Title:         Innovative finite element methods for plates

Authors:       Douglas N. Arnold

Source:        Mat. Apl. Comput. 10 (1991), pp. 77-88.

Status:        Published

Abstract:  Finite element methods for the Reissner-Mindlin plate theory
are discussed.  Methods in which both the tranverse displacement and the
rotation are approximated by finite elements of low degree mostly suffer
from locking.  However a number of related methods have been devised
recently which avoid locking effects.  Although the finite element
spaces for both the rotation and transverse displacement contain little
more than piecewise linear functions, optimal order convergence holds
uniformly in the thickness.  The main ideas leading to such methods are
reviewed and the relationships between various methods are clarified.

Keywords:      Reissner, Mindlin, plate, finite element

Subj. class.:  65N30, 73K10

URL:           http://ima.umn.edu/~arnold/papers/plates.pdf