1/24/2017

InterpretingFEAResults:IntegrationPointDataechobio

News

You are here: Home / News / Analysis / Interpreting FEA Results: Integration Point Data

Interpreting FEA Results: Integration

Point Data
in Analysis /

[http://echobio.com/wpcontent/uploads/2009/04/intpoint2.jpg]

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) can produce an enormous amount

of data as output. Solution variables such as stress and strain
are computed throughout an analysis for each increment and
at each location within the model. These solution variables are
computed at what are called integration points. These
locations ARE NOT the same as the nodes of an element and it
is important when post-processing FEA results to understand
how the actual solution data is used to create contour plots,
and how to extract accurate data representing the solution of
the problem you are modeling. As is generally the case, it is the
responsibility of the analyst to make sure the engineering is
consistent with the problem at hand.
During a typical non-linear FEA solution process, numerous
increments are taken to establish an equilibrated solution for
the given applied loading. Stress equilibrium, strain
compatibility and other mechanics equations are
simultaneously solved by adjusting local solution variables
such as stress and strain throughout the entire model being
analyzed. These equations are written in such a way as to
http://echobio.com/news/interpretingfearesultsintegrationpointdata/

1/4

1/24/2017

InterpretingFEAResults:IntegrationPointDataechobio

ultimately satisfy equilibrium conditions at an elemental level

the details of which depend on the shape function of the
element being used. Regardless of element type and
formulation, the shape functions determine how the discrete
solutions for eld variables like stress and strain are
represented throughout an element, and compared with forces
and displacements to evaluate the various equations governing
the solution of the problem.
What is important to understand is that while forces and
displacements are computed at nodal locations, stresses and
strains are computed at integration points. The gure above
for a typical 8-noded, linear, three-dimensional element
illustrates the dierence between nodal locations and
integration points. The nodal locations are at the corners of the
cube while the integration points are located within the
element.
In order to generate contour plots from FEA results, it is
necessary to extrapolate the stress or strain values from the
integration points to the nodal locations. Since each node in a
model will generally be shared by more than one element these
extrapolated values will also have to be averaged in order to
produce a smooth contour plot. While there are parameters
that can be set to control how this process is handled by your
post-processing software, there are many factors which can
aect the accuracy of the extrapolated values.
The degree to which the contour plot data diers from the
actual data depends on the element type/formulation and
particularly on the steepness of the underlying eld variable
gradient and to a large extent the quality of the underlying
nite element mesh. Large gradients and a coarse mesh will
obviously produce a greater degree of dierence between the
integration point data and extrapolated nodal averages.
Relying upon discrete data taken from contour plots for stress
or strain can be misleading and inconsistent between various
analysis runs. One reliable method for extracting specic stress
and strain values is to use integration point data. In this way,
you are assured of getting an accurate stress or strain value
that relates directly to the solution of the underlying mechanics
equations. However, in the case of performing a fatigue
analysis, for example, stresses and strains at the surface of a
component may be more relevant, as it is well known that
cracks and defects generally initiate on the surface a part. In
such a case, it is the analysts responsibility to understand the
impact of using either integration point data or averaged nodal
data.
The contour plot below on the left was produced with the nodal
averaging turned o. You can see that when the nodal data is
http://echobio.com/news/interpretingfearesultsintegrationpointdata/

2/4

1/24/2017

InterpretingFEAResults:IntegrationPointDataechobio

extrapolated for each element that the result produces

discontinuities between adjacent elements. This is inevitable
because the variation of stress and strain over an element is
much more complicated than a simple linear relationship. The
contour plot on the right was produced by turning nodal
averaging back on. It is much smoother, but that smoothness
comes with a loss of information.

[http://echobio.com/wp-

[http://echobio.com/wpcontent/uploads/2009/04/ip1- content/uploads/2009/04/ip2300x166.jpg]
300x168.jpg]

Share this:

Email [http://echobio.com/news/interpreting-fea-results-

integration-point-data/?share=email&nb=1]
Print [http://echobio.com/news/interpreting-fea-results-

integration-point-data/#print]

LinkedIn [http://echobio.com/news/interpreting-fea-results-

More [#]

integration-point-data/?share=linkedin&nb=1]

Related

FEA of NIKE AIR

[http://echobio.
of-nike-air/]
April 29, 2009
In "Analysis"

Medical Implant
Material Fatigue
Research
[http://echobio.
implant-fatigueresearch/]
December 18,
2008
In "Testing"

Heart Valve
Frame
[http://echobio.
valve-frame-2/]
April 12, 2016
In "Design"

Tags: ABAQUS, Fatigue, FEA

You might also like

http://echobio.com/news/interpretingfearesultsintegrationpointdata/

3/4

1/24/2017

InterpretingFEAResults:IntegrationPointDataechobio

FEA
Geometry
and Edge
Detail

Meshing
with
FEMAP
and
Meshlab

FEA
Geometry
and Edge
Detail

Meshing
with
FEMAP
and
Meshlab

Medical
Imaging Data
and
Computational
Fluid
Dynamics

Medical
Imaging Data

ASTM Stent
Radial Force
Characterization

and

ASTM Stent
Radial Force
Characterization

Computational
Fluid
Dynamics

Suture Clip
for
Percutaneous
Mitral Valve
Repair

Suture Clip
for
Percutaneous

Computational
Modeling of
Cardiovascular
Devices

Mitral Valve

Computational
Modeling of
Cardiovascular
Devices

Repair

2016 Copyright Echobio LLC

http://echobio.com/news/interpretingfearesultsintegrationpointdata/

4/4