Analysis of Plates and Shells with a Simplified Three Node Triangular Element

摘要

We present a 3 node triangular shell element with only three translational degrees of freedom per node, in which the out of plane displacement is the only d.o.f. considered for bending. The bending stiffness matrix of the element is derived by assuming constant curvature normal to the boundary with adjacent elements. The method is illustrated for a plate element and then for a triangular shell element. Results are presented for a variety of linear and non-linear problems to illustrate its accuracy compared with three other well-known triangular shell elements we have also implemented.