Latest revision as of 14:37, 19 June 2017

Abstract

When dealing with elastoplastic shell analysis, we must appeal either to suitable theories of plasticity, which aren t the result of the general three-dimensional theory as they have been formulated a priori and based on many simplifications, or to the treateinent of the body as a three dimensional one (3D). In the second case, there are a lot of numerical probleins arising from the use of conventional elements in the Finite Element Method (F.E.M.), and also, a long time of computation is required. In this paper we present a 3D finite element, which is aimed at overcoming the aforesaid disavantages. Its development is divided into three different parts, first of all the obtention of the kinematic matrices required to solve a static problem of whatever 3D continuous medium, once the interpolation for the displacement field is known. Secondly, their particularization the be shell case, through the use of the model of transversal behaviour CTl as the function of interpolation in thickness. The third one is the reorganization of the resulting algorithm from the two previous steps to avoid an excessive increase in the calculation time when the number OS integration points in thickness is raised. Finally we include several examples showing the good results of the described element, having some advantages such as: first, the processing of a high number of integration points with a reasonable computational cost; secondly, the ability to deal with any reference surface geometry in a very simple way, without introducing any simplification, and in the third place, the possibility to deal with other kinds of structures derived from the shell model by using the same algorithm.

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