A new twelve DOF quadrilateral element for analysis of thick and thin plates

A simple quadrilateral 12 DOF plate bending element based on Reissner–Mindlin theory for analysis of thick and thin plates is presented in this paper. This element is constructed by the following procedure: 1. riation functions of the rotation and shear strain along each side of the element are determined using Timoshenkoʹs beam theory; and tation, curvature and shear strain fields in the domain of the element are then determined using the technique of improved interpolation. roposed element, denoted by ARS-Q12, is robust and free of shear locking and, thus, it can be employed to analyze very thin plate. Numerical examples show that the proposed element is a high performance element for thick and thin plates.