Finite element analysis of plates by an accurate strain-based element

Plates analysis has been a very important research area for a long time. In this perspective, in this paper, finite element analysis of thin plates in bending is carried out using a new four node strain-based plate element. The strain-based approach and Kirchhoff theory for thin plates have been used to create the strain field of this element. This approach consists in having a displacement field from a proposed strain field. This developed model contains essential degrees of freedom at each corner node which are three, one displacement and two rotations. The displacement field is based on the assumed functions for various deformations which satisfy the compatibility equations, and the displacement functions are obtained by integrating these deformation functions. The numerical validation of this developed element was held through several examples from the literature. The obtained results from these numerical tests prove the good accuracy and performance of this element.