GENERALIZED CONFORMING QUADRILATERAL PLATE ELEMENT BY USING SEMI-LOOFCONSTRAINTS

A 12-DOF quadrilateral element for plate bending is formulated based o n the concept of generalized compatibility and semi-Loof constraints. The element DOFs are defined with the conventional displacements at co rner nodes and the semi-Loof constraints are used in the formulation. This element is a generalized conforming one which passes Irons' patch test and can be used to solve problems with complicated boundaries. W hen overall considerations of simplicity, accuracy and reliability are taken into account, this new element is one of the best 12-DOF quadri lateral plate-bending elements currently available.