Static analysis of reinforced thin-walled plates and shells by means of finite element models

In this paper, variable kinematic one-dimensional (1D) structural models have been used to analyze thin-walled structures with longitudinal stiffeners and static loads. These theories have hierarchical features and are based on the Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF). CUF describes the displacement field of a slender structure as the product of two function expansions, one over the cross-sectional coordinates, Taylor (TE) or Lagrange (LE) expansions were used here, and one along the beam axis. The results obtained using the refined 1D models have been compared with those from classical finite element analyses that make use of plates/shells and solids elements. The performances of classical and refined structural models have been compared in terms of accuracy and computational costs. The results show that the use of the LE over the cross-section allows the strain/stress fields to be evaluated accurately for all the structural components. The comparisons with the results obtained using the classical models highlight how, the use of 1D refined models, allows the number of degrees of freedom (DOF) to be reduced, meanwhile, the accuracy of the results can be preserved.