Axisymmetric elements

This topic describes how axisymmetric shell and solid elements are defined in thermal analysis.

An axisymmetric shell element with a thickness, t, is defined as a beam with the following cross-section:

where Xmax and Xmin are the maximum and minimum dimensions of the element in X direction, respectively.

An axisymmetric solid element is defined as a planar element in the XZ plane that is stretched in the X direction by:

It is stretched in the Z direction by:

When the material is also orthotropic, the element is first stretched along the orthotropic axes, and then stretched in axisymmetric directions.