LS-DYNA Tutorials for Beginners: Finite Element Analysis Shell Element Formulations

Element formulations can be confusing for beginners. This is a tutorial where I explain the different types of shell element formulations (ELFORM) within LS-Dyna and finite element analysis (FEA) as a whole. The pre-processor used in the video is LS-PrePost, which is a free to use pre and post processor for the finite element analysis solver LS-Dyna. Element formulations are the math behind how the elements respond to an external load within a finite element analysis simulation. You want to use certain types of ELFORMS for specific applications and each has pros and cons. Some element formulations can hourglass, however. What is hourglassing? It is a non-physical deformation of the nodes of an element within finite element analysis. I also give a brief overview of hourglassing and how to address it within LS-DYNA. I hope this video is helpful. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments or create a post on the forum: https://feassistant.com/ Here is a helpful shell element formulation overview by Dynamore that gets more into the details if you would like to read into ELFORMs more thoroughly. https://www.dynamore.de/de/download/p... LS-PrePost can be downloaded for free using the link below: http://www.lstc.com/download