Material Properties

Mass Density Property (Common to All Material Models)

The mass density of a material is its mass per unit volume. (Mass density = weight density/gravity.)

Mass density is applicable to all structural elements. This property is required in all MES/ nonlinear structural analyses involving gravity or acceleration loads and dynamic effects.

Tips:

  • For quasi-static analyses, increasing the mass density can help to stabilize the solution. Naturally, such analyses cannot include dynamic effects nor gravity loads.
  • In many cases, using a Display Units system can make the input of mass density easier than using the Model Units. For tips on converting the mass density value to the appropriate units, see the Convert Mass Units page.