Nonlinear thin shell analysis using a curved triangular element (Q1209975)

A triangular element for nonlinear shallow shells is developed. The paper takes as the point of departure the triangular facet element but applies corrections to it to take account of the curvature of the element. The resulting element is more robust for problems in which the dominant form of deformation is inextensional bending. An alternative procedure for including finite rotations is introduced. This procedure entails the definition of reference vectors which are attached to each element side; these are updated by proper orthogonal transformations which are in turn determined by orientations of the associated element sides. The changes in curvature are given explicitly and so the contribution to the geometric stiffness matrix can be determined in a straightforward way. The element is applied to problems in time-independent elastoplasticity. For this purpose it is found necessary to use a layered shell model, and Besseling's fraction model is adopted for each layer. The range of numerical examples given demonstrate that the element works well in practice, and, in particular, that it models both finite rotations and elastoplastic deformations well.