A higher‐order triangular plate bending element revisited

A new formulation of an eighteen‐degrees‐of‐freedom higher‐order triangular plate bending element using triangular area co‐ordinates is presented. The displacement function w is taken as the complete fifth‐order polynomial in area co‐ordinates. The normal slope along an edge of the triangle is constrained to vary cubically. The twenty‐one constants are expressed explicity in terms of eighteen degrees of freedom. The element stiffness matrix is expressed as a product of component matrices for which explicit expressions are developed and presented. No numerical inversion or integration is necessary. The formulation is expected to be useful specially for microcomputers.