F. TMR 4305.13.09.

2007

Shell theory (repetition)

y
8 beam element
approx.

Handout 3 TMR 4305/4505 Advanced Structural Analysis

Lectures following the text on pages 8.1-8.7 in the Lecture Notes by T.M

x
E, A, I

Curved structures

Load carrying by
membrane, not bending

Characteristic feature:
-Load carrying by membrane and bending interaction
-Equilibrium, by stresses, foreces
-Kinematic Compatibility, strains (curvature) expressed by displacement
-Hookes law, relation between stresses and strains
1

Shell theory -Shell elements

Shell element - Circular arch (repetition)

Circular arches -Elements

- straight beam element, B31

Stiffness relation
(between nodal forces and displacements)
may be written as

w = cubic for lateral

u = linear axial displacement

S = kv + S 0
T

k = BT H HBdV = BT H T HBdV = ds BT H T HBdA

V

S = N qds
0

= H Nv = HBv

- curved elements, C3q

= E

with exact circular geometry

w = cubic polynomial
u = polynomial of degree q
- curved elements, C3qS1, C3qS2
selective/reduced integration
3

Table 8.1 Finite element approximations of circular arch with point load

Example study

Moment at A1)
Conventional

Element
type
B31

Number of Displ.at A
elements
(10-2)
0.7586
4
0.7751
8
0.7798
16
0.496
C31
4
0.1402
8
0.3464
16
0.7795
D3151
4
0.7810
8
0.7814
16
0.7795
C3152
4
0.7810
8
0.7814
16
0.5177
C32
4
0.7478
8
0.7791
16
0.3719
C33
2
0.7659
4
0.7808
8
EXACT
0.7814

Circular arch with point load

- The maximum bending stress is approximately 80 times the axial stress.

- The exact axial strain is nearly constant while
the curvature varies slightly with a wave-length approximately
equal to the radius, R.
5

1)

5.6
82.6
292.2
300.7
302.6
292.2
300.7
302.6
225.0
290.8
301.7
119.2
251.2
300.8
303.0

Generalized
287.4
299.1
302.1
60.4
99.4
178.3
310.8
305.0
303.5
287.2
299.1
302.0
304.4
302.7
303.0
283.5
302.3
303.0

Axial force at A1)

Conven-tional
Generalized
0.918
0.918
0.918
7.3
0.954
10.0
0.926
0.914
0.910
56.4
0.916
20.9
0.918
4.6
0.934
1.2
0.922
1.2
0.919
1.2
0.897
42.8
0.917
22.7
0.918
6.0
0.960
47.9
0.919
35.3
0.918
23.6
0.918
6

Conventional = differentiating the displacement fields.

Generalized = obtained from nodal forces by the stiffness relation

Shell elements

Curved shells

Plane shell elements

based on assumed displacements

- approximate geometry
-

-a

simple flat shell formulation can be obtained by using

the Morley plate element together with
the constant strain triangle
Other plane plate bending and membrane elements can be combined to form shell elements

-Shell (element) = membrane + plate (element)

- plate bending is the main challenge (Ch.7)
z,w

dx

w,x

] = [v
T

Midsurface

h/2

v Tp

x,u

Midsurface
z

w,x

x,u

w,x

h/2

Thin plate theory

(Kirchhoff theory)

a) Differential element of
a thin plate before loading

Figure 8.7 Shell element made up of a triangular plate element with 9 d.o.f. (T9)
and constant strain triangle (CST).
7

0x

P
z

T
m

v k = u k v k , w k , xk , yk

u=-z0x

u=-zw,x

For plane element there is no coupling between in-plane and bending behaviour
The stiffness relation for a plane shell element therefore can be established by
superimposing the plate and membrane stiffness relations.
For the element in Figure 8.7 the d.o.f. for each node, k are

x,u
w,x

Thick plate theory

(Mindlin-Reissner theory)

b) After loading: deformations

Curved shells (continued)

