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Interface Elements

INTER elements are specified in the same way as other elements. Where second order interface elements are created (eg. INTER3 or INTER8 ) some of the mid-side nodes generated by FEMGEN are not used in the ABAQUS element definition. These unused nodes will appear in the list of node definitions in the ABAQUS file but will not cause any problems.

A Jacobian check is performed on all INTER elements, however the user must ensure that the part has the correct orientation ie.

In 2D, side 1 of the surface must correspond to one side of the gap and side 3 to the other.
In 3D, side 1 of the body must correspond to one side of the gap and side 2 to the other.

It is also necessary to make sure that the layer of interface elements is only one element deep and that the divisions on opposite sides of the gap are equal. The interface is unable to produce any warnings if these rules are not followed and invalid data may be written to the input file.

**Figure 2.1:** Example Interface Element Definition
$\begin{figure} \centerline{ \psfig {figure=figure1.ps,width=3.9in} } \centerline{ \psfig {figure=figure2.ps,width=3.9in} }\end{figure}$

Next: INTER9 Elements Up: Model Definition Previous: Model Geometry

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9/9/1999