Available Elements for Thermal Analysis The ANSYS and ANSYS Professional programs include about 40 elements (described below) to help you perform steady-state thermal analyses. For detailed information about the elements, consult the Element Reference. That manual organizes element descriptions in numeric order, starting with element LINK1. Element names are shown in uppercase. All elements apply to both steady-state and transient thermal analyses. SOLID70 also can compensate for mass transport heat flow from a constant velocity field. Table 2.1 2-D Solid Elements Element Dimens. Shape or Characteristic DOFs PLANE35 2-D Triangle, 6-node Temperature (at each node) PLANE55 2-D Quadrilateral, 4-node Temperature (at each node) PLANE75 2-D Harmonic, 4-node Temperature (at each node) PLANE77 2-D Quadrilateral, 8-node Temperature (at each node) PLANE78 2-D Harmonic, 8-node Temperature (at each node) Table 2.2 3-D Solid Elements Element Dimens. Shape or Characteristic DOFs SOLID70 3-D Brick, 8-node Temperature (at each node) SOLID87 3-D Tetrahedron, 10-node Temperature (at each node) SOLID90 3-D Brick, 20-node Temperature (at each node) Table 2.3 Radiation Link Elements Element Dimens. Shape or Characteristic DOFs LINK31 2-D or 3-D Line, 2-node Temperature (at each node) Table 2.4 Conducting Bar Elements Element Dimens. Shape or Characteristic DOFs LINK32 2-D Line, 2-node Temperature (at each node) LINK33 3-D Line, 2-node Temperature (at each node) Table 2.5 Convection Link Elements Element Dimens. Shape or Characteristic DOFs LINK34 3-D Line, 2-node Temperature (at each node) Table 2.6 Shell Elements Element Dimens. Shape or Characteristic DOFs SHELL57 3-D Quadrilateral, 4-node Temperature (at each node) SHELL131 3-D Quadrilateral, 4-node Multiple temperatures (at each node) SHELL132 3-D Quadrilateral, 8-node Multiple temperatures (at each node) Table 2.7 Coupled-Field Elements Element Dimens. Shape or Characteristic DOFs PLANE13 2-D Thermal-structural, 4-node Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential, magnetic vector potential FLUID116 3-D Thermal-fluid, 2-node or 4-node Temperature, pressure SOLID5 3-D Thermal-structural and thermal-electric, 8-node Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential, and magnetic scalar potential SOLID98 3-D Thermal-structural and thermal-electric, 10-node Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential, magnetic vector potential PLANE67 2-D Thermal-electric, 4-node Temperature, electric potential LINK68 3-D Thermal-electric, 2-node Temperature, electric potential SOLID69 3-D Thermal-electric, 8-node Temperature, electric potential SHELL157 3-D Thermal-electric, 4-node Temperature, electric potential TARGE169 2-D Target segment element Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential TARGE170 3-D Target segment element Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential CONTA171 2-D Surface-to-surface contact element, 2-node Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential CONTA172 2-D Surface-to-surface contact element, 3-node Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential CONTA173 3-D Surface-to-surface contact element, 4-node Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential CONTA174 3-D Surface-to-surface contact element, 8-node Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential CONTA175 2-D/3-D Node-to-surface contact element, 1 node Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential PLANE223 2-D Thermal-structural, thermal-electric, structural-thermoelectric, and thermal-piezoelectric, 8-node Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential SOLID226 3-D Thermal-structural, thermal-electric, structural-thermoelectric, and thermal-piezoelectric, 20-node Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential SOLID227 3-D Thermal-structural, thermal-electric, structural-thermoelectric, and thermal-piezoelectric, 10-node Temperature, structural displacement, electric potential Table 2.8 Specialty Elements Element Dimens. Shape or Characteristic DOFs MASS71 1-D, 2-D, or 3-D Mass, one-node Temperature COMBIN37 1-D Control element, 4-node Temperature, structural displacement, rotation, pressure SURF151 2-D Surface effect element, 2-node to 4-node Temperature SURF152 3-D Surface effect element, 4-node to 9-node Temperature MATRIX50 1 Matrix or radiation matrix element, no fixed geometry 1 INFIN9 2 2-D Infinite boundary, 2-node Temperature, magnetic vector potential INFIN47 2 3-D Infinite boundary, 4-node Temperature, magnetic vector potential INFIN110 2 2-D Infinite boundary, 4 or 8 nodes Temperature, magnetic vector potential, electric potential INFIN111 2 3-D Infinite boundary, 8 or 20 nodes Temperature, magnetic scalar potential, magnetic vector potential, electric potential COMBIN14 1-D, 2-D, or 3-D Combination element, 2-node Temperature, structural displacement, rotation, pressure COMBIN39 1-D Combination element, 2-node Temperature, structura