Computer Applications for
Mechanical Engineering
PLATE NO. 6
STATIC STRESS ANALYSIS
Submitted by:
Argame, Lee Yancy S.
20231050915
ME2B
Submitted to:
Engr. Emmanuelle R. Biglete, MSME
Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department
April 4, 2025
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Problem Statement..........................................................................................................................................3
Discussion of Results......................................................................................................................................3
Simulations...................................................................................................................................................4
Default.......................................................................................................................................................4
Coarse.......................................................................................................................................................5
Fine............................................................................................................................................................7
Theoretical Computations.............................................................................................................................8
Stress.........................................................................................................................................................8
Displacement:............................................................................................................................................9
FOS...........................................................................................................................................................9
Comparison................................................................................................................................................10
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................................11
References....................................................................................................................................................12
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Problem Statement
This study aims to perform a static stress simulation on a rectangular plate made of AISI 304 stainless steel
using three different mesh settings: default, coarse, and fine.
The report seeks to answer the following questions:
1. How do different mesh settings (default, coarse, and fine) affect the accuracy of stress, displacement,
and factor of safety calculations in a static stress simulation of an AISI 304 rectangular plate?
2. Do the theoretical values align with the simulation results?
Discussion of Results
Material: AISI 304 Stainless Steel
● Young’s Modulus (E): 190,000 MPa
● Yield Strength (σ_yield): 206.807 MPa
Geometry: Rectangular plate with a central hole
● Length: 200 mm, Width: 100 mm, Thickness: 10 mm
● Center Hole Diameter: 40 mm
3
Simulations
Default Stress
Default Displacement
4
Default FOS
Coarse Stress
5
Coarse Displacement
Coarse FOS
Fine Stress
6
Fine Displacement
7
Fine FOS
Theoretical Computations
Stress:
Force applied
σ =K t ⋅
( width−diameter)⋅thickness
110 000 N
σ =2.25 ⋅
(100−40)⋅10
σ =412.50 Mpa
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Displacement:
F∗L
δ=
A∗E
F∗L
δ=
(w−d)∗E
L
δ=σ ⋅
E
200 mm
δ=412.50⋅
193 000 Mpa
δ=0.4275 mm
FOS:
Yield Strength
FOS=
Maximum Stress
206.807
FOS=
412.50
FOS=0.5014
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Comparison
Max Stress Max Displacement FOS
(MPa) (mm)
Theoretical 412.50 0.428 0.5014
Default 407.704 0.143 0.507
Coarse 389.510 0.143 0.531
Fine 415.162 0.144 0.498
For stress accuracy, the fine mesh provides results that are almost identical to the theoretical value,
407.704 MPa compared to 412.50 MPa, making it the most precise. The coarse mesh, on the other
hand, gives a much lower stress value at 389.510 MPa, likely due to fewer elements and interpolation
errors. The default mesh, at 415.162 MPa, slightly exceeds the theoretical value but still offers a
reasonable estimate.
When it comes to displacement, the theoretical value of 0.428 mm is noticeably higher than the
simulated results, which are around 0.143–0.144 mm. This difference might be caused by variations in
boundary conditions, material properties, or the way the finite element model is set up. Interestingly, all
mesh types produce nearly the same displacement values, meaning that refining the mesh does not
significantly impact displacement accuracy in this case.
Regarding the factor of safety (FOS), the coarse mesh gives the highest value at 0.531, making it the
most conservative, though possibly less accurate. The fine mesh, with an FOS of 0.498, is nearly
identical to the theoretical value of 0.5014, making it the most reliable for assessing safety. The default
mesh is also fairly accurate at 0.507, leaning slightly toward the safer side.
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Conclusion
This study illustrates how stress, displacement, and factor of safety (FOS) are influenced by
various mesh settings in a static stress simulation. The fine mesh had the highest stress value at
415.162 MPa, the default mesh 407.704 MPa, and the coarse mesh had the lowest value at 389.510
MPa. Displacement values were consistent across all mesh types and ranged from 0.143 mm to
0.144 mm, while the theoretical displacement was 0.428 mm. The values of factor of safety were
0.498 for fine mesh, 0.507 for default mesh, and 0.531 for coarse mesh.
The findings demonstrate that stress accuracy is highly dependent on mesh refinement, where
finer meshes result in closer values to those theoretically expected. Displacement values were not
particularly sensitive to mesh refinement and instead indicate other influences, such as boundary
conditions and material properties, having a more significant role. Factor of safety values were
different between mesh types and some resulted in conservative values while others matched very
closely with theoretical calculations.
These results highlight the need for selecting the right mesh density in relation to desired
accuracy in stress and safety predictions. Refined mesh enhances the accuracy in stresses, but not
significantly in displacement results. Future studies may investigate other variables such as boundary
conditions, element types, and material properties to increase the accuracy of finite element
simulations.
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References
Finite element mesh refinement definition and techniques.
(n.d.).https://www.comsol.com/multiphysics/mesh-refinement
Mercer, B. (n.d.). Finite Element Analysis: A comprehensive guide. In Mechanical Science
and Engineering [Book].
https://courses.physics.illinois.edu/phys524/fa2023/phys524_units/6/6a.pdf
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