For some modeling situations, you may want to use shell elements in such a way that they do not contribute any stiffness to the model, but they are primarily used to apply loads to the model. This can be accomplished by using one of the following modeling approaches:
- Define the shell elements with their actual thickness and use property modifiers to significantly reduce their stiffness, say by a factor of 10e-3 or 10e-4.
- Use null areas (i.e. area objects with area section assignment "None") and apply the loads using the "Uniform to Frame (Shell)" load assignment.