Stress Averaging at Mid-side Nodes

An improved stress averaging algorithm yields better stress results for the mid-side nodes of high-quality solid elements.

In the Default Options > Results dialog box, under Advanced Options, select Average stresses at mid-nodes (high-quality solid mesh only).

The new mid-side node stress averaging algorithm yields better stress results when irregular high stresses occur at mid-side nodes that are located at areas with steep curvatures. The improved stress averaging algorithm does not modify the stress results calculated at the corner nodes of elements.

For a high-quality solid element, the stresses at the mid-side nodes are calculated by averaging the stress values of the nearest corner nodes. The new stress averaging algorithm improves the high stresses that can occur at mid-side nodes of tetrahedral elements located at areas with steep curvatures. An example of the stress averaging is shown.
  • Stresses at corner nodes (1, 2, 3, and 4) globally averaged over the shared elements.
  • Stresses at mid-side nodes (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10) averaged over the associated corner nodes. For example, stress (node 5) = (stress (node 1) + stress (node 2)) / 2
The improved stress-averaging algorithm at mid-side nodes is available for all stress-based results across all studies, except for Linear Dynamic studies.