Analysis of Multilayered/Sandwich Shells Using a New Discrete Finite Element Model

The model DDM (Discrete Displacement Mindlin), leads to a finite element which is geometrically simple: 4-node quadrilateral with 5 doffs per node for a shell and efficient. The mid-side rotational nodes, derived from a quadratic interpolation of normal rotations, are eliminated using a combination of local discrete kinematic and constitutive Mindlin hypotheses. The derived 4-node element is free of shear locking and passes all patch tests for thick and thin plates in arbitrary mesh. The applications concern the static and dynamic analysis of sandwich and multilayered shells.