1.1.1.2. Defining an Analysis Title
The /TITLE command (Utility Menu> File> Change Title), defines a title for the analysis. The program
includes the title on all graphics displays and on the solution output.You can issue the /STITLE command
to add subtitles; these will appear in the output, but not in graphics displays.
1.1.1.3. Defining Units
The program does not assume a system of units for your analysis. Except in magnetic field analyses,
you can use any system of units so long as you make sure that you use that system for all the data you
enter. (Units must be consistent for all input data.)
For micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), where dimensions are on the order of microns, see the
conversion factors in System of Units in the Coupled-Field Analysis Guide.
Using the /UNITS command, you can set a marker in the database indicating the system of units that
you are using. This command does not convert data from one system of units to another; it simply serves
as a record for subsequent reviews of the analysis.
1.1.2. Defining Element Types
The element library contains more than 150 different element types. Each element type has a unique
number and a prefix that identifies the element category:PLANE182,SOLID185,BEAM188,ELBOW290,
and so on.The following element categories are available:
BEAM MESH
CIRCUit Multi-Point Constraint
COMBINation PIPE
CONTACt PLANE
FLUID PRETS (Pretension)
HF (High Frequency) SHELL
HYPERelastic SOLID
INFINite SOURCe
INTERface SURFace
LINK TARGEt
MASS TRANSducer
MATRIX USER
VISCOelastic (or viscoplastic)The element type determines, among other things:
- The degree-of-freedom set (which in turn implies the discipline - structural, thermal, magnetic, electric,
quadrilateral, brick, etc.) - Whether the element lies in 2-D or 3-D space.
BEAM188, for example, has six structural degrees of freedom (UX, UY, UZ, ROTX, ROTY, ROTZ), is a line
element, and can be modeled in 3-D space.PLANE77 has a thermal degree of freedom (TEMP), is an 8-
node quadrilateral element, and can be modeled only in 2-D space.
You must be in PREP7, the general preprocessor, to define element types. To do so, you use the ET
family of commands (ET,ETCHG, etc.) or their GUI path equivalents; see the Command Reference for
details. You define the element type by name and give the element a type reference number. For ex-
Release 15.0 - © SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential informationGetting Started