Consistent finite element structural analysis and error control Original Research Article

There is a rapidly growing interest in reducing reliance on testing to qualify structures in a safety critical environment and to place confidence in virtual testing where the Finite Element Method is employed to predict the actual behaviour of a real world structure. The paper critically examines the possibility for generating a method which can provide error control and error bounding methods which are applicable to the finite element analysis process. Although the method presented can, in theory, be applied to the complete analysis process the paper concentrates on controlling errors in the idealisation phase of a full finite element analysis.