- CONTROLS
-
In an
Abaqus/Explicit
analysis, set this parameter equal to the name of a section controls definition
(see
Section Controls)
to be used to specify the second-order accurate element formulation option, a
nondefault hourglass control formulation option, or scale factors.
In an
Abaqus/Standard
analysis, set this parameter equal to the name of a section controls definition
to be used to specify the enhanced hourglass control formulation (see
Section Controls)
or to be used in a subsequent
Abaqus/Explicit
import analysis.
- DENSITY
-
Set this parameter equal to a mass per unit surface area of the shell.
If this parameter is used, the mass of the shell includes a contribution
from this parameter in addition to any contribution from the material
definition.
-
LAYUP
-
This parameter is relevant only when the
COMPOSITE parameter is used.
Set this parameter equal to the name of a composite layup. This name identifies the
composite layup that contains the shell section.
- NODAL THICKNESS
-
Include this parameter to indicate that the shell thickness should not be
read from the data lines but should be interpolated from the thickness
specified at the nodes with the
NODAL THICKNESS option. For composite sections the total thickness is
interpolated from the nodes and the thicknesses of the layers specified on the
data lines are scaled proportionally. This parameter is ignored for continuum
shells.
The NODAL THICKNESS and SHELL THICKNESS parameters are mutually exclusive.
- OFFSET
-
Include this parameter to define the distance (as a fraction of the shell
thickness) from the shell midsurface to the reference surface (containing the
nodes of the element). This parameter accepts positive or negative values, the
labels SPOS or
SNEG, or the name of a distribution. See
Distribution Definition.
Positive values of the offset are in the positive normal direction (see
About Shell Elements).
When OFFSET=0.5 (or SPOS), the top surface
of the shell is the reference surface. When OFFSET=−0.5 (or SNEG), the bottom
surface of the shell is the reference surface. The default is OFFSET=0, which indicates that the middle surface of the shell is the
reference surface.
In both
Abaqus/Standard
and
Abaqus/Explicit
analyses a spatially varying offset can be specified by setting OFFSET equal to the name of a distribution. The distribution used to
define the shell offset must have a default value. The default offset is used
by any shell element assigned to the shell section that is not specifically
assigned a value in the distribution.
- ORIENTATION
-
Set this parameter equal to the name of an orientation definition (Orientations)
to be used with material calculations in this definition of shell section
behavior. This orientation will be used for material calculations and stress
output in the individual layers, for the section forces output, and for the
transverse shear stiffness.
It is possible to use a different orientation definition for material
calculations in the individual layers of a composite shell by referencing an
orientation definition or giving an orientation angle (in degrees, positive
counterclockwise relative to the shell local directions) on each layer
definition data line. Any layer definition line that does not have an
orientation reference or an angle specified will use the orientation defined
here. While an orientation defined with a distribution can be used to specify
the overall orientation for the shell section, an orientation defined with a
distribution cannot be specified on the layers of a composite shell.
- POISSON
-
Include this parameter to define the shell thickness direction behavior.
Set this parameter equal to a nonzero value to cause the thickness direction
strain under plane stress conditions to be a linear function of the membrane
strains. The value of the POISSON parameter must be between −1.0 and 0.5.
Set POISSON=ELASTIC to automatically select this parameter value based on the
initial elastic part of the material definition.
Set POISSON=MATERIAL in an
Abaqus/Explicit
analysis to cause the thickness direction strain under plane stress conditions
to be a function of the membrane strains and the in-plane material properties.
In
Abaqus/Standard
the default is POISSON=0.5; in
Abaqus/Explicit
the default is POISSON=MATERIAL.
- SECTION INTEGRATION
-
Set SECTION INTEGRATION=SIMPSON (default) to use Simpson's rule for the shell section
integration.
Set SECTION INTEGRATION=GAUSS to use Gauss quadrature for the shell section integration.
Gauss quadrature cannot be used for heat transfer or thermally coupled shell
elements.
- SHELL THICKNESS
-
Set this parameter equal to the name of a distribution (Distribution Definition)
to define spatially varying thickness. If this parameter is used for a
non-composite section the thickness on the data line is ignored. For composite
sections the total thickness is defined by the distribution and the thicknesses
of the layers specified on the data lines are scaled proportionally. This
parameter is ignored for continuum shells.
The distribution used to define shell thickness must have a default value.
The default thickness is used by any shell element assigned to the shell
section that is not specifically assigned a value in the distribution.
The NODAL THICKNESS and SHELL THICKNESS parameters are mutually exclusive.
- STACK DIRECTION
-
This parameter is relevant only for continuum shells.
Set this parameter equal to 1, 2, 3, or ORIENTATION to define the continuum shell stack or thickness direction.
Specify one of the numerical values to select the corresponding isoparametric
direction of the element as the stack or thickness direction. The default is STACK DIRECTION=3.
If STACK DIRECTION=ORIENTATION, the ORIENTATION parameter is also required.
To obtain a desired thickness direction, the appropriate numerical value for
the STACK DIRECTION parameter depends on the element connectivity. For a
mesh-independent specification, use STACK DIRECTION=ORIENTATION. If the orientation assigned to the ORIENTATION parameter is defined with a distribution (Distribution Definition),
STACK DIRECTION=ORIENTATION is not supported.
- SYMMETRIC
-
This parameter is relevant only when the COMPOSITE parameter is used.
Include this parameter if the layers in the composite shell are symmetric
about a central core. This parameter cannot be used if a spatially varying
thickness or orientation angle is defined on any composite layer using a
distribution (Distribution Definition).
- TEMPERATURE
-
Use this parameter to select the mode of temperature and field variable
input used on the
FIELD, the
INITIAL CONDITIONS, or the
TEMPERATURE options.
Omit the TEMPERATURE parameter to define the predefined field by its magnitude on
the reference surface of the shell and its gradient through the thickness.
Set TEMPERATURE=n, where
n (≥1) is the number of
predefined field variable points in the shell or in each layer if the COMPOSITE parameter is used, to define the predefined field at
n equally spaced points through each layer of the
shell section.
In a heat transfer analysis step or a coupled temperature-displacement
analysis step when the
FIELD option is used to specify values of predefined field
variables, the TEMPERATURE parameter is required to specify the number of field variable
points in the shell. The number of temperature points in the shell with
temperature degrees of freedom is defined by the number of integration points
specified on the data lines.
- THICKNESS MODULUS
-
This parameter is relevant only for continuum shells.
Set this parameter equal to an effective thickness modulus. The default
effective thickness modulus is twice the initial in-plane shear modulus based
on the material definition.