines it. This leaves data intact so the
item may be easily reactivated. This is handy if you want to try a model with and then without
certain items, without having to actually delete the data.
Putting a %y% in the "nactive field makes the item inactive, i.e. the item is not included when the
model is solved or plotted.
-nother option is to put an %+%. The %+% code means include the item in the solution, but
e&clude it from the results list. *o, an item with an %+% in the %"nactiveH% field will be treated
like any other plate in the solution and plotting of the model, but the plate will not be listed in the
solution results 6forces, stresses etc.7. This is useful if there are certain items whose results
youAre not interested in. ,ou donAt have to clutter up the results with these items and can
concentrate on the items youAre most interested in. *ee Printing for more limiting printed results.
/late =ocal )(es
The -, ., ), and $ 'oints are used to define the corners of a uadrilateral element. 6To define a
1-'oint element, 'ust leave the $ 'oint blank, or make it the same as the ) 'oint.7 The 'oints must
all lie on the same plane and be entered in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction.
The direction and seuence in which you define the 'oints determines how the elements local
coordinate system is set up. The following diagrams illustrate how the elements local coordinate
system is related to the 'oint numbering seuence and direction:
The local &-a&is is defined as positive from the $ 'oint towards the ) 'oint for ? 'oint elements
and from ) towards . for 1 'oint elements. The local y-a&is is then placed as close to pointing
towards the --'oint as possible. 2ote that for triangular elements, the y-a&is will probably not
pass through the --'oint. /or 1 'oint elements, the y-a&is is 8towards9 the --'oint and
perpendicular to the &-a&is. (nce the & and y a&es are defined, the positive local :-a&is is found
using the right hand rule.
/late/Shell :lement Form.lation
The element used is a mi&ed interpolation ? 'oint uadrilateral element. .y mi&ed interpolation,
we mean that the in-plane and transverse shear strain components are derived independently.
This allows the element to be easily simplified into a plane stress element in cases where
transverse shear and bending are not desired. - reference for this element is /inite +lement
Procedures, by I.;. .athe, Prentice-<all, 0FFJ. The book also provides many references for
papers on the elements convergence and other characteristics. "n brief, the element can model
isotropic behavior for plane stress, plate bending and out-of-plane transverse shear.
This is accomplished by starting with the #indlin-3eissner plate assumptions and adding
interpolating functions for the out- of-plane transverse shear. This approach is analogous to
incorporating shear deformation with fle&ural effects in beam theory. This results in an element
that can be used for thin and thick plate applications. Traditional plate elements do not model
out-of-plane transverse shear well 6if at all7 and cannot be used for thick plate applications. The
element is also very insensitive to distortion.
3"*--1$ also provides a 1-'oint triangle element that can be used to build transitional
meshes. The stress characteristics of the triangle are not as accurate as the ?-'oint uad and use
of the triangle should be limited. "t is not recommended that the stresses from the 1-'oint triangle
be used at all. "n fact, 3"*--1$As -uto#esh tool will only create uadrilateral plate elements for
this very reason. 3"*--1$ provides a way to convert your triangular plates to uadrilaterals, see
*ubmeshing Triangular Plates.
2rthotropic &ehavior
The 3"*- plate element allows a limited degree of (rthotropic material behavior. *pecifically,
the "n-Plane shearing of the plate will be almost entirely controlled by the 5 value for the
material whereas the direct "n-Plane compressive stiffness will be controlled by the +value of the
material.
/late 9odelin+ Tips
- word of caution is in order if you are new to plate modeling. !nlike modeling with beam
elements, plate elements reuire some understanding of finite element behavior to successfully
obtain meaningful results. "t is easy to build a finite element model using the powerful
generators and graphic editing tools. <owever, without understanding the limitations of the
analysis method used, you can end up with an impressive looking but very inaccurate model.
+ven if youBve been engaged in structural engineering for years, modeling with plates is not
something most engineers do freuently. "t is therefore not realistic to have the e&pectation that
you should be able to perform complicated analysis with plate elements in a short amount of
time. 5ood plate modeling takes time, knowledge of plate and finite element behavior, and
e&perience.
The first tip is to read all the Plate documentation before embarking on an ambitious modeling
pro'ect. This will save you much aggravation down the road.
/late Distortion
The finite elements in a model should be as undistorted as possible. *ee the following figure:
Aon</lanar /lates
The plate element formulation used in 3"*- is not very sensitive to distortion within the plane of
the plate itself 6see the plate $istortion topic above7. <owever, the plate element formation is
particularly sensitive to non-planar plates. This means that it is critical that all ? 'oints that define
a uadrilateral plate remain in the same plane. There is an internal tolerance of K.K0 inches built
into the plate element formulation for ma&imum allowable planar distortion. This is appropriate
for concrete slabs and shear walls and such. .ut, e&tra care should be given to avoiding out-of-
plane plates for e&tremely small and thin plates.
