Abstract
By extending definition domain of the displacement function of a finite element model for plane stress, we obtain a new element model with the displacement parameters at external points of the element. Shape function and stiffness matrix of a rectangular element with 8 external nodes in addition to its 4 vertex nodes are derived from the Melosh's type of displacement function. Several examples of representative plane stress problems show that the present method may decrease the number of nodal displacement parameters in the analysis of the problems by discretization method in comparison with the Finite Element Methods using the usual element models.
