A non-linear triangular curved shell element

The objective of this paper is to present and test a simple triangular finite shell element that uses five degrees of freedom at each node. The element is characterized by three position vectors and three unit directors. It depicts the plane stress state version of the element presented (Comput. Struct. 1989; 32(2):379). The element is of the ANS‐type (assumed natural strain (J. Appl. Mech. 1981; 48:587). All strains inside the element contain dot products of the six actual element nodal vectors. The construction of the element also allows non‐linear material behaviour. Since an enhancement of the membrane strains by the EAS (enhanced assumed strain method) is not possible inside a three node triangle element, the membrane strains perform poor. But via the DKT (discrete Kirchhoff theory) the three directors reveal an excellent bending behaviour for thin shells. The main concern of this paper is to test, if superimposing the CST (constant srain) with the classic DKT leads to good results in standard benchmark tests. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.