This paper deals with the formulation and the evaluation of a new three node, nine d.0.f. triangular plate bending element valid for the analysis of thick to thin plates. The formulation is based on a generalization of the discrete Kirchhoff technique to include the transverse shear effects. The element, called DST (Discrete Shear Triangle), has a proper rank and is free of shear locking. It coincides with the D K T (Discrete Kirchhoff Triangle) element if the transverse shear effects are not significant. However, an incompatibility of the rotation of the normal appears due to shear effects. A detailed numerical evaluation of the characteristics and of the behaviour of the element has been performed including patch tests for thin and thick plates, convergence tests for clamped and simply supported plates under uniform loading and evaluation of stress resultants. The overall performance of the DST element is found to be very satisfactory. 534 J. L. BATOZ AND P LARDELR Hybrid Stress Model (HSM), Hsieh-Clough-Tocher (HCT) and Mindlin Selective Reduced Integration (SRI) elements were made. The DKT element appeared to be a simple but reliable and effective triangular bending element for the evaluation of displacements, stresses and eigcnfrcquencies. Since 1981 only a few attempts havc been made to formulate new nine d.0.f. triangular elements: Wui6 combined the hybrid stress Mindlin model with discrete Kirchhoff constraints along the sides, Belytschko et al." worked on the SRI element with mode decomposition, Bergan and co-workers employed the free formulation,'*-20 Karamanlidis er a/." presented the results of a hybrid element that coincides with those of HSM,' Tesslerl and Tessler and Hughes2' suggested the 'interdependent variable interpolations with appropriate shear correction factors' and the M IN3 element, FrickerZ3 improved the A-9 element of R a~z a q u e~~ (A-9 is equivalent to HSM) and compared his results with those given by DKT"."' and by the free formulation,'8 FrickerZ6 has also considered three methods to include shear deformation in the element discussed in Reference 23, Argyris et ~2 1 .~' have discussed and evaluated the TRUNC, TRUMP elements based on the natural approach, MacNeal" discussed the TRIA3 element of NASTRAN and Jeyachandrabose and Kirkhope28 have proposed and evaluated two new elements by combining the DKT formulation and the least-square technique.

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