DUAL ANALYSIS BY FINITE ELEMENTS: LINEAR AND NON LINEAR APPLICATIONS.

Description of the results obtained concerning the linear and nonlinear applications of the dual analysis technique. New formulation for finite-element derivation are proposed including equilibrium, conforming, and hybrid elements. A new method of solution of the structural problem is based on the stress function formulation. The slab analogies are used to discover additional finite element families. A useful complementary energy principle is derived for large deformations. The stability criterion is obtained from the second variation of the total energy. A nonlinear shell theory is presented which avoids the difficulties of defining the constitutive equations. A computer program for linear applications is documented.