Plasticity benchmark and input data cases are small finite element models used to verify elasto-plastic, elasto-viscoplastic, structural plasticity, and dynamic plasticity implementations.
PLANET for elasto-plastic plane and axisymmetric solids.
VISCOUNT for elasto-viscoplastic two-dimensional solids.
MINDLIN and MINDLAY for nonlayered and layered elasto-plastic Mindlin plates.
DYNPAK and MIXDYN for transient dynamic elasto-plastic or viscoplastic analysis.
The cases include element selections, material parameters, yield-criterion flags, load data, boundary conditions, and output expectations.
Why It Matters
For a custom solver, these cases are useful as a verification pattern even when the original FORTRAN programs are not reused. A good plasticity test harness should compare displacement, reactions, element forces, stress components, and plastic state variables against a reference solver or a trusted benchmark.
Harness Use
Start with single-element elastic and plastic patch cases.
Add small plane stress, plane strain, and axisymmetric plasticity cases.
Add beam and Mindlin plate section-yielding cases.
Add rate-dependent and transient dynamic cases only after the static plasticity state update is stable.
Record tolerances separately for nodal, element, and stress/state outputs.