Mixed methods for the Reissner-Mindlin plate using a first-order system formulation
Johnny Guzman

Abstract: We first write the Reissner-Mindlin plate as a system of first-order equations. This allows us to use standard H(div) finite element spaces to find compatible spaces for this formulation. This is the distinctive feature of our method. We can prove that the resulting method is locking free and we also obtain optimal error estimates. An important tool in the analysis is the use of H(div) projections that are stable in the L2 norm. Via hybridization we show that the only coupled degrees of freedom are edge degrees of freedom which makes the method computationally competitive. We provide numerical experiments that help validate our theoretical results. (Joint work with Edwin M. Behrens.)