A new locking-free formulation for the SHB8PS solid–shell element: non-linear benchmark problems

Abstract

In this work, a new physically stabilized and locking-free formulation of the SHB8PS element is presented. This is a solid-shell element based on a purely 3D formulation. It has eight nodes as well as five integration points, all distributed along the “thickness” direction. Consequently, it can be used for the modeling of thin structures, while providing an accurate description of the various through-thickness phenomena. The reduced integration has been used in order to prevent some locking phenomena and to increase computational efficiency. The spurious zero-energy deformation modes due to the reduced integration are efficiently stabilized, whereas the strain components corresponding to locking modes are eliminated with a projection technique following the Enhanced Assumed Strain (EAS) method.