Triangular finite element for analysis of thick laminated shells

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Abstract
The development of a general curved triangular element based on an assumed displacement potential energy approach is presented for the analysis of arbitrarily laminated thick shells. The associated laminated shell theory assumes transverse inextensibility and layerwise constant shear angle. The present element is a quadratic triangle of C0‐type in the curvilinear co‐ordinate plane, which is then mapped onto a curved surface. Convergence of transverse displacement, moments, stresses and the effect of two Gauss quadrature schemes also form a part of the investigation. Examples of two laminated shell problems demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the present element. Comparison of the present LCST (layerwise constant shear‐angle theory) based solutions, with those based on the CST (constant shear‐angle theory) clearly demonstrates the superiority of the former over the latter, especially in the prediction of the distribution of the surface‐parallel displacements and stresses through the laminate thickness.