FINITE ELEMENT MODELLING OF THICK ISOTROPIC PLATES

A finite element formulation for flexure of isotropic plates based on a recent refined theory is developed. The refined theory incorporates effects of transverse shear, transverse normal stress and transverse normal strain. The Galerkin finite element method was used to develop the finite element equations for both plate bending and inplane problems. The performance of the proposed finite element model was evaluated by solving problems of uniformly loaded thick plates with different support conditions. The results of the present formulation are compared with Mindlin/Reissner and elasticity solutions.