Application of the patch test to incompatible laminated finite elements

A new patch test is proposed for laminated Þnite elements. Two single-element tests are presented which establish the necessary conditions for convergence of incompatible laminated elements. These conditions are applied to a family of incompatible laminated elements recently developed by the authors. A method for applying these conditions to establish a general isoparametric formulation is given. Numerical results from several multielement patch tests performed on these elements are discussed. Additional numerical examples that support the Þndings of these patch tests are also presented