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Shell PDF
Shell PDF
6.6.1 Introduction
A shell is a curved surface, which by virtue of their shape can withstand both membrane and bending
forces. A shell structure can take higher loads if, membrane stresses are predominant, which is primarily
caused due to in-plane forces (plane stress condition). However, localized bending stresses will appear
near load concentrations or geometric discontinuities. The shells are analogous to cable or arch structure
depending on whether the shell resists tensile or, compressive stresses respectively. Few advantages
using shell elements are given below.
1. Higher load carrying capacity
2. Lesser thickness and hence lesser dead load
3. Lesser support requirement
4. Larger useful space
5. Higher aesthetic value.
The example of shell structures includes large-span roof, cooling towers, piping system, pressure vessel,
aircraft fuselage, rockets, water tank, arch dams, and many more. Even in the field of biomechanics,
shell elements are used for analysis of skull, Crustaceans shape, red blood cells, etc.
This approach has the advantage of being independent of any particular shell theory. This approach can
be used to formulate a general shell element for geometric and material nonlinear analysis. Such element
has been employed very successfully when used with 9 or, in particular, 16 nodes. However, the 16-
node element is quite expensive in computation. In a degenerated shell model, the numbers of unknowns
present are five per node (three mid-surface displacements and two director rotations). Moderately thick
shells can be analysed using such elements. However, selective and reduced integration techniques are
necessary to use due to shear locking effects in case of thin shells. The assumptions for degenerated
shell are similar to the Reissner-Mindlin assumptions.
For small thickness, the vector V3i can be represented as a unit vector tiv3i:
ìï xüï ìïìï xi üï üï
ïï ïï ïïï ï V ïï
8
ï ï
í y = å N i (x , h )ïï íí yi + ti v3i ï (6.6.5)
ïï ïï i=1 ïï
ïï ïï 2 ïï
îïï z ïï îïïïîï zi ïï ïï
th
Where, ti is the thickness of shell at i node. In a similar way, the displacement at any point of the shell
element can be expressed in terms of three displacements and two rotation components about two
orthogonal directions normal to nodal load vector V3i as,
ïìï u ïüï ìïïì ui ïü üï
ïïï ï V t ì
ïa ü
ï ïï
ïí v ï =
8
ïï ï ï ï i ïï
ïï ïï å
N ( x , h ) v
íí i + i
[ v -v ]
2 i í
(6.6.6)
i=1
i
ïï
ïï ïï 2 1i ïîïbi ïï
ï
ï
ïîïwïï ïï
îïîïwi ïï ïï
Where, , are the rotations of two unit vectors v1i & v2i about two orthogonal directions normal to
nodal load vector V3i.The values of v1i and v2i can be calculated in following way:
The coordinate vector of the point to which a normal direction is to be constructed may be defined as
x = xiˆ + yjˆ + zkˆ (6.6.7)
42
In which, iˆ, ˆj , kˆ are three (orthogonal) base vectors. Then, V1i is the cross product of iˆ & V3i as shown
below.
V1i = iˆ´V3i & V2i = V3i ´V1i (6.6.8)
and,
V1i & v2i = V2i
v1i = (6.6.9)
V1i V2 i
é ¶u ¶v ¶w ù ìï ¶N i üï ì
ï ¶N i ü
ï ì
ï ¶N i üï
ê ú ïï ï ïV ï ïV ï
ê ¶x ¶x ¶x ú ïï ¶x ïïï ï
ï
ï ¶x ï
ï
ï T
ï
ï
ï ¶ x ï
ï
ï é a ùT
ê ú é b ù
8 ï ïï ¶N ïïï ï
ï ï
ï ê ú ï ï
ê ¶u ¶w ú ti v1i ï ¶N i ï êê úú
ï ï
1 1
¶v 8
ti v2i ï ¶N i ï ê ú 8
ê ú = å í i [ui vi wi ]- å íV ´ ê b2 ú + å íV ´ a
ê ¶h ¶h ¶h ú i=1 ïï ¶h ïï 2 ï ï ¶h ï ï ï
i =1 2 ï ¶h ï ê
ï ê 2ú
ê ú i =1 ê ú ï ë a3 úû i
ê ¶w úú
ï
ïïï 0 ïïï
ï ï
ï N ïï ï ë b3 û i ï
ï Ni ï
ê ¶u ¶v
ïï ïï
ï
ï
ï
i ï
ï
ï
ï
ï
ï
ï
ï
êë ¶V ¶V ¶V úû î ï
î ï
ï
î ï
(6.6.14)
It may be important to note that the constitutive relation expressed in eq. (6.6.19) is same as for the case
of plane stress formulation. Also, eq. (6.6.20) with a multiplication of thickness h is similar to the terms
corresponds to shear force in case of plate bending problem.