Scaled boundary isogeometric analysis with C1 coupling for Kirchhoff plate theory

Although isogeometric analysis exploits smooth B-spline and NURBS basis functions for the definition of discrete function spaces as well as for the geometry representation, the global smoothness in so-called multipatch parametrizations is an issue. Especially, if strong C1 regularity is required, the introduction of function spaces with good convergence properties is not straightforward. However, in 2D there is the special class of analysis-suitable G1 (AS-G1) parametrizations that are suitable for patch coupling. In this contribution we show that the concept of scaled boundary isogeometric analysis fits to the AS-G1 idea and the former is appropriate to define C1-smooth basis functions. The proposed method is applied to Kirchhoff plates and its capability is demonstrated utilizing several numerical examples. Its applicability to non-trivial and trimmed shapes is demonstrated.