Thanks for the clarification. But then I don't get why you wouldn't set up the problem for u, v, and w in 2D. Have you looked into using what comsolites refer to as "equation-based modeling"?
Jeff
PS: BTW COMSOL can also tackle the plain stress situation.
Uff! It is an option, it crossed my mind at some point, but it would amount to program from
scratch the whole elastic continuum theory by using "equation-based modeling", really
a huge task. I would rather prefer to benefit from the formalism already implemented
in the Structural Mechanics module.
I wonder why the COMSOL people didnt let open the option to work with the w variable
in the 2D models. It doesn't seem to be a great complication and it would make the modeling
more flexible.
Unfortunately the assumptions of the "plane stress approximation" are also too
restricted for my purposes.
Regards,
Alberto.