A finite strip element for the analysis of variable thickness rectangular thick plates

A linear finite strip element for the analysis of rectangular thick plates is presented. The formulation, which takes into account transverse shear deformation, is based on Mindlin's plate theory. The use of a series of localized functions in the longitudinal direction, combined with numerical integration in all directions, enables the analysis of constant height, variable thickness plates. The efficiency of linear, quadratic and cubic-spline interpolating functions in the longitudinal direction is compared. The formulation can be easily applied to any boundary condition, and supports any type of transverse loads and moments. Deflection and stress calculation results for thick plates for the clamped-free case are compared to two-dimensional FEA. CPU time is also presented for the different spline functions. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.