A stabilized eighteen-node solid element for hyperelastic analysis of shells

Abstract

The objective of the present study is to develop a solid element for large deformation analysis of hyperelastic shell structures. To attain high computational efficiency and annihilate shear and membrane lockings, a hybrid-strain stabilization approach is adopted. To overcome the thickness locking of the element, the enhanced assumed thickness strain modes are incorporated. Starting from the virtual work principle and a weak form that enforces the equality of the hybrid-strain and the strain arising from the displacement and the enhanced assumed strain, an eighteen-node element for large deformation analysis of hyperelastic shells is developed. The salient feature of the present element for higher computational efficiency is that the element uses only the second-order quadrature for integration along the two in-plane natural coordinates and the stabilization vectors can be formed without using any integration loops. Efficacy of the element is illustrated by popular benchmark problems. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.