Lecture 7

Element formulations
15.0 Release

Workbench LS-DYNA
(ACT Extension) Training
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 Overview of Explicit Dynamic Elements
Each element type is valid for most of the material models and
nonlinear options supported in ANSYS Workbench LS-DYNA.

Some explicit element types have several different formulations. The

default formulation is usually single point integration.

Explicit dynamic elements have a linear displacement function, except

for quadratic elements (with mid-nodes.)

Extra shape functions and P-elements are not available in ANSYS

Workbench LS-DYNA.

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 Overview of Element Formulations: Solids

If the discretized parts are relatively similar in geometric

dimensions in three orthogonal directions, use Solid Elements
Hexahedral solid elements
Approximate Gauss volume integration
Tetrahedral solid elements
SCP: Standard Constant Pressure as pressure integration
algorithm
ANP: Average Nodal Pressure as pressure integration
algorithm
Pentahedral solid elements
Can be used to replace the collapsed solid elements.
Usually not recommended with the LS-DYNA solver.
Although a warning message is shown during export,
this does not affect the export process.

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 Overview of Element Formulations: Shell

If the discretized parts have the relatively small

geometric dimension in one of the three orthogonal
directions, use Shell Elements
Multiple formulations can be selected
Can model both bending and membrane deformations
Quadrilateral or Triangular element
Thickness is a parameter (not modeled geometrically)
Actual thickness can be rendered
Time step is controlled by the element dimension, not by
thickness. Thus shell elements can make thin-walled
structures to have larger time step.

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 Overview of Element Formulations: Beams

If the discretized parts have the relatively large

geometric dimension in one of the three orthogonal
directions, use Beam Elements
Can model both bending and axial deformations
Only for the materials of elastic or elastic-plastic with
kinematic hardening
Cross-section is a parameter
(not modeled geometrically)
Actual cross section can be rendered
Time step is controlled by the element length, not by the
dimensions of cross-section. Thus beam elements can make
slender structures to have larger time step.

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 Reduced Integration Formulation
A reduced integration element is an element which has a minimum
number of integration points. A reduced integration brick element has
one integration point at its centroid. A reduced integration shell has one
in-plane integration point, but still has multiple integration points through
the thickness of the shell.

Fully integrated elements are typical in implicit ANSYS. In ANSYS

WORKBENCH LS-DYNA, fully integrated brick elements have eight
integration points and fully integrated shells have four in-plane
integration points (with multiple points through the thickness).

Reduced integration saves CPU time by minimizing element processing.

Therefore, it is the default formulation most often used in ANSYS
WORKBENCH LS-DYNA.

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 Reduced Integration Formulation

In addition to saving CPU time, single point integration elements are

also extremely robust in large deformation. ANSYS LS-DYNA elements
can undergo much greater deformations than standard ANSYS
implicit elements.

Two basic disadvantages of reduced integration elements are:

Deformations with zero energy modes are possible (Hourglassing).
The accuracy of stress results is directly related to the number of
the integration points.

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 Hourglassing
Hourglassing is a zero-energy mode of deformation that oscillates at a
frequency much higher than the structures global response.
Hourglassing modes result in stable mathematical states that are not
physically possible. They typically have no stiffness and give a zigzag
deformation appearance to a mesh.
Single-point (reduced) integration elements with linear displacement
functions are prone to zero energy modes (hourglassing).
The occurrence of hourglass deformations in an analysis can
invalidate results and should always be minimized or eliminated.
If the overall hourglass energy is more than 10% of the internal
energy of a model, the results are suspect. Determining the level of
hourglass energy can be found from LS-DYNA ASCII output files
GLSTAT and MATSUM. In some cases, even an hourglass ratio of 5%
can be considered excessive.

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 Hourglassing

Zero energy deformations for the one-point integrated solid element:

This mesh distortion produces no strain or volume change in the

mesh. Hourglass control brings additional stiffness or viscous
damping to minimize these non-physical, zero energy modes.

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 Hourglassing
Minimizing hourglassing in ANSYS WORKBENCH LS-DYNA:
Avoid single point loads, which are known to excite hourglass
modes. Since one excited element transfers the mode to its
neighbors, point loads should not be applied. Try to apply loads
over several elements as pressures, if possible.
Refining the mesh often reduces hourglass energy, but a larger
model corresponds to increased solution time and larger results
files.
Use fully integrated elements, which do not experience
hourglassing modes. However, penalties in solution speed,
robustness, and even accuracy may result, depending on the
application. Alternatively, a few fully integrated seed
elements may be dispersed through the mesh to minimize
hourglassing.
beams are not effected by hourglassing. The higher order tet
element is not subject to hourglass modes, but it is not as
robust as the lower order tet .
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 Hourglassing
Minimizing hourglassing in ANSYS WORKBENCH LS-DYNA
(continued)
Globally add elastic stiffness to reduce hourglass energy. This
can be done for the entire model by increasing the
hourglassing coefficient in Hourglass Control defined in
Analysis Settings:
Stiffness hourglass control is
recommended for problems
deforming with lower
velocities (e.g., metal forming
and crash).

