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In the
Mesh module,
use the solid offset mesh tool in the
Edit Mesh toolset
to embed elements in an existing mesh (see
Editing the entire mesh).
This approach generates a layer of hexahedral or wedge elements that share
nodes with the surrounding bulk material. The offset mesh tool generates
elements that are oriented consistently with a stack direction that is aligned
with the offset direction. When prompted to select the element faces from which
the offset mesh will be generated, select the interior element faces using the
procedure described in
Selecting interior surfaces.
Note:
When generating an embedded layer of elements, the
thickness should be much less than that of the adjacent elements because the
nodes are displaced when the offset layer is generated.
You can create an offset mesh from only three-dimensional element faces.
As a result, you can create only hexahedral- and wedge-shaped cohesive elements
using an offset mesh. For example, you cannot create quadrilateral cohesive
elements by offsetting from element edges.
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In the
Mesh module,
use the element type assignment tool to assign the cohesive element type to the
cohesive region. See
Element type assignment
for more information.
If your existing mesh is a native mesh, you should create a mesh part prior
to adding cohesive elements. For more information, see
Creating a mesh part.
If you want to use a finer mesh in the cohesive layer, you should construct
the cohesive layer as a separate part. You should separate the mesh in the
surrounding bulk material into two regions with the appropriate spacing to
accommodate the cohesive layer. You can mesh the cohesive layer using the
methods described in
Creating a model with cohesive elements using geometry and mesh tools,
and tie the cohesive layer to the surrounding bulk material. For more
information, see
Defining tie constraints between the cohesive layer and the surrounding bulk material.