Nitsche's method for Kirchhoff plates

We introduce a Nitsche's method for the numerical approximation of the Kirchhoff-Love plate equation under general Robin-type boundary conditions. We analyze the method by presenting a priori and a posteriori error estimates in mesh-dependent norms. Several numerical examples are given to validate the approach and demonstrate its properties

A Reissner-Mindlin plate formulation using symmetric Hu-Zhang elements via polytopal transformations

In this work we develop new finite element discretisations of the shear-deformable Reissner--Mindlin plate problem based on the Hellinger-Reissner principle of symmetric stresses. Specifically, we use conforming Hu-Zhang elements to discretise the bending moments in the space of symmetric square integrable fields with a square integrable divergence $\boldsymbol{M} \in \mathcal{HZ} \subset H^{\mathrm{sym}}(\mathrm{Div})$. The latter results in highly accurate approximations of the bending moments $\boldsymbol{M}$ and in the rotation field being in the discontinuous Lebesgue space $\boldsymbol{\phi} \in [L]^2$, such that the Kirchhoff-Love constraint can be satisfied for $t \to 0$. In order to preserve optimal convergence rates across all variables for the case $t \to 0$, we present an extension of the formulation using Raviart-Thomas elements for the shear stress $\mathbf{q} \in \mathcal{RT} \subset H(\mathrm{div})$. We prove existence and uniqueness in the continuous setting and rely on exact complexes for inheritance of well-posedness in the discrete setting. This work introduces an efficient construction of the Hu-Zhang base functions on the reference element via the polytopal template methodology and Legendre polynomials, making it applicable to hp-FEM. The base functions on the reference element are then mapped to the physical element using novel polytopal transformations, which are suitable also for curved geometries. The robustness of the formulations and the construction of the Hu-Zhang element are tested for shear-locking, curved geometries and an L-shaped domain with a singularity in the bending moments $\boldsymbol{M}$. Further, we compare the performance of the novel formulations with the primal-, MITC- and recently introduced TDNNS methods.Comment: Additional implementation material in: https://github.com/Askys/NGSolve_HuZhang_Elemen

Structure-preserving discretization of port-Hamiltonian plate models

Methods for discretizing port-Hamiltonian systems are of interest both for simulation and control purposes. Despite the large literature on mixed finite elements, no rigorous analysis of the connections between mixed elements and port-Hamiltonian systems has been carried out. In this paper we demonstrate how existing methods can be employed to discretize dynamical plate problems in a structure-preserving way. Based on convergence results of existing schemes, new error estimates are conjectured; numerical simulations confirm the expected behaviors

A Reissner-Mindlin plate formulation using symmetric Hu-Zhang elements via polytopal transformations

In this work we develop new finite element discretisations of the shear-deformable Reissner--Mindlin plate problem based on the Hellinger-Reissner principle of symmetric stresses. Specifically, we use conforming Hu-Zhang elements to discretise the bending moments in the space of symmetric square integrable fields with a square integrable divergence. The latter results in highly accurate approximations of the bending moments M and in the rotation field being in the discontinuous Lebesgue space , such that the Kirchhoff-Love constraint can be satisfied for t tending to zero. In order to preserve optimal convergence rates across all variables for the case t tending to zero, we present an extension of the formulation using Raviart-Thomas elements for the shear stress. We prove existence and uniqueness in the continuous setting and rely on exact complexes for inheritance of well-posedness in the discrete setting. This work introduces an efficient construction of the Hu-Zhang base functions on the reference element via the polytopal template methodology and Legendre polynomials, making it applicable to hp-FEM. The base functions on the reference element are then mapped to the physical element using novel polytopal transformations, which are suitable also for curved geometries. The robustness of the formulations and the construction of the Hu-Zhang element are tested for shear-locking, curved geometries and an L-shaped domain with a singularity in the bending moments. Further, we compare the performance of the novel formulations with the primal-, MITC- and recently introduced TDNNS methods.Pre-prin