Stress analysis is probably the most common application of the finite element method. It is applied to numerous industries such as aerospace, electronics, automotive, consumer products, nuclear, marine, and heavy equipment.

The primary unknowns (degrees of freedom) calculated in a stress analysis are displacements (translations and rotations). Other quantities, such as strains, stresses, and reaction forces, are then derived from the displacements.

A stress analysis can either include time-dependent effects (dynamic analysis) or ignore them (static analysis). In either case, the response may be linear or nonlinear. Nonlinear effects include geometric nonlinearities (large strain), material nonlinearities (plasticity, creep, viscoplasticity, viscoelasticity, etc.), and contact nonlinearities (where surfaces may come in contact or separate from other surfaces) with or without friction.

Most recent stress analyses performed by JLR have been nonlinear. We have developed an expertise in obtaining results that accurately reflect the real-world behavior of systems, allowing our clients to benefit from reduced physical prototyping costs and faster time-to-market.