Kinematics of finite rotation shells with in-plane twist parameter (Q1595386)

Shell equations are derived considering explicit rotations. The constitutive equation is postulated in terms of the relaxed Biot stress and right stretch strain, and shell kinematics is based on Reissner hypothesis and on a constant/linear approximation of rotation tensor with respect to thickness. The authors parametrize the rotation around the shell director by drill and in-plane twist parameters, with the latter associated with a linear approximation. In the present formulation, the drill rotation is retained explicitly, and can be recovered from the drill rotation constraint, while the in-plane twist parameter is an internal parameter of the theory. Accordingly, the enhanced shell kinematics does not increase the number of degrees of freedom for a discrete model.