ABAQUS/CAE User's Manual


41.6.7 Swapping the diagonal of a pair of adjacent triangular elements

Select MeshEdit from the main menu bar to swap the diagonal of a pair of adjacent triangular elements, as shown in the following figure:

The adjacent triangular elements must have consistent normals. If necessary, you can use the Edit Mesh toolset to flip the normals; for more information, see “Reversing the surface normal direction of shell elements,” Section 41.6.3.

To swap the diagonal:

  1. Enter the Mesh module and do one of the following:

    • From the Object field in the context bar, select Assembly.

    • From the Object field in the context bar, select Part and select an orphan mesh part or a meshed part from the list of parts.

  2. 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.

  3. In the dialog box, do the following:

    1. In the Category field, select Element.

    2. From the Method list, select Swap diagonal (tri).

    3. Click OK.

  4. Select the edge of the adjacent triangular elements to swap. You can select only a single edge.

    ABAQUS/CAE highlights the selected edge and prompts you to confirm that you want to swap the selected edge.

  5. Click Yes to swap the element edge.

    ABAQUS/CAE prompts you to select the next element edge to swap.

    Tip:  If you make a mistake while swapping a diagonal, click Undo in the Edit Mesh dialog box to undo the change. ABAQUS/CAE restores the original diagonal in the two adjacent elements.

  6. When you have finished swapping diagonals, click mouse button 2 or the cancel button in the prompt area to exit the procedure.


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