A new type of plate bending element

Based on a two-field generalized variational principle, a new type of arbitrary quadrilateral plate bending element, with four nodes and with the effect of transverse shear deformation taken into account, is proposed. The element is applicable to a wide range of plate thickness and an explicit expression of stiffness matrix can be obtained. Therefore, it possesses the distinguished features of general applicability, high precision and less computer time.