An efficient triangular plate element with C1-continuity

A new method is derived to interpolate the transverse displacement in a triangular domain using the conventional three degrees of freedom per vertex. The shape functions belong to Sobolev space H2 and are adopted to develop an efficient, conformal finite element for thin plates. There are only a few alternative formulations, which likewise satisfy the required C1-continuity as well as completeness and integrability of curvatures without additional degrees of freedom. These elements are quite stiff and are not of major interest today. Numerical investigations prove the high accuracy and rapid convergence of the new approach. Copyright q 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd