An Advanced Finite Element for Nonlinear Analyses of Shell Structures

摘要

At present available general-purpose finite element analysis packages have increased considerably to apply in engineering analysis. Numerous significant gains have been made in various fields. The finite element analysis of shell structures has been a very active research field for two decades. So far, much effort has been implemented for shell analyses and many different shell elements have been proposed. However, it is not still enough success in describing the feature of practical projects. The progress of many engineering analyses is still limited in several cases because of the shortcoming of the classical finite element formulation.The main objective of this paper is to develop and evaluate an advanced nonlinear shell element based on variational theory. The formulation and characteristics of the element are shown and examined. The numerical analyses of shell structures will be efficiently implemented and compared with previously presented elements [1-3]. The reliability and effectiveness of the presented element are assessed. The high accuracy and effective convergence of the element are revealed by theoretical and numerical analyses. The practical analysis results will indicate that the presented shell element will have a good application forecast in structural engineering analysis.