ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual


41.6.2 Deleting elements

Select MeshEdit from the main menu bar to delete elements. You have the option of instructing ABAQUS/CAE to delete any nodes that are left unassociated with any elements once the elements are deleted. If the elements and associated nodes that you are deleting belong to existing element or node sets, those sets are updated accordingly.

To delete elements:

  1. Enter the Mesh module.

  2. From the Object field in the context bar, select Part and select an orphan mesh part from the list of parts. This tool is available only for working on an orphan mesh part.

  3. From the main menu bar, select MeshEdit.

    ABAQUS/CAE displays the Edit Mesh dialog box.

    Tip:  You can also display the Edit Mesh dialog box using the tool, located at the bottom of the Mesh module toolbox.

  4. In the dialog box, do the following:

    1. In the Category field, select Element.

    2. From the Method list, select Delete.

    3. Click OK.

  5. If you want to delete all nodes that are left unassociated with any elements once the selected elements are deleted, toggle on Delete associated unreferenced nodes in the prompt area.

  6. Select the elements to delete. You can [Shift]+Click on elements to add them to your selection or [Ctrl]+Click on selected elements to remove them from your selection.

    Tip:  You can change the picking behavior by clicking the selection options tool in the prompt area. For more information, see Chapter 6, “Selecting objects within the viewport.”

    If you would rather select from a list of existing element sets, do the following:

    1. Click Sets on the right side of the prompt area.

      ABAQUS/CAE displays the Region Selection dialog box containing a list of element sets that you have created.

    2. Select the set of elements that you want to delete, and click Continue.

    Note:  The default selection method is based on the selection method you most recently employed. To revert to the other method, click Select in Viewport or Sets on the right side of the prompt area.

    ABAQUS/CAE displays the selected elements.

  7. When you have finished selecting elements to delete, click mouse button 2.

    ABAQUS/CAE deletes the selected elements. In addition, if you toggled on Delete associated unreferenced nodes, ABAQUS/CAE also deletes nodes that would be left unassociated with any elements once the selected elements are deleted. The elements and nodes are also removed from any existing sets.

    Tip:  If you make a mistake while deleting elements, click Undo in the Edit Mesh dialog box to undo the deletion. ABAQUS/CAE restores the deleted element or elements.

  8. Repeat the above steps as often as necessary to delete additional elements.

  9. When you have finished deleting elements, click mouse button 2 or the cancel button in the prompt area to exit the procedure.


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