GEOMETRIC IDEALIZATIONS IN FINITE ELEMENT COMPUTATIONS.

Commonly used geometric idealizations in finite element analyses introduce errors which required either a large number of degrees of freedom or the use of special procedures to correct. In this paper the effect of geometric idealizations on computer data is examined through the example of a spherical shell with an edge ring. This example demonstrates that in typical structural problems it is better to avoid the use of sharp reentrant corners than to compensate for them by mesh refinement. The effect of different mapping techniques is also examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]