Structure-preserving discretization of port-Hamiltonian plate models

Methods for discretizing port-Hamiltonian systems are of interest both for simulation and control purposes. Despite the large literature on mixed finite elements, no rigorous analysis of the connections between mixed elements and port-Hamiltonian systems has been carried out. In this paper we demonstrate how existing methods can be employed to discretize dynamical plate problems in a structure-preserving way. Based on convergence results of existing schemes, new error estimates are conjectured; numerical simulations confirm the expected behaviors.