4. SOLID186 Cantilever I-Beam Tutorial

Abstract

This tutorial uses the same geometry as the BEAM188 model, but in this case the geometry is created in SOLIDWORKS and the FEA model is built on the ANSYS SOLID186 solid elements. The SOLID186 element can appear as hexahedra or tetrahedra with three translational degrees of freedom at each node. Because of its geometry and degree of freedom characteristics, the SOLID186 model will deliver a similar, but arguably more accurate solution than the BEAM188 model.