AbstractThe behaviour of a Hermitian two‐node element based on the Bernoulli beam equation is examined. The assumed constraints generate rotation‐dependent distributed moments. It is shown that for these moments a potential exists, and that a rigid translation is the only rigid body mode of the element. The analysis of the Bernoulli equation demonstrates that very large values of α=e/EIenforce the conditionw,x= 0, resulting in displacements equal to zero. The element is examined for two types of constraints. The first type of constraint, diminishing rotations of a beam (α0), a highly oscillatory nature of the solution i