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Concept: Error Norms

Error Norms
To better understand how Simulation convergence methods work, it is important to understand the quantities
used to calculate convergence. The convergence details are reported in the engine report file. By carefully
interpreting these values, you can judge the numerical quality of the results.

• Global RMS Stress Index – The Global RMS Stress Index is an estimate of the square root of the error in
the total (global) strain energy, which is the difference between the strain energy at the current pass and the
exact strain energy, divided by the exact strain energy. To estimate the exact strain energy, the engine
extrapolates the total strain energies of three successive passes. The three successive passes are referred
to as pass one, pass two, and pass three, with pass three being the most recent. It is assumed that the
energy is asymptotic to a value at high polynomial order (which is called exact energy). Simulate fits an
exponential function through the three points and extrapolates it to estimate the asymptotic value. The index
might detect a significant error if the difference between pass three and pass two is not small compared to
the difference between pass two and pass one.For multiple load sets, the value is the maximum over all
load sets. If a value greater than 100% is calculated internally, the output is always limited to a maximum
value of 100%.Global RMS stress is an energy norm, not a stress norm. It has been shown that the integral
over the model of strain energy is equivalent to global RMS stress.

• Local Displacement/Energy Index – These are local measures of convergence. The engine checks the
percentage change in total strain energy of each element, and the percentage change in the displacement
or temperature along each element edge.
◦ If the displacement along the edge has changed too much since the last p-pass, the p-order of the
edge must be increased.

◦ If the strain energy in the element has changed too much since the last p-pass, the p-order of all the
edges of the element must be increased.

After checking all elements and edges, the engine sets the local convergence index to the maximum value
encountered, so the index can refer to an edge displacement or an element energy, depending on which
error is bigger. For multiple load sets, the value is the maximum over all load sets.

• RMS Stress Error Estimate – This is a local stress error estimate and should not be confused with the
Global RMS Stress Index, which refers to global strain energy.In both SPA and MPA, it is the maximum over
all edges in the model of the RMS stress error along one edge. Stress error is estimated at sample points
along an edge by comparing smoothed (superconverged) and non-smoothed stresses. The stress error
excludes regions of potential singularities (constraints, reentrant corners). RMS Stress Error estimates are
computed as follows:
◦ σ is the stress computed from the derivatives of the displacement polynomials.

◦ σm is the smoothed, superconverged stress.

◦ Mean-square Stress Error is the integral over the edge of (σ – σm)2.

◦ RMS Stress Error is the square root of the Mean-square Stress Error. The individual RMS stress error
estimates can be evaluated in the postprocessor; the maximum is always printed into the rpt file. If you

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Error Norms Page 2 of 2

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◾ Normalized by Maximum Element Stress – Raw/maximum stress in the element (in %).

• Superconverged Stresses – To represent the smoothed stress, Simulate uses the same polynomial
functions as used for the displacements. The coefficients of the stress polynomials are found by least
squares fitting to stresses calculated at various sample points within each element. In this way, the typical
stress jumps, or discontinuous stresses, of the raw or directly computed stresses at the element boundaries
disappear. The smoothed stresses calculated this way often converge faster than non-smoothed stresses.

Figure 1 – Superconverged Stresses

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