On the implementation of the continuum shell finite element SHB8PS and application to sheet forming simulation

In this contribution, the formulation of the SHB8PS continuum shell finite element is extended to anisotropic elastic-plastic behavior models with combined isotropic-kinematic hardening at large deformations. The resulting element is then implemented into the commercial implicit finite element code Abaqus/Standard via the UEL subroutine. The SHB8PS element is an eight-node, three-dimensional brick with displacements as the only degrees of freedom and a preferential direction called the thickness. A reduced integration scheme is adopted using an arbitrary number of integration points along the thickness direction and only one integration point in the other directions. The hourglass modes due to this reduced integration are controlled using a physical stabilization technique together with an assumed strain method for the elimination of locking. Therefore, the element can be used to model thin structures while providing an accurate description of the various through-thickness phenomena. Its performance is assessed through several applications involving different types of non-linearities: geometric, material and that induced by contact. Particular attention is given to springback prediction for a NUMISHEET benchmark problem.