Improvement in peak stress estimates through post-processing (Q1118458)

Three alternatives for calculating the peak stress in the vicinity of a stress raiser have been proposed in previous research: an iterative method, a stiffness derivative method, and a table look-up method. The goal of each is to improve the estimate of the peak stress through post- processing rather than multiple analyses utilizing mesh refinement. In the present paper, the relative effectiveness of the methods is studied by means of test cases. An improved stiffness derivative method is suggested for use in fracture mechanics applications.