The paper presents a numerical comparison of linear and quadratic quadrilateral finite elements for two-dimensional elasticity problems. The analysis considers the accuracy of displacement and stress calculations as the finite element mesh is refined. For each mesh, the boundary-value problem is solved independently, and the numerical results are compared with the analytical solution.

The calculations show a clear difference in the convergence behavior of the two element types. Linear quadrilateral elements approach the reference solution relatively slowly and require a finer mesh to obtain the required accuracy. Quadratic elements give considerably better results on coarse meshes and approach the analytical solution more rapidly as the mesh is refined. This behavior is related to the higher-order interpolation used in the quadratic formulation.

The results also show that the element order has a direct effect on the number of elements required for a given accuracy. The comparison can therefore be useful when selecting a finite element formulation for numerical calculations in twodimensional elasticity and in the development of corresponding computational procedures.