The present paper describes how to improve the accuracy of the evaluation of the stress fields after a reasonably good displacement solution has been obtained using either the assumed-stress hybrid finite element method or the conventional, displacement-based finite element method. The idea is based on the fact that the assumed stress hybrid method is equivalent to both the principle of minimum complementary energy within the interior of each element and the principle of minimum potential energy in the entire domain. Therefore the authors propose that for the hybrid element method, after nodal displacements are solved, a different stress model could be used to find the stress coefficients employing the principle of minimum complementary energy in each element in order to get an improved stress field. Similarly, for the displacement-based finite element method, applying the principle of minimum complementary energy in individual elements to calculate the stress field from the nodal displacements directly would also be suitable and an appropriate stress model is necessary.

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