DYNAMICS OF THE BILINEAR MINDLIN PLATE ELEMENT

Plate and shell finite elements based upon Mindlin plate theory and evaluated by one-point quadrature are attractive because of their effectiveness for both thick and thin shells, at minimal computing cost. However, these elements are rank-deficient and must be stabilized to obtain reliable behaviour. Methods for achieving full rank of the stiffness and for stabilizing element behaviour in static analysis and in explicit dynamic calculations exist and are quite effective. This paper addresses the remaining issue of controlling spurious modes of response in vibration analysis and implicit dynamic solutions. Several alternatives for the element mass formulation are examined in detail. We show that non-physical dynamic modes present a potential problem with most mass matrix formulations, and that spurious modes other than the familiar hourglassing motion are possible. A combination of projection methods and reduced quadrature is suggested which eliminates these deficiencies and produces accurate numerical results. The remaining techniques investigated give rise to anomalous behaviour which make them unsuitable for general use.