Geometrically Nonlinear Finite-Element Analysis

The procedure for extending the finite-element displacement method to include geometric nonlinearity is outlined and a consistent formulation applicable to arbitrary plate and shallow shell elements is derived. Examples illustrating the application of a rectangular element to a plate, a shallow cylindrical shell, and a shallow hyperbolic paraboloid are presented and the results are compared with other theoretical and experimental results. Close agreement is obtained even for fairly coarse mesh spacing.