Numerical solutions of a gradient-elastic Kirchhoff plate model on convex and concave geometries using isogeometric analysis

In this work, we study numerical solutions of a gradient-elastic Kirchhoff plate model on convex and concave geometries. For a convex plate, we first show the well-posedness of the model. Then, we split the sixth-order partial differential equation (PDE) into a system of three second-order PDEs. The solution of the resulting system coincides with that of the original PDE. This is verified with convergence studies performed by solving the sixth-order PDE directly (direct method) using isogeometric analysis (IGA) and the system of second-order PDEs (split method) using both IGA and C-0 finite elements. Next, we study a concave pie-shaped plate, which has one re-entrant point. The well-posedness of the model on the concave domain is proved. Numerical solutions obtained using the split method differ significantly from that of the direct method. The split method may even lead to nonphysical solutions. We conclude that for gradient-elastic Kirchhoff plates with concave corners, it is necessary to use the direct method with IGA.