Distortion occurs when 10-node tetrahedral elements have too much curvature. The software uses a Jacobian distortion index as a measure of how distorted an element is. Distortion highlights elements which, if output as 10-node tetrahedrons, have a Jacobian distortion index less than the preset bound.

Creo Simulate calculates the distortion as the ratio between the maximal Jacobian and the minimal Jacobian derived at the four Gaussian integration points. The software performs this test on solid elements only.

Return to Checking a FEM Mesh.