ABSTRACT
Solid elements based on three-dimensional (3-D) elasticity are the most general elements for stress analysis when the simplified bar, beam, plane stress/strain, plate/shell elements are no longer valid or accurate. This chapter reviews the elasticity equations for 3-D and then discusses a few types of finite elements commonly used for 3-D stress analysis. Several different types of supports, loads, and contact constraints will be introduced for 3-D structural modeling, followed by a case study on predicting the deformation and stresses in an assembly structure using ANSYS® Workbench. The chapter summarizes the finite element analysis (FEA) formulation for 3-D elasticity problems, which are straightforward extensions of the FEA formulations for one-dimensional (1-D) bar and two-dimensional (2-D) elasticity problems. It determines the deformation and von Mises stress distributions of the assembly under the given load and boundary conditions. The chapter discusses the 3-D solid elements for elasticity problems, that is, general 3-D deformation and stress analyses.
