An a priori indicator of finite element quality based on the condition number of the stiffness matrix

This paper presents a method for analysing the quality of a finite element problem. The finite element shape distortion and order of interpolation are linked to the conditioning of the stiffness matrix of the finite element linear system in order to define a good quality criterion. The study is carried out for standard first and second order elements. The proposed quality criterion works on every kind of finite element shape.