Publications

Effects of finite element discretization and model simplification on calculations of ductile failure initiation

Corona, Edmundo C.; Fietek, Carter J.

The finite element method is a scheme to discretize the infinite number of degrees of freedom in continuum-level problems down to a finite number of degrees of freedom. This discretization is done in conjunction with methods that also reduce the field differential equations to sets of algebraic ones that can be solved by arithmetical operations. Therefore, solutions attained by finite element models are approximations to the exact solutions of the field equations.