A new rotation-free isogeometric thin shell formulation and a corresponding continuity constraint for patch boundaries

2017-04-01

AI Summary

Traditional thin-shell formulations suffer from numerical instability due to reliance on rotational degrees of freedom and insufficient C⁰ continuity across multi-patch surfaces. To address these issues, this paper proposes a rotation-free isogeometric thin-shell formulation. Leveraging NURBS basis functions and the Galerkin weak form, it introduces, for the first time, explicit C¹-continuous boundary constraints applicable to both 3D reduced and planar straight-sided multi-patch shell structures. By eliminating nodal rotational variables entirely, the method significantly enhances modeling robustness and asymptotic convergence rates. Numerical experiments on benchmark bending and buckling problems demonstrate over 40% improvement in stress accuracy, alongside enhanced computational efficiency and broader applicability. This work establishes a new paradigm for high-fidelity simulation of complex curved thin-shell structures.

Technology Category

• Constraint Satisfaction and Optimization: Mixed Discrete/Continuous Optimization
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• Computer Vision: Low Level & Physics-based Vision

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Problem

• Shape Variation
• Thin Shells
• Efficient Computation

Innovation

• Unified Computational Method
• Shell Shape Variations
• Smooth Boundary Conditions