Other shell element formulations

based on assumed displacements

- approximate geometry
-

Shell theory
- thin, thick shell analogous to plate
formulations
- strain (for a thin shell: mean strain, curvature;
for a thick shell : starins incl. shear deformation)
- small strain or finite strain
Approximation
- assumed displacements & interpolation polynomial
- assumed strains
- number of nodes and degrees of freedom
- numerical integration over the surface and thickness

-Shell (element) = membrane + plate (element)

- plate bending is the main challenge (repetition of Ch.7)
Thin plate theory (Kirchhoff theory)
- analytical formulation
- discrete Kirchhoff in selected points
Based on thick shell formulation and the

Kirchhoff constraints imposed as follows:

(i) At corner nodes: w,x = x and w,y = y (i.e. xz = yz = 0)
Thick plate theory (Mindlin-Reissner theory)
- assume interpolation polynomials for
the lateral displacement w, and
the rotations, x, y of the normals to the mean surface
Degenerate solid element

ABAQUS/Standard shell elements for structural analysis

general-purpose elements, as well as elements specifically suitable for the analysis
of thick or thin shells;
- Element types S3/S3R (finite strain), S3RS, S4, S4R, S4RS, S4RSW,
- allow transverse shear deformation
- transition from thick shell theory to discrete Kirchhoff thin shell elements
as the thickness decreases;

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Three-dimensional shell elements

Three-dimensional shell elements in ABAQUS are named as follows:

general thick shell elements

- element types S8R and S8RT
general thin shell elements
- thin shell element that solves thin shell theory is STRI3 and is
a flat, faceted element
- The elements that impose the Kirchhoff constraint numerically are
S4R5, STRI65, S8R5, S9R5 (all are five d.o.f elements),
For example,
-S4R is a 4-node, quadrilateral, stress/displacement shell element with reduced
integration and a large-strain formulation; and
- SC8R is an 8-node, quadrilateral, first-order interpolation, stress/displacement
continuum shell element with reduced integration.

elements that use five degrees of freedom per node where possible
continuum shell elements.
- SC6R, and SC8R
READ Guidelines, Sect.23.6.1 Shell elements; Overview ;
Sect. 23.6.2 Choosing a shell element of Theory Manual

11

12

Numerical Study:
finite element modelling of shell structures.
- Effect of mesh viz characteristic length, Rh
of a cylindrical shell with radius, R and plate thickness, h.
q

h = 20 mm

Local
bending
R = 1000 mm occurs
adjacent to
the radial
load
L = 1000

Medium Finite element mesh for Case a)

covering a sector of 100 of the cylinder.
Each element spans a sector of 2.5.

Cylindrical shell with radius, R and plate thickness, h.

-A cylindrical shell with symmetric radial (and axial) loading
- Exact solutions are given in Timoshenko and Woinoski-Krieger (1959).

13

Table 8.2 Comparison of finite element results

with the exact solution for Case a

14

.45

DISPLACEMENT, z

.5

.4

R STRESS

0
.2

.35

Finite element values

Coarse
Mesh 1
Max. nodal
displacement z
(mm)
Min. element
bending moment
Mxx (N*mm)

0.434

Mesh 2

0.434

Fine Mesh 3

0.434

Theoretical
value
0.433

.3

-1

.25

-1.5

.2

-2

.15

-2.5

.1

-3640

-3540

-3546

-88.5

-96.7

-99.1

-100

Max. element
shear force Nyz
(N)

23.9

21.2

20.9

20.77

Note: The element size in the longitudinal direction is 25,50 and 100 mm for
the fine, medium and coarse mesh, respectively.
The characteristic length: Rh = 141.4 mm

Rh

-4
.2

Min. element
shear force Nyz
(N)

DISTANCE

-3.5

0
-.05

.6

-3

Rh

.05

-4380

.4

-.5

.4

.6

DISTANCE

a)Displacement, w (mm)

-4.5

b)Moment, Mx(NM)

Figure 8.12 Displacement and moment distribution in the longitudinal direction

for Case a) with a medium mesh
15

16

Use of shell elements in the analysis of flat panels

Shell (element) = membrane + plate (element)

--what is the stress vriation (gradient) ?
--how good is the membrane part ?
- &
the bending part ?
17