Higher-order linked interpolation in quadrilateral thick plate finite elements

In this work, the use of higher-order linked interpolation in the design of plate finite elements is analysed. Benefits of the linked interpolation are well known in the Timoshenko (thick) beam finite elements and in this paper the basis for development of higher-order Mindlin plate elements is found in the analogy between the Timoshenko beam theory and the Mindlin plate theory. The results obtained on standard test examples are compared and numerically assessed against the reference results from literature using various mesh densities and various order of interpolation.