Elastic and plastic analysis of thin-walled structures using improved hexahedral elements

In this paper a continuum based 3D-shell element for the nonlinear analysis of thin-walled structures is developed. Assumed natural strain method and enhanced assumed strain method are used to improve the relative poor element behaviour of a standard hexahedral displacement element. Different elastic and inelastic constitutive laws are considered. The anisotropic material behaviour of layered shells is modeled using a hyperelastic orthotropic material law in each layer. Furthermore, finite multiplicative J(2)-plasticity is discussed. The models are characterized by an interface to the material setting of the boundary value problem. Several examples show the applicability and efficiency of the developed element formulation. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.