A new strain-based pentagonal membrane finite element for solid mechanics problems

Polygonal finite elements remain an attractive option in finite element analysis due to their flexibility in modelingarbitrary shapes compared to triangles.In this study,a pentagonal membrane element was developed with thestrain approach for the first time.The element possesses invariance,and the equilibrium constraint was appliedto the assumed strain field using corrective coefficients.Inspired by the advancing front technique,a pentagonalmesh was generated,and the mesh quality was enhanced with Laplacian smoothing.The performance of thedeveloped pentagonal element was assessed in a few numerical tests,and the results revealed its suitability inmodeling the bending of beams.Besides,the numerical results are enhanced when pentagonal elements are usedin mesh transitions along boundaries to smoothen curved edges and capture distributed loads.