  The port-Hamiltonian formulation is a powerful method for modeling and
interconnecting systems of different natures. In this paper, the
port-Hamiltonian formulation in tensorial form of a thick plate described by
the Mindlin-Reissner model is presented. Boundary control and observation are
taken into account. Thanks to tensorial calculus, it can be seen that the
Mindlin plate model mimics the interconnection structure of its one-dimensional
counterpart, i.e. the Timoshenko beam. The Partitioned Finite Element Method
(PFEM) is then extended to both the vectorial and tensorial formulations in
order to obtain a suitable, i.e. structure-preserving, finite-dimensional
port-Hamiltonian system (PHs), which preserves the structure and properties of
the original distributed parameter system. Mixed boundary conditions are
finally handled by introducing some algebraic constraints. Numerical examples
are finally presented to validate this approach.
