In this study, an ecient triangular element for the fast nonlinear analysis of moderately thick Mindlin{Reissner plates is proposed. The element is formulated using a newly developed method, which is based on the assumed natural strain concept, and called Continuously Variable Strain (CVS). The continuous higher-order strain eld is proposed by using the fundamental lemma of the variational calculus. Furthermore, the updated Lagrangian tensor together with rigid body terms is employed allowing for large defor- mations. The proposed element (CVST10), which is obtained by minimizing the total potential energy, has only 10 degrees of freedom and demonstrates high-eciency and fast convergence rate in analysis of problems with coarse and distorted meshes. The arc- length iterative technique is applied to handle the geometrically post-buckling behavior of homogeneous plates under various load and boundary conditions. Various numerical examples prove the accuracy of the proposed element.

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