Staad question: difference between surface element, plate element, and sh...

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Staad question: difference between surface element, plate

element, and shell element?
Posted by Changyi on Mon, Jan 23 2012 4:54 PM

Anybody can explain the difference surface element, plate element, and shell element in Staad? Thanks so
much. Bruce

Posted by sureshprsharma on Mon, Jan 23 2012 6:00 PM

Firstly I would like to know from you as to where did you find shell element in Staad?
Now answer to your query:
plate can be either three noded or four noded, surface can be up to eight noded.
Plate will have to be meshed through a different command, surface has the provision for auto meshing.
All the three or four corners of plate can be of different thickness, the surface has to be of uniform
thickness.
The out put of plate analysis gives result for out of plane moment and shear and designs accordingly, The
output of surface analysis gives result for in plane moment and shear as required for shear wall.

Posted by Kris Sathia on Wed, Jan 25 2012 8:45 AM

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Bruce Chen,
Plate element versus shell element
Both terms represent the same thing in the STAAD context, which is, a 3-noded (triangular) or a 4-noded
(quadrilateral) element to which a thickness has to be assigned as a property. This is commonly referred to
as a 2D finite element. In STAAD, this element has both attributes - membrane (in-plane effect) and
bending (out-of-plane effect). The bending effect can be shut off by declaring it as ELEMENT PLANE
STRESS. The in-plane effect can't be shut off.
There is another type of element in STAAD called a solid element which is a 3d finite element. It is shaped
like a prism or wedge or a block or many other shapes that can be formed by 4 thru 8 nodes where no
more than 4 nodes lie in one plane.
Plate Element verus a surface
If you want model a structure which contains a wall, slab or panel type component, you have two choices
in STAAD :
a) Model that panel using a collection of individual elements. This is called a finite element mesh. This is
an assembly of the 2d triangular and/or quadrilateral elements described above.
b) Model that as a single physical object called a Surface.
Option (a) is achieved using the mesh generation facilities in STAAD. Alternatively, you can do the mesh
generation using any other software that has meshing capabilities, export the data to a DXF or CIS/2 file,
and then import that DXF or CIS/2 into STAAD.
In option (b), (surface object), what happens under the hood is that, during the analysis, STAAD transforms
the surface into a finite element mesh. The type of mesh (number of elements, type of elements, size of
elements, etc.) that is generated from the surface is based on the parameters that you provide at the time
of defining the surface. The details of the mesh thus generated are to a large extent, masked from the
user. Results are presented for that surface, not for the individual elements that it is made up of.
To give you an analogy, think of the surface as a chess board, and the plate element as the individual
squares in that board. You can define the chess board as 64 elements (option a) or 1 surface (option b).

Posted by Changyi on Wed, Feb 15 2012 5:32 PM

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Thanks so much. I like the answers.

Posted by gsantoshg on Tue, Mar 13 2012 6:37 AM

Dear Bruce,
if we take surface element as chess board and plate elements as assemblage of 64 square elements then
what happens to inplane moment ( Mz ) that appears in output of surface element analysis while only out
of plane moments (Mx & My ) are avilable in output of plate element anlaysis. How to judge in-plane
moment of the plate element.
thanks and regards
Santoshg

Posted by SKLose on Tue, Mar 13 2012 7:17 AM

In the post-processing mode, in the Plate-Results Along Line page, cut a section through the wall. On the
right side of the screen, a table will appear. It will have two tabs, one of which is called Total Force. In that
tab, you will see an item called Mz (Line) In-plane moment. That will give you the value you are looking
for.

Posted by gsantoshg on Tue, Mar 13 2012 11:39 AM

i got what i wanted

thanks SKLose

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regards
Santosh

Posted by ALOKKS on Thu, Sep 27 2012 5:49 PM

Dear Sirs:
Can anyone tell me how to interpret the results of Surface design in STAAD. I modeled a surface having
opening and the reinforcement summary mentions:- Horizontal, vertical and Edge Rebar. What is the
meaning of this edge bars. for my result, the value is very high 70-10 DIA. What could be the reason for
it? Along, sides of opening, it says horizontal boundary element 1- 16 dia..what does it mean??
Also under plate stress, I get MZ value along local X and local Y. How to interpret the same and why there
are two MZ values. PL. EXPLAIN...Thanks in advance for support.
Alok

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