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Conventions
The conventions that are used for shell elements are defined below.
It is important that the continuum shells are oriented properly, since the behavior in the thickness direction is different
from that in the in-plane directions. By default, the element top and bottom faces and, hence, the element normal, stacking
direction, and thickness direction are defined by the nodal connectivity. For the triangular in-plane continuum shell element
(SC6R) the face with corner nodes 1, 2, and 3 is the bottom face; and the face with corner nodes 4, 5, and 6 is the top
face. For the quadrilateral continuum shell element (SC8R) the face with corner nodes 1, 2, 3, and 4 is the bottom face;
and the face with corner nodes 5, 6, 7, and 8 is the top face. The stacking direction and thickness direction are both defined
to be the direction from the bottom face to the top face. Additional options for defining the element thickness direction,
including one option that is independent of nodal connectivity, are presented below.
Surfaces on continuum shells can be defined by specifying the face identifiers S1–S6 identifying the individual faces as
defined in Continuum shell element library. Free surface generation can also be used.
Pressure loads applied to faces P1–P6 are defined similar to continuum elements, with a positive pressure directed into the
element.
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Figure 5. Stack directions for SC6R and SC8R elements.
The pinched cylinder problem and LE3: Hemispherical shell with point loads illustrate the use of a cylindrical and spherical
orientation system, respectively, to define the stack and thickness direction independent of nodal connectivity.
Input File Usage:
Use one of the following options to define the element stacking direction based on a user-defined orientation:
*SHELL SECTION, STACK DIRECTION=ORIENTATION, ORIENTATION=name
*SHELL GENERAL SECTION, STACK DIRECTION=ORIENTATION,
ORIENTATION=name
Abaqus/CAE Usage:
Use the following option to define the stacking direction based on a user-defined orientation if the continuum
shell is defined using a composite layup:
Property module: Create Composite Layup: select Continuum Shell as the Element Type: Stacking Direction: Layup
orientation
Use the following option to define the stacking direction based on a user-defined orientation if the continuum
shell is defined using a composite shell section:
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Assign > Material Orientation: select regions: Use Default Orientation or Other Method: Stacking Direction: Normal
direction of material orientation
Verifying the element stack and thickness direction
You can verify the element stack and thickness direction visually in Abaqus/CAE by either contouring the element section
thickness or plotting the material axis. Generally, the in-plane dimensions are significantly larger than the element
thickness. By contouring the shell section thickness, output variable STH, you can easily verify that all elements are
oriented appropriately and have the correct thickness. If the element is oriented improperly, one of the in-plane dimensions
will become the element section thickness, resulting in a discontinuous contour plot.
Alternatively, you can plot the material axis to verify that the 3-axis points in the desired normal direction. If the element is
oriented improperly, one of the in-plane axes (either the 1- or 2-axis) would point in the normal direction.
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