Nodal sensitivities as error estimates in computational mechanics (Q1357322)

We propose special sensitivities, called nodal sensitivities, as error indicators and estimators for numerical analysis in mechanics. Nodal sensitivities are defined as rates of change of response quantities with respect to nodal positions. Direct analytical differentiation is used to obtain the sensitivities, and the infinitesimal perturbations of the nodes are forced to lie along the elements. The performance of the error indicators for boundary element method is evaluated through two numerical examples in linear elasticity.