Eight-node Reissner-Mindlin plate element based on boundary interpolation using Timoshenko beam function

A new eight-node Reissner–Mindlin plate element is developed with a special interpolation within the element. This special interpolation is an extension of the element boundary interpolation that employs Timoshenko beam function for the boundary segment interpolation. The element function can effectively capture the structural behaviours of thick plates and achieve high precision in the analysis of thick plates. Patch tests and numerical investigations are conducted. It can be seen that the proposed element successfully passes all the patch tests. The results of the numerical investigation show that the proposed element is free of the shear locking phenomenon and possesses a higher accuracy in the analyses, as compared to the earlier research in the literature. Copyright q 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.