Multipatch isogeometric mortar methods for thick shells

This paper introduces, analyzes and validates isogeometric mortar methods for the solution of thick shells problems which are set on a multipatch geometry. A particular attention will be devoted to the introduction of a proper formulation of the coupling conditions, with a particular interest on augmented lagrangian formulations, to the choice and validation of mortar spaces, and to the derivation of adequate integration rules. The relevance of the proposed approach is assessed numerically on various significative examples. •Modelization of multipatch Reissner–Mindlin isogeometric shells.•Development of industrially oriented coupling strategies.•Combination of mortar discretizations and augmented lagrangian formulations.•Convergence of mortar methods for isogeometric shells with cross point modifications.•Development of reduced quadrature rules for surface and interface integrals.•Numerical validations on academic and industrial examples.