Development of photoelastic fringe plotting scheme from 3D FE results

A novel approach to plot photoelastic fringe contours from three-dimensional finite element results is presented. Plotting of fringe contours from 3D FE models requires the calculation of secondary principal stresses along the light path. The definition of secondary principal stresses and the calculation of relevant photoelastic data for fringe plotting are discussed. The plotting scheme uses a scanning approach and the evaluation of total fringe order is achieved by combining a file structure and subsequent sorting of these data to enable integration along the light path. The methodology is validated for the problem of a cantilever beam with an edge load. The usefulness of the methodology to verify 3D FE modelling and for experimentalists to design their experiments is indicated. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.