For a nonlayered thin structure, many variables defined by the material models have the same name for both the thin layer and the adjacent domain. For example, the von Mises stress is always called solid.mises. Hence, the context in which the variable is evaluated is important.

If solid.mises is evaluated using a surface plot in a 3D model, it will have the following interpretation:

Use the mean() and side() operators to force the evaluation of variables in adjacent domains. For example, using mean(solid.mises) for a surface plot will average the stresses from the two adjacent domains, and it will not consider the stress in the thin layer between these two.

Extra care must be taken when evaluating results on entities of lower dimensions, such as points, to make sure that the expression is evaluated in the correct context. The mean() or side() operators can then be applied multiple times. For example, using mean(mean(mean(solid.mises)))in a point plot for a 3D model will ensure that the von Mises stress in the domain material is evaluated. Similarly, a point plot with the expression mean(side(1,solid.mises)) will evaluate the von Mises stress in the thin layer on boundary 1.