We consider the problem of assessing the convergence of mixed-formulated finite elements. When displacementbased formulations are considered, convergence measures of finite element solutions to the exact solution of the mathematical problem are well known. However when mixed formulations are considered, there is no well-established method to measure the convergence of the finite element solution. We first review a number of approaches that have been employed and discuss their limitations. After having stated the properties that an ideal error measure would possess, we introduce a new physics-based procedure. The new proposed error measure can be used for many different types of mixed formulations and physical problems. We illustrate its use in an assessment of the performance of the MITC family of shell elements.
The objective in this paper is to present some results regarding the predictive capabilities of the MITC9 shell element when the tying points in the element are changed. The MITC9 element is a general nine-node shell element based on the formulation approach of using mixed-interpolated tensorial components. Different tying points are very simple to implement and are not decreasing the computational efficiency of the element. Hence, the use of the ‘‘best’’ tying points is clearly of value.
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