Abstract
This paper discusses work done in the pursuit of accuracy in computational mechanics, with particular application to the computation of linear elastic stress fields for problems of structural mechanics. Practical and theoretical aspects of modeling such problems are addressed, including appropriate specification of boundary conditions and the presence of stress singularities at re-entrant corners. The scaled boundary finite element method is introduced as a method of efficiently and accurately computing stress fields in the region of singularities. Various types of adaptivity are discussed, and the reasons for the current low level of use of these techniques in practice considered. The advances necessary for wider application of linear stress analysis to structural design are addressed.