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<a name = "hj-top"> </a><table class = "table1" id = "table11"><tr><td><table class = "DocHeader"><tr><td class = "DocHeader1" colspan = "2"><h1>Supported Element Types</h1></td></tr><tr><td class = "DocHeader4" colspan = "2"/></tr><tr><td class = "DocHeader3" colspan = "2"><table class = "DocThemeIntro" id = "table12"><tr><td class = "Intro1Only"><p class = "header"><p class = "abstract">
<span class = "shortdesc">
In topology optimization only the type of elements that are
supported can be used in the design area. All other element types in
the analysis model are regarded as dummy elements, that is, the elements
are not modified during the optimization. Some further restrictions
might apply regarding specific design responses. Check remarks for
this.
</span>

</p>
<ul><li><a href = "#tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements-rem" id = "toc_rg" title = "">Remarks</a></li></ul>
</p></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>




<div class = "body conbody">
<table class = "table" id = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026"><caption/><colgroup><col/><col/><col/></colgroup><thead class = "thead">
<tr class = "row">
<th class = "entry" id = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__1"><p><span class = "ph">Tosca Structure</span>-element type</p></th>
<th class = "entry" id = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__2"><p><span class = "ph">ANSYS®</span>-element type</p></th>
<th class = "entry" id = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__3"><p>Design element</p></th>
</tr>
</thead><tbody class = "tbody">
<tr class = "row">
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__1"><p>BEAM_2D</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__2"><p>BEAM23</p>
                      <p>LINK1</p>
                      <p>LINK10</p>
                      <p>LINK11</p>
                      <p>LINK180</p>
                      <p>LINK8</p>
                      <p>BEAM3</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__3"><p>only allowed as restriction element for shape optimizations</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class = "row">
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__1"><p>BEAM_3D</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__2"><p>BEAM188</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__3"><p>S (only the linear variant), Z used as restriction element for shape optimizations</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class = "row">
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__1"><p>BEAM_3D</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__2"><p>BEAM24</p>
                      <p>BEAM4</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__3"><p>only allowed as restriction element for shape optimizations</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class = "row">
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__1"><p>MASS_1</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__2"><p>MATRIX27</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__3"><p>F</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class = "row">
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__1" rowspan = "2"><p>PLANE_QUAD_4</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__2"><p>PLANE182</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__3"><p>C, S, F</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class = "row">
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__2"><p>PLANE42</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__3"><p>C, S, F</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class = "row">
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__1"><p>PLANE_TRIANG_6</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__2"><p>PLANE146</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__3"><p>C, S, F</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class = "row">
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__1"><p>PLANE_QUAD_8</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__2"><p>PLANE145</p>
                      <p>PLANE183</p>
                      <p>PLANE82</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__3"><p>C, S, F</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class = "row">
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__1"><p>SHELL_QUAD_4</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__2"><p>SHELL143</p>
                      <p>SHELL181*</p>
                      <p>SHELL41</p>
                      <p>SHELL43</p>
                      <p>SHELL63</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__3"><p>C, S, F</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class = "row">
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__1"><p>SHELL_QUAD_8</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__2"><p>SHELL150</p>
                      <p>SHELL93</p>
                      <p>SHELL281*</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__3"><p>C, S, F</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class = "row">
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__1"><p>SOLID_TETRA_4</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__2"><p>SOLID285</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__3"><p>C, S, STS, F</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class = "row">
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__1"><p>SOLID_TETRA_10</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__2"><p>SOLID148</p>
                      <p>SOLID187</p>
                      <p>SOLID92</p>
                      </td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__3"><p>C, S, STS, F</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class = "row">
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__1"><p>SOLID_BRICK_8</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__2"><p>SOLID185</p>
                      <p>SOLID45</p>
                      </td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__3"><p>C, S, STS, F</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class = "row">
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__1"><p>SOLID_BRICK_20</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__2"><p>SOLID147</p>
                      <p>SOLID186</p>
                      <p>SOLID95</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__3"><p>C, S, F</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class = "row">
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__1"><p>SOLID_PYRAM_5</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__2"><p>SOLID185</p>
                      <p>SOLID45</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__3"><p>C</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class = "row">
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__1"><p>SOLID_PYRAM_13</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__2"><p>SOLID147</p>
                      <p>SOLID186</p>
                      <p>SOLID95</p>
                      </td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__3"><p>C</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class = "row">
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__1"><p>DUMMY_ELEM_TYPE</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__2"><p>all not supported element types</p></td>
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__3"/>
</tr>
<tr class = "row">
<td class = "entry" headers = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__1 tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__2 tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__ab954026__entry__3" colspan = "3"><p>C=allowed for controller-based optimization (bead, shape, and topology)</p>
                                    <p>S=allowed for sensitivity-based topology optimization</p>
                                    <p>STS = allowed for sensitivity-based shape optimization using internal sensitivity calculation routines</p>
                                    <p>F=allowed for the design responses that use the element-based reaction and internal forces</p>
                                    <p>Z=allowed for sizing optimization</p>
                                    <p>* = shell elements admitted for sizing optimization</p></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>

<p>For shape and bead optimization, only nodes belonging to elements supported
by <span class = "ph">Tosca Structure</span>
can be used as design nodes, see <a class = "xref" href = "tso-c-usr-shape-desArea-desVar.htm#tso-c-usr-shape-desArea-desVar" title = "Design variables for shape optimization are defined when assigning a node group to the design area.">About Design Variables (DV_SHAPE)</a>
and <a class = "xref" href = "tso-c-usr-bead-designArea-desVar.htm#tso-c-usr-bead-designArea-desVar" title = "Design variables that are usable in bead optimization setups are introduced. Valid are all nodes of shell elements.">Design Variables (DV_BEAD)</a>
for details.</p>
<p>More solver-specific information about the sensitivity-based algorithm is found in <a class = "xref" href = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-remSensBasedOpt.htm#tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-remSensBasedOpt" title = "Within this section, some remarks concerning sensitivity-based optimization are summarized.">Remarks for Sensitivity-Based Optimizations</a>.
For sensitivity-based bead optimization, see <a class = "xref" href = "tso-c-usr-beadOpt-beadSensRemarks.htm#tso-c-usr-beadOpt-beadSensRemarks" title = "Special pitfalls and hints for sensitivity-based bead optimization are shown.">Special Remarks Using Sensitivity-Based Algorithm</a>.</p>
<p>In <span class = "ph">ANSYS®</span>,
   elements with pressure degrees of freedom are supported for acoustic analyses in the context of NVH optimization. </p>

<div class = "section" id = "tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements__tso-c-usr-solver-ansys-elements-rem"><h2 class = "title sectiontitle">Remarks</h2>

<table class = "Remark" id = "table132"><tr><td class = "Remark"><span class = "run-in.important">Important:
				</span><span class = "notecontent"><p><ul class = "ul">
<li class = "li">In shape optimization, the form of the shell
structure is optimized and not its thickness. This means that the shell
edges are modified and that modifications on shell level are not carried
out.</li>
<li class = "li">Shell elements are not admitted for stresses in topology optimization.</li>
<li class = "li">Second-order elements (like SOLID186) with suppressed midside nodes
(as transition between first order and second order elements) are
not supported by <span class = "ph">Tosca Structure</span>.</li>
</ul></p></span></td></tr></table>

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