Hi,

A poosible explanation to you query may be in the snapshot attached below.

This snapshot is from Ansys Apdl help directory.

The highligted line says that "Thermal strains are computed for newly-activated elements based on the current load step temperature and the reference temperature. Thus, newborn elements with thermal loads may not be stress-free as intended."

So, I think since the newborn elements are NOT thermal-strain-free.

This may mean that the newborn elements are NOT thermal-strain-free for all the time/load steps carried out before they were born. It means that those newborn elements were not in a constant ambient temperature before they were born.

This is why, probably you are getting a temperature profile of those elements before they are born.

I guess, the only simple way is to neglect that temperature profile before the elements are born, because physically the element was not present.

Hi Sandipan Baruah,

Thanks for the reply. Indeed, this can be a possible explanation.

But, these elements are contributing to conduction heat loss, simply neglecting the temperature profile will under approximate the temperatures at different nodes. Don't you think?

Please see the nodal heat flux results for any time-step before the killed elements are born.

The heat flux/flow for these nodes should be zero or negligible compared to the heat flux of the nodes of live elements.

If they are not zero, then I guess the apdl code needs to be rechecked. Otherwise, if you are doing the analysis as per some reference paper, and your results approximately match that paper, then I guess it is ok.