Triangular facet shell elements

Element type STRI3 in Abaqus/Standard is a facet shell—a plate element used to approximate a shell. The element has three nodes, each with six degrees of freedom. The strains are based on thin plate theory, using a small-strain approximation. Arbitrary rigid body rotations are accounted for exactly by formulating the deformation of the element in a local coordinate system that rotates with the element. The element also satisfies the patch test, so that it will produce reliable results with appropriate meshes.

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The bending of the element is based on a discrete Kirchhoff approach to plate bending, using Batoz's interpolation functions (Batoz et al., 1980). This formulation satisfies the Kirchhoff constraints all around the boundary of the triangle and provides linear variation of curvature throughout the element. However, the membrane strains are assumed constant within the element. In addition, a curved shell is approximated by this element as a set of facets formed by the planes defined by the three nodes of each element. For these reasons it is necessary to use a reasonably well refined mesh in most applications.