Finite element analysis of elasto-plastic plate bending problems using transition plate elements

In this work, the finite element analysis of the elasto-plastic plate bendingproblems is studied using transition plate elements. The transition plate elements arederived based on a practical rule which is previously used to derive the solidelements. The elements are all quadrilateral and used to obtain efficient finiteelement models using minimum number of elements. The mesh convergence rates ofthe models including the transition elements are compared with the regular elementmodels. To verify the developed elements, simple tests are demonstrated anddifferent elasto-plastic problems are solved. Their results are compared with ANSYSresults.Keywords: Finite elements, elasto-plastic, plate bending, Mindlin-Reissner theory,regular plate elements, transition plate elements.ii