An isogeometric method for the Reissner-Mindlin plate bending problem

We present a new isogeometric method for the discretization of the Reissner-Mindlin plate bending problem. The proposed scheme follows a recent theoretical framework that makes possible to construct a space of smooth discrete deflections $W_h$ and a space of smooth discrete rotations ${\text{Rots}}_h$ such that the Kirchhoff contstraint is exactly satisfied at the limit. Therefore we obtain a formulation which is natural from the theoretical/mechanical viewpoint and locking free by construction.