Care should be used when increasing the hourglassing

coefficient. Values above 0.15 have been found to over-
stiffen the models response during large deformations and
cause instabilities.

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 Hourglassing
Minimizing hourglassing in ANSYS WORKBENCH LS-DYNA (continued)
Locally reduce hourglassing in high risk areas of a model without
dramatically changing the models global stiffness. The added
Hourglass Control by Body is used to apply hourglass control only to a
specific material.

LS-DYNA locally applies

hourglass control on a Part
ID basis (not on a material
basis), so any Part with the
specified material will have
this hourglass control.
LS-DYNA ID 5 is often used
to reduce hourglassing.

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 Control Hourglass Deformation
In order to avoid such hourglass instabilities, a set of corrective forces are
added to the solution
The corrective forces are called as Hourglass Damping
Always recommended for reduced-integrated solid/shell elements
To specify Hourglass locally or Globally
Recommend stiffness hourglass control,
LS-DYNA ID=4, with hourglass coefficient
QM = 0.03 for metal and plastic parts.
Recommend viscosity-based hourglass control
for foams and rubbers (LS-DYNA ID =2 or 3) or
hourglass formulation 6
In soft materials, stiffness-based hourglass
control causes overly stiff response even
with a reduced hourglass coefficient.

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 Control Hourglass Deformation

Always check hourglass energy from Material output

(MATSUM) and Global data (GLSTAT)
The Hourglass Energy should be much less than the Internal Energy
If hourglass energy is very high, consider to
Refine the mesh in your model
Re-run the model in double precision

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 Section : Properties & Formulations

The user can change the formulation of element using the

following icon

Be carefull to check the compatibility of formulation with

selected elements

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 1st Order Tetrahedral Solid Elements

4-node elements with single point integration

Primary use for transitions in HEX dominated t
meshes
4
Advantages
Simple, fast
No need for hourglass control
Disadvantage 3

Too stiff for the applications involving 2

large material deformation and motion 1
s
Avoid the 4-node elements from r
the collapsed 8-node solid elements. Use tetrahedral solid
elements because they are more stable and run much faster

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 1st Order ANP Tetra Element

1st Order Tetra Element:

ANP (Average Nodal Pressure)
Enhanced tetra element, the default
Overcomes volume locking problems
Can be used as a majority mesh element
LS-DYNA Keyword: *SECTION_SOLID
Element formulation option: ELFORM = 13
Well suited for applications with
incompressible or nearly incompressible
material behavior, i.e., rubber materials or
ductile materials in bulk forming

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 1st Order SCP Tetra Element

1st Order Tetra Element: SCP (Standard Constant Pressure)

Textbook 4-node iso-parametric tetra elements
Exhibit both volume and shear locking

To use SCP tetra elements

Click on 1 point tetrahedron
LS-DYNA Keyword: *SECTION_SOLID
Element formulation option: ELFORM = 10

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 2nd Order Tetrahedral Solid Elements

10-node elements with fully integration formulation

Advantages
Well suited for modeling irregular meshes (especially curved shapes)
No need for hourglass control t

Disadvantages
Take more CPU time than 1st order
tetra elements

s
r
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 2nd Order Tetrahedral Solid Elements

To introduce midside nodes to Tetra elements

Click on Mesh
Click on Patch Independent method
Change the Element Midside Nodes from
Use Global Setting or Dropped to Kept

LS-DYNA Keyword: *SECTION_SOLID

Element formulation option: ELFORM = 16

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 Element Formulations
Can change the default element formulations as follows
Right-click on Workbench LS-DYNA > Insert > Section
Select the appropriate body to apply it to.

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 Brick Elements
Two main brick element formulations are available:
Single point integrated solid (constant stress over the element)
Default formulation
Very fast and very robust for large element deformations
Hourglass controls is typically needed to prevent hourglass
modes

Fully integrated S/R solid (2x2x2 integration)

Slower formulation, but has no hourglass modes
Not supported by Workbench LS-Dyna
Hex Integration Type = Exact has no effect
Both shear locking and volumetric locking (for high Poissons
ratios) can occur, giving poor results
Accuracy more sensitive to element shape than for default
formulation
Generally not recommended

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 Tetrahedral Elements
4-noded tets:
Considerably more elements are required to fill a volume
with the same mesh density as bricks (6 10 times).
Contact pressures are calculated correctly for all 4-noded
tets.
Very robust when elements become distorted.
Suitable for very large strain applications.
Default: 1 point tetrahedron
Tet type 10 (LS-DYNA element type)
Very fast but can be too stiff in bending
Susceptible to volumetric locking, thus not suitable for
plastic deformation or parts with incompressible
materials.

