Locking-free formulation for the stabilized enhanced strain solid-shell element (SHB8PS): geometrically non-linear applications

Abstract

In this work, a new locking-free and physically stabilized formulation of the SHB8PS solid-shell element is presented. The resulting finite element consists of a continuum mechanics shell element based on a purely three-dimensional approach. This eight-node hexahedron is integrated with a set of five Gauss points, all distributed along the “thickness” direction. Consequently, it can be used for the modeling of thin structures, while providing an accurate description of various through-thickness phenomena. The reduced integration has been used in order to prevent some locking phenomena and to increase its 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.