Experience with finite element modeling of thin plate bending

Abstract A finite element modeling technique which utilizes different elements for the boundary region and the interior region is tested for plate bending analysis. Numerical results indicate that model types designated as TYPE 1, TYPE 2 and TYPE 3 do not exhibit detrimental locking effect even for very thin plate situations. For extremely weakly constrained problems, TYPE 2A and TYPE 3A can be used for additional stabilization against possible occurrence of kinematic modes.