The TUBA Family of Plate Elements for the Matrix Displacement Method

Abstract

The analytical construction of displacement functions for plate elements subject to bending was discussed at some length in ref. 1. Attention was thereby drawn to both triangular and quadrilateral elements available in the ASKA system, which satisfy either all kinematic compatibility conditions or are deficient in the continuity of the gradient normal to the edge. The most rudimentary elements of the triangular set consist of the so-called fully compatible TRIB 3C and the TRIB 3, which satisfies the slope condition only at the vertices. The TRIB 3C corresponds in principle, but not in detail, to the element evolved by Bazeley et al but allows, however, also for linear taper.