Web Technical Note 4 Sept 2008

Revision: 0

Slab Meshing and ETABS

The following brief note compares the results of two meshes in ETABS. Two slabs were tested. They
were 12x12 m slab supported on 4 columns 8m apart (shown on plan as ). They were analyzed in two
ways and only the meshing is different. The two meshes are as shown below.








As many are no doubt aware, the mesh A is a reasonable one: the key feature is that it has an element
node at the column point. This ensures proper load transfer. This mesh runs quickly in ETABS and
produces no errors. Mesh B, however, has no node at the column point. Trying to run this one produces
about many errors and warnings of ill-conditioning etc. and, of course, no sensible results.
If this poor meshing is done throughout the entire model the warnings from ETABS are clear enough.
However sometimes it is done on only a portion of a model and so is more difficult to trace. ETABS may
not indicate there is any problem. The load may simply be transferred elsewhere.
Although the elements shown above are 4-sided, when 3-sided elements are used the same rule applies:
ensure that there is a node at the column.





WEB STRUCTURES
Mesh A
Mesh B