q4p, q8p, t3p, t6p and other 2D volumes#
Purpose
Description
The q4p q5p, q8p, q9a, t3p, t6p elements are topology references for 2D volumes and 3D surfaces.
In a model description matrix, element property rows for this elements follow the standard format
[n1 ... ni MatID ProID EltID Theta]
giving the node identification numbers n1,...ni, material MatID, property ProID. Other optional information is EltID the element identifier, Theta the angle between material x axis and element x axis (material orientation maps are generally preferable).
These elements only define topologies, the nature of the problem to be solved should be specified using a property entry, see section 6.1 for supported problems and p_solid, p_heat, ... for formats.
Integration rules for various topologies are described under integrules. Vertex coordinates of the reference element can be found using an integrules command containing the name of the element such as r1=integrules('q4p');r1.xi.
Backward compatibility note : if no element property entry is defined, or with a p_solid entry with the integration rule set to zero, the element defaults to the historical 3D mechanic elements described in section 7.19.2.
These volume elements are used for various problem families.
See also