An asymptotically exact finite element error estimator based on C1 stress recovery Original Research Article

A posteriori finite element error estimation for planar linear elasticity problems is developed using a recovery operator based on a C1 stress smoothing technique developed by Tessler, Riggs and Macy. The error estimator that is developed is proved to be asymptotically exact under reasonable regularity assumptions on the mesh and the solution. Numerical results for a typical plane stress problem are given.