A scaled boundary finite element approach for shell analysis

A new approach to model shell structures is proposed. It is based on the scaled boundary finite element method in three dimensions. Thus, the solution is sought analytically in the through-thickness direction while the surface of the domain is discretized in a finite element sense. Since no kinematic assumptions are made, the proposed method can be applied to thick spherical shells and thin shells. Very good agreement with reference solutions is demonstrated for classical benchmark problems of shell analyses. No membrane locking induced by mesh distortion is observed. The potential of the proposed method is particularly evident when p-refinement is employed. Furthermore, the applicability of the proposed method to shells with non-spherical geometry is discussed in detail. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.