A priori identification of shear locking and stiffening in triangular Mindlin elements (Q759540)

An a priori, explicit algebraic procedure for identifying shear locking and excessive solution stiffening in thin shear-deformable plates is explored. Only element-level solutions of element Kirchhoff modes are required to establish the nodal degree-of-freedom constraints. These constraints clearly identify whatever kinematic stiffening might exist. The methodology is demonstrated by the use of a conforming, three-node Mindlin element. Several discretizations of square plates are examined. The results are compared, and fully confirmed, with the corresponding numerical solutions. Examples of alternate discretizations, which alleviate the locking effect, are also presented.