S4

Four Node Shell Element

The S4 shell element uses Mindlin plate element combined with GQ12 element.

• Number of Nodes: 4

• Number of DoFs: 6 (Translation, Translation, Translation, Rotation, Rotation, Rotation)

• DoF Label: U1, U2, U3, UR1, UR2, UR3

encoding

Syntax

element S4 (1) (2...5) (6) (7) [8]
# (1) int, unique element tag
# (2...5) int, node i, j, k, l
# (6) int, material tag
# (7) double, thickness
# [8] bool, nonlinear geometry switch, default: false

Remarks

1. If the nonlinear geometry switched on, the transformation between the global and local reference frames will depend on the current displacement. The nonlinear transformation is similar to the corotational transformation, and the local response is still linear. Thus, it follows "large displacement, small deformation" assumption.