Assumed stress formulation of high order quadrilateral elements with an improved in-plane bending behaviour Original Research Article

The paper proposes two quadrilateral finite elements for the analysis of plane elastic problems. The elements are designed to obtain a mechanical response characterized by improved in-plane bending behaviour, a response which is difficult to obtain by the usual compatible elements. The adopted assumed stress approach enables either an easy formulation of the elements or a careful tuning of the desired mechanical response. The proposed elements behave well in classical numerical tests and are suitable for use with rough meshes.