A COMPOSITE 4-NODE QUADRILATERAL DEGENERATED FINITE ELEMENT FOR MULTILAYERED SHELLS

A composite 4-node quadrilateral degenerated finite element for multilayered shells is presented in this article. The element is derived based on a modified Hu-Washizu variational principle with independently assumed displacement, laminate internal strain fields and stress fields. The element' s performance for static linear problems of composite plates and shells is evaluated. The computed results show that the present element yields accurate solutions for the test problems presented.