Trefftz method applied to a moderately thick plate

This paper presents the Tre¤tz direct and indirect methods1 for analysing moderately thick plate bending problems based on an improved plate theory (IPT).2 By using a T-complete set in the formulation, a non-singular boundary integral equation is obtained. The results show that the present method is e¤ective for both thin and thick plates. An alternative type of locking problem which is caused by the overßow of Tre¤tz functions has been observed and a so-called variable-reducing procedure for eliminating such a phenomenon is also discussed. Copyright