Transverse shear parametrization in hierarchic large rotation shell formulations

Abstract

Consistent treatment of large rotations in common Reissner-Mindlin formulations is a complicated task. Reissner-Mindlin formulations that use a hierarchic parametrization provide an elegant way to facilitate large rotation shell analyses. This can be achieved by the assumption of linearized transverse shear strains, resulting in an additive split of strain components, which technically simplifies implementation of corresponding shell finite elements. The present study aims at validating this assumption by systematically comparing numerical solutions with those of a newly implemented hierarchic and fully nonlinear Reissner-Mindlin shell element.