Corotational non-linear analysis of thin plates and shells using a new shell element

A new three-node triangular shell element is developed by combining the optimal membrane element and discrete Kirchhoff triangle (DKT) plate bending element, and is modified for laminated composite plates and shells so as to include the membrane-bending coupling effect. Using appropriate shape functions for the bending and membrane modes of the element, the ‘inconsistent’ stress stiffness matrix is formulated and the tangent stiffness matrix is determined. Non-linear analysis of thin-walled structures with geometric non-linearity is conducted using the corotational method. The new element is thoroughly tested by solving few popular benchmark problems. The results of the analysis are compared with those obtained using existing membrane elements. Copyright q 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd