Research on solid shell element based on penalty method

Since the angle degrees of freedom do not have the vector property, it is critical to handle this for nonlinear geometrical behavior. To simulate the nonlinear geometrical behavior of shell structure efficiently, we developed a solid‐shell element type without drilling degrees of freedom. In this paper, the element satisfies the assumption of the straight normal of the shell and we established penalty functions in the thickness direction of the shell. The formulations of equivalent node force and tangent stiffness obtained by 3D isoparametric element theory can be expressed by matrix forms clearly. The constitutive relationship in the global system is derived from the local constitutive matrix according to the tensor coordinate transform. Finally, taking a series of classic flat plate problems and curved shell problems as examples, the solid shell element using the penalty method is compared with the solid shell element using the artificial stiffness method and other shell elements. The results show that the solid element proposed in this paper can effectively eliminate shear self-locking after using the reduced integral scheme and obtain satisfactory accuracy for thin shells and medium-thickness: • A type of solid shell element without rotational degrees of freedom is introduced using the penalty method. • A suitable penalty factor of this element is determined through numerical experiments. • This element is more efficient than the traditional shell elements and can be programmed with less time.