Meshless Methods for the Reissner-Mindlin Plate Problem based on Mixed Variational Forms

Meshless numerical methods such as the element free Galerkin (EFG) method and $hp$-clouds method rely on a field of particles to construct a basis for the solution of partial differential equations (PDEs). This is in contrast with methods such as the finite element method (FEM) and finite difference method (FDM) which rely upon a mesh or grid. Because of this increased flexibility, meshfree methods have shown themselves to be effective tools for simulating difficult problems such as those with discontinuities, complex geometries and large deformations.

The Reissner-Mindlin problem is widely used by engineers to describe the deformation of a plate including the effects of transverse shear. A well-known problem which must be overcome when designing an effective numerical method for the Reissner-Mindlin problem is shear-locking. Shear-locking is the inability of the constructed approximation space (meshless or otherwise) to richly represent the limiting Kirchhoff mode. This inability manifests itself as an entirely incorrect solution as the thickness of the plate approaches zero. We will demonstrate and explain the shear-locking problem and potential solutions to it using a simple one-dimensional example.

The most effective, robust and general approaches to the shear-locking problem developed in the FEM literature are based on mixed variational forms, where a combination of displacements, stresses and strains are approximated directly. In our approach we start with a mixed variational form before eliminating the extra stress unknowns using the local patch projection technique of A Ortiz et. al. We will discuss the issues presented by the well-known LBB stability conditions and present a solution based upon the stabilising properties of both the augmented Lagrangian and additional `bubble' type functions. We will then show the good performance of the method and its shear-locking free properties.