The simplest nonconforming mixed finite element method for linear elasticity in the symmetric formulation on n-rectangular grids

A family of mixed finite elements is proposed for solving the first order system of linear elasticity equations in any space dimension, where the stress field is approximated by symmetric finite element tensors. This family of elements has a perfect matching between the stress and the displacement. The discrete spaces for the normal stress tau(i1), the shear stress tau(ij) and the displacement mu(i) are span{1, x(i)}, span{l1 x(i), x(i)} and span{1}, respectively, on rectangular grids. In particular, the definition remains the same for all space dimensions. As a result of these choices, the theoretical analysis is independent of the spatial dimension as well. In 1D,the element is nothing else but the 1D Raviart Thomas element, which is the only conforming element in this family. In 2D and higher dimensions, they are new elements but of the minimal degrees of freedom. The total degrees of freedom per element are 2 plus 1 in 1D, 7 plus 2 in 2D, and 15 plus 3 in 3D. These elements are the simplest element for any space dimension. The well-posedness condition and the optimal a priori error estimate of the family of finite elements are proved. Numerical tests in 2D and 3D are presented to show a superiority of the new elements over others, as a superconvergence is exhibited and proved. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.