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 Tetrahedral Elements
Other options:
1 point Nodal Pressure Tetrahedron
Tet type 13
Not susceptible to volumetric locking and more accurate in bending
Good choice for plastic deformation or parts with incompressible
materials.

S/R Quadratic Tetrahedron

Tet type 4
Contains 6 degrees-of-freedom per node (translations and rotations)
No hourglass modes (5 integration points)
Accurate in bending and not susceptible to volumetric locking
Much slower than the other two options

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 Tetrahedral Elements
4 or 5 point 10-noded Tetrahedron
10-noded tetrahedral element with 4 or 5 integration points.
Quadratic displacement behavior
No hourglass modes
Not accurate with contact
For the same mesh density, the time step is the size of a time step
for a brick element because the distance between nodes is as
large.
Very accurate but can generate very long run times.
Not robust when elements get distorted during large strain
analyses.
Not recommended
Use the 10-noded Composite Tetrahedron instead

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 1st Order Pentahedron (Wedge) Element

6-node elements with 1 Gauss integration points

Use for transition elements in a HEX dominated mesh
Useful in modeling axisymmetric structures t

LS-DYNA Keyword: *SECTION_SOLID

3
Element formulation options:
ELFORM = 1 4
ELFORM is always equal to 1 for 6
mixed element types that include
Tetrahedrons 2
Hexahedrons
Pentahedrons 1
Pyramids 5
r

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 1st Order Pentahedron (Wedge) Element
$
*ELEMENT_SOLID
$ 1EID 2PID N1 N2 N3 N4 N5 N6 N7 N8
773 1 43 50 134 140 87 87 139 139
774 1 29 50 43 69 144 144 143 143
775 1 134 139 352 266 140 140 397 397
776 1 16 81 41 56 34 34 73 73

$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$ SECTION DEFINITIONS $
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
*SECTION_SOLID
$ 1SECID 2ELFORM 3AET
1 1
$

Penta elements are inside

the HEX dominated mesh

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 The Default Shell Element

The default shell element is the fully integrated shell elements

Fully integrated shell elements with assumed strain interpolants used
to alleviate locking and enhanced in-plane bending behavior
Local element coordinate system that rotates with the material to
account for rigid body motion
4-node quadrilateral element or 3-node triangular element
degenerated from 4-node quad element
No need for hourglass control

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 Belytschenko-Tsay Shell Element

Belytschko-Tsay shell element formulation

Shell element with reduced integration scheme
Runs faster than the default shell element
Co-rotational coordinate system
Velocity-strain formulation instead of displacement-strain formulation

4-node quadrilateral elements or 3-node triangular elements

degenerated from 4-node quad elements

One point integration in the plane of the element

Need hourglass control

LS-DYNA Keyword: *SECTION_SHELL

Element formulation options: ELFORM = 2

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 Belytschenko-Tsay Shell Element

To change the shell element formulation

Click on Analysis Settings

Click on Solver Controls
Change the Full Shell Integration from Yes to No

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 Shell Elements: Misc

Number of integration points through

thickness
Default is 3
To change the number of integration
points
Define inside Section option for shells only
Change the number in the Shell Sublayers
Warping can be controlled by using
Belytschko-Wong-Chiang warping
stiffness correction
Can represent membrane elements with
in-plane stress/strain only

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 Hughes-Liu Beam Element

Hughes-Liu beam element formulation, the default

Incrementally objective (rigid body rotations do not generate strains)
Simple and run fast
Include finite transverse shear strains
No need for hourglass control
Integration Scheme
One point along the axis
Multiple points in the cross-section, default is 2x2

Compatible with brick elements because it is based on a degenerated brick

element formulation
Reference surface can be offset
0: midsurface
-1/+1: outer surfaces
Useful for modeling contact surfaces, connection of beam to solid elements,
beam stiffeners in stiffened shells

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 Cross-Sections of Beam Elements

Beam Cross-Sections
3 nodes are used to define the beam element
The 3rd node is for the initial orientation of the beam element

22
22 22

Rout tf 33
a A b B B
a a a
tw
Rin

A A A

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 Beam Elements: Truss & cable

To represent truss or cable elements

Select the appropriate formulation in Section

LS-DYNA Keyword: *SECTION_BEAM

Element formulation options: ELFORM = 3

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 Workshop 5: Bending of a Clamped Beam

Goal:
Determine the effects of element formulations and element shape for a
static cantilever beam analysis

Procedure:
Restore the WB project
Define Material properties
Apply load and B.Cs
Solve the model
Change the Element formulations (ELFORM=1,13,10,16)
Solve the models
Compare the results

Walkthrough
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