Symmetry Restraints for Shell Models
For shell models, symmetry requires that faces coinciding with planes of symmetry should be prevented from moving in the normal direction and rotating about the other two orthogonal directions.
For sheet metal models that mesh with shell elements, a face of symmetry is identified by the associated edge.
For surface geometries, symmetry restraints are applied on the faces coinciding with the planes of symmetry of the model along the model thickness. For surfaces, symmetry restraints are applied manually on shell edges located on the planes of symmetry of the model.
The following examples explain how symmetry restraints are applied to the different geometries:
Sheet Metals that mesh with shell elements
Surfaces