COMPARISON OF STRAIN RECOVERY TECHNIQUES FOR THE MIXED ITERATIVE METHOD

Three strain recovery techniques are investigated in the framework of the mixed iterative method. The need for appropriate strain recovery f or low-order elements is shown. The three techniques compared are: C-l umping, strain-smoothing and a new technique called C-splitting. It is shown that the use of C-lumping has negative effects on the convergen ce of the mixed iterative method. Both strain-smoothing and C-splittin g deliver convergent results, but the new technique converges faster.