Polygon-wise constant curvature natural element approximation of Kirchhoff plate model

Abstract

A polygon-wise constant curvature natural element approximation is presented in this paper for the numerical implementation of the abstract Kirchhoff plate model. The strict C1-continuity requirement in the displacement field is relaxed by converting the area integral of the curvatures into the boundary integral along the Voronoi boundary. Curvatures and bending moments are assumed to be constant within each Voronoi polygon, and the Voronoi-polygon-wise constant curvatures are derived in a selective manner for the sake of the imposition of essential boundary conditions. The numerical results illustrating the proposed method are also given. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.