An approximate method to build an improved stress field in local regions

Abstract

An approximate procedure to enhance the accuracy of the continuous stress field in local regions has been proposed, based on Loubignac’s iterative method and the theory of conjugate approximations. The validity of the proposed method has been tested through three examples: a thick-walled cylinder under internal pressure; an infinite plate with a central circular hole subjected to uniaxial tension; and a short cantilever beam. Analysis of the examples shows that the stress field obtained for the local region model by the proposed method agrees well with that for the whole domain model. In addition, a significant reduction in computing time to obtain the improved stress field implies that the proposed method can be an efficient alternative for the detailed stress analysis in local regions.