Abstract: In numerical analysis many finite element models have acceptable performance when the computing meshes are regular. However, as the level of mesh distortion increases, their accuracy of solutions descends rapidly. Therefore, how to formulate an element that is less sensitive to geometric distortion was an important question for study for a long period. In this paper, a simple quadrilateral membrane element with rotational degrees-of-freedom is developed with the approach of the generalized conforming elemen...