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An energy basis for mesh refinement of structural continua
Author(s) -
Melosh R. J.,
Marcal P. V.
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
international journal for numerical methods in engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.421
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1097-0207
pISSN - 0029-5981
DOI - 10.1002/nme.1620110705
Subject(s) - measure (data warehouse) , finite element method , displacement (psychology) , discretization , basis (linear algebra) , energy (signal processing) , polygon mesh , element (criminal law) , shell (structure) , stiffness , mesh generation , algorithm , strain energy , computer science , mathematics , mathematical analysis , geometry , structural engineering , data mining , mechanical engineering , engineering , statistics , psychology , law , political science , psychotherapist
This paper proposes an energy measure of discretization error and examines its use for finite element mesh refinement in the analysis of structural continua. The measure is based on the strain energy contributions by the admissible displacement response modes of an element. An element energy differential is obtained by separating the energy contribution due to the higher displacement modes. This measure is suitable for use with all element types based on the direct stiffness method. The paper presents results of membrane, plate and shell analyses using the measure. It compares sequences of analysis with successively improved meshes to explore the quality of the measure. It concludes that the element energy difference provides a quantitative measure of the efficiency of a given mesh and a qualitative measure which is useful for selecting further mesh refinements, when necessary.