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You run an FEA study and see an enormous red stress value at one tiny corner. Should you immediately redesign the part? Not necessarily. You may be looking at a stress singularity.
What Is a Singularity?
A singularity can occur around idealized sharp corners, point loads, perfectly rigid constraints or other mathematical conditions that create unrealistic local behaviour.
Why Mesh Refinement Can Make It Look Worse
Near some singularities, refining the mesh can make the peak stress continue to increase rather than converge to a stable value. That is an important warning sign.
Look at the Physical Part
Real components have radii, contact areas, material behaviour and manufacturing imperfections. The exact mathematical corner in the CAD model may not exist in the physical part.
What Should You Check?
Look at stress away from the singular point, check displacement and reaction forces, and review whether the boundary condition represents the real assembly.
Do Not Ignore Real Problems
Not every high stress is a singularity. If the high stress remains over a meaningful region and the model converges, it deserves engineering attention.
Keep learning: Explore more practical engineering articles in the GetCADFile Design Guide.