/late 6eneration
- fast way to build a new mesh of finite elements is with the generation features. 3"*--1$
currently provides several generation features to uickly build common structures providing an
easy way to create cylinders, cones, grids, radial grids and disks of plates. The best way to see
what these features do is to e&periment with them. *ee 5eneration to learn more about
generation.
-nother time-saving method is to draw large elements to represent continuums such as slabs and
shear walls and then use the submesh features mentioned below to refine the mesh.
2ote
.efore sub-meshing, make sure that any ad'acent 8large9 elements connect at their corner
'oints. That way, any subseuent sub-mesh operations will produce element meshes that
automatically connect at the intermediate 'oints.
).tomatic /late S.b<9eshin+
What if youBve already built a model and you now decide that your finite element mesh is too
coarseH To submesh elements see *ubmeshing Plates. Performing a #odel #erge afterwards
will insure that all the new elements get connected to e&isting beam elements and that duplicate
'oints get merged. *ee #odel #erge for more information.
Finite :lement &asics
While this will not be a comprehensive treatment of plate and finite element fundamentals, a
review of certain key basic concepts and terminology will be valuable to the engineer who has
not worked with finite elements, or has not had the opportunity to use them recently.
- place to start is with the types of forces or stresses that can occur in a plate. (ne term that is
commonly used is 8plane stress9. This term is used to describe a state of stress in a plate where
all the stresses occur in the plane of the plate. - real world e&ample would be a shear wall with
forces applied only in the plane of the wall. The resulting plate forces would be 'ust the normal
stresses 6/&, /y7 and the in-plane shear stresses 6/&y7. There would be no plate moments or out-
of-plane shears generated.
Stress vs. Force
"t should be pointed out that the results for a plate are always a stress. These stresses are
multiplied by the plate thickness and the width or length to obtain a force. 2ote that this force
obtained is 'ust an average value for the plate, since the stress was for a point on the plate and it
undoubtedly will vary throughout the plate area. The fact that the stresses vary within a plate is
why a good finite element mesh is so critical to obtain accurate results. *tresses tend to vary
more around point loads and supports, and less in regions that are far from supports and have a
uniform load.
- different e&ample of plate forces would be a hori:ontal diaphragm that is loaded only in the
out-of-plane direction. The plate results would be plate moments, out-of-plane shears, but no
membrane 6plane stress7 stresses. The reason for no membrane stresses is that there was no in-
plane loading.
Si+n *onvention
(ne other comment on plate results is to point out the convention used for moments in plates.
With beams, the #y moment describes the moment about the local y-a&is. <owever, with a plate
element, the #y moment is the moment that produces stresses in the local y-direction. The #y
moment in a plate is actually about the local &-a&is.
Bh4 9eshin+ 0s 7eC.ired
"n a nutshell, finite elements tend to work by trying to appro&imate the correct deflected shape of
the real world item being modeled. /or e&ample, if we are trying to model a hori:ontal
diaphragm, simply supported on all edges, and loaded out-of- plane, our finite element model
must able to appro&imately recreate the deflected shape of the diaphragm.
"n order to do this with some accuracy, we must use a mesh of elements to represent the physical
diaphragm. "f we try to model the diaphragm with only one element 6which is what everyone
tries to do at least once7, we will get very inaccurate results because one finite element cannot
accurately model the deflected shape of the physical diaphragm. The multiple reasons for this
are beyond the scope of this file, and if you want to understand the 8why9 please study a
reference on finite element analysis such as .atheBs book.
The most important concept to understand is that finite elements reuire a certain number of free
or unrestrained 'oints in order to produce accurate results. !sing enough elements in your
mesh will produce accurate results for the deflection and stresses in the structural item being
modeled. The gage of 8enough9 for common structural elements is addressed in the Plate #odel
+&amples section of the 3eference #anual.
Distortion
/inite elements are also affected by geometric distortion. The best shape for the ?-'oint
uadrilateral is a suare. "n practice, elements are freuently distorted, which is fine as long as
they arenBt suashed too far out of shape. The largest internal angle should never be eual to or
greater than 0LK degrees, and preferably shouldnBt even approach 0LK degrees.
Drillin+ De+ree o- Freedom
(ne last item is that the element used by 3"*--1$, like other plate/shell elements, cannot
accurately model in-plane rotations. ".e., a plate/shell element will not provide resistance to a
moment applied about the plateBs local :-a&is. /or e&ample, letBs say you have a ?&? grid of
elements, simply supported about the edges, and you apply a 'oint moment to one of the internal
'oints so that the moment is about the local :-a&is of the elements. 3"*--1$ will solve such a
model, however you will get all :eros for the 'oint reactions and the element stresses. *ee
-pplying "n-Plane #oments to Plates to learn how to work around this limitation.