Approximation of a circular cylindrical shell by Clough-Johnson flat plate finite elements

Summary In this paper, we study the approximation of a right circular cylindrical shell by a nonconforming method using Clough-Johnson flat plate finite elements. Compatibility conditions which have to be satisfied by the degrees of freedom at every node of the triangulation are given. Then, we prove that convergence is insured for shallow shells when using particular families of triangulations which are practically easy to implement. Finally, we propose a new approximation method by flat plate finite elements which assures the convergence for any kind of circular cylindrical shell.