New quadratic solid–shell elements and their evaluation on linear benchmark problems

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the development of a new family of solid–shell finite elements. This concept of solid–shell elements is shown to have a number of attractive computational properties as compared to conventional three-dimensional elements. More specifically, two new solid–shell elements are formulated in this work (a fifteen-node and a twenty-node element) on the basis of a purely three-dimensional approach. The performance of these elements is shown through the analysis of various structural problems. Note that one of their main advantages is to allow complex structural shapes to be simulated without classical problems of connecting zones meshed with different element types. These solid–shell elements have a special direction denoted as the “thickness”, along which a set of integration points are located. Reduced integration is also used to prevent some locking phenomena and to increase computational efficiency. Focus will be placed here on linear benchmark problems, where it is shown that these solid–shell elements perform much better than their counterparts, conventional solid elements.