In the case of solid mechanics and structural

problems, this requirement states

that the assumed displacement model must
permit the rigid body (zero strain)
and the constant strain states of the
element.
(iii) The field variable φ and its partial
derivatives up to one order less than the
highest
order derivative appearing in the functional
I(φ) must be continuous at element
boundaries or interfaces.
We know that in the finite element method the
discrete model for the continuous function
φ is taken as a set of piecewise continuous
functions, each defined over a single
element.
As seen in Examples 1.2–1.4, we need to
evaluate integrals of the form
_
drφ
dxr dx
to derive the element characteristic matrices
and vectors. We know that the integral of a
stepwise continuous function, say f(x), is
defined if f(x) remains bounded in the
interval
of integration. Thus, for the integral
_
drφ
dxr dx
to be defined, φ must be continuous to the
order (r − 1) to ensure that only finite jump
discontinuities occur in the rth derivative
of φ. This is precisely the requirement
stated
previously.
The elements whose interpolation polynomials
satisfy the requirements (i) and (iii)
are called “compatible” or “conforming”
elements and those satisfying condition (ii)
are
called “complete” elements. If rth
derivative of the field variable φ is
continuous, then φ is
said to have Cr continuity. In terms of this
notation, the completeness requirement
implies
that φ must have Cr continuity within an
element, whereas the compatibility
requirement
implies that φ must have Cr−1 continuity at

element interfaces.†