An adaptive non-conforming finite-element method for Reissner-Mindlin plates

Adaptive algorithms are important tools for efficient finite-element mesh design. In this paper, an error controlled adaptive mesh-refining algorithm is proposed for a non-conforming low-order finite-element method for the Reissner–Mindlin plate model. The algorithm is controlled by a reliable and efficient residual-based a posteriori error estimate, which is robust with respect to the plate's thickness. Numerical evidence for this and the efficiency of the new algorithm is provided in the sense that non-optimal convergence rates are optimally improved in our numerical experiments.