Chapter 8

Plate and Shells

Hari R. Parajuli
Dr. of Eng., Post Doctorate
Lecturer of Civil Engineering
 Introduction

What is plate ? Plate is flat surface having large dimensions

as compared to thickness

What governs ? Bending under lateral loads

Plate theory Applications

 Introduction

Forces and moments Stresses

 Plate Theory
Relation between forces and stresses
 Displacement Models
Category I : C2 continuity element
In three noded triangular element, second order continuity
elements in which second derivatives of ‘w’ are also unknowns
which makes 6 degree of freedom per node and they are
w w  2 w  2 w  2 w
w, , , , ,
x y x 2
y xy
2

Total degree of freedom becomes 18 but if fifth order

polynomial from Pascal triangle is chosen, there would be 21
unknown. Additional three normal slopes at mid-side constitute
21 equations to solve 21 unknowns.
Four noded rectangular/quadrilateral elements
Total degree of freedom becomes 24 and thus only 4 degree of
freedom per node are used. They are w w  2 w
w, , ,
x y xy
 Displacement Models

Category II : C1 continuity element-

•First order continuity element
•Only three degree of freedom per node is satisfied,
w w
w, ,
x y
Eg. 12 degree rectangular element.
 Displacement Models

Category III : C0 continuity element

•Only continuity of nodal variables are satisfied
•Only three degree of freedom per node is satisfied,

Kirchhoff Assumption –
Plane section before bending remains plane after bending. Thus,
w w
x   
x y
y

If Kirchhoff assumption is not made slopes are independent of

deflections and, w, x, and y are nodal unknowns which makes
C0 continuity requirement. It was developed by Mindlin (1951)
 Thin Plate Theory (Kirchhoff Plate Theory)

Deflection
Thin Plate Theory (Kirchhoff Plate Theory)
 4 Node Rectangular Element

In this case, C1 continuity requirement is considered.

That is,
w w
w, , 12 DOF (3 at each node)
x y

x
2a
z 1 2
2b
y 4 3

wi wi
Nodal unknowns, For i= 1, 2, 3, 4 wi , ,
x y
 4 Node Rectangular Element
1 Constant
x y Linear

Pascal x2 xy y2 Quadratic
triangle x3 x2y xy2 y3 Cubic
x4 x3y x2y2 xy3 y4 Quatic
x5 x4y x3y2 x2y3 xy4 y5 Quntic

Displacement field is represented by the polynomial

w  1   2 x   3 y   4 x 2   5 xy   6 y 2
 7 x3  8 x 2 y   9 xy 2  10 y 3  11 x3 y  12 xy 3
 4 Node Rectangular Element
w  1   2 x   3 y   4 x 2   5 xy   6 y 2
 7 x3  8 x 2 y   9 xy 2  10 y 3  11 x3 y  12 xy 3

w   P  
Where,

  
P  1 x y x 2
xy y 2 x3 x 2 y xy 2 y 3 x3 y xy 3 

   1  2 3  4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 

T

w
x    3   5 x  2 6 y  8 x 2  2 9 xy  310 y 2  11 x3  312 xy 2
y
w
y    2  2 4 x   5 y  3 7 x 2  28 xy   9 y 2  311 x 2 y  12 y 3
x
 4 Node Rectangular Element
w  1   2 x   3 y   4 x 2   5 xy   6 y 2
 7 x3  8 x 2 y   9 xy 2  10 y 3  11 x3 y  12 xy 3

w   P  
Where,

  
P  1 x y x 2
xy y 2 x3 x 2 y xy 2 y 3 x3 y xy 3 

   1  2 3  4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 

T

w
x    3   5 x  2 6 y  8 x 2  2 9 xy  310 y 2  11 x3  312 xy 2
y
w
y    2  2 4 x   5 y  3 7 x 2  28 xy   9 y 2  311 x 2 y  12 y 3
x
 4 Node Rectangular Element
Substituting xi and yi we get,

 w1     1 
     
 x1    2 
 y1     3 
    
 w2    4 
 x 2     5 
    
 y 2   12 X 12  6 
    
 w3    7 
 x 3     8 
     
 y 3    9 
 w4    10 
    
 x 4    11 
     
 y4   12 
   G   and
   G  
1
 4 Node Rectangular Element  2w 
  2 
Displacement is given by Strain  x 
  2 w 
w   P    PG  
1
     2 
 y 
w  1   2 x   3 y   4 x 2   5 xy   6 y 2  2w 
2 
 7 x3  8 x 2 y   9 xy 2  10 y 3  11 x3 y  12 xy 3  xy 

w
  3   5 x  2 6 y  8 x 2  2 9 xy  310 y 2  11 x3  312 xy 2
y
w
  2  2 4 x  5 y  3 7 x 2  28 xy  9 y 2  311 x 2 y  12 y 3
x
2w 2w
 2 4  6 7 x  28 x  611 xy  2 6  2 9 x  610 y  612 xy
x2 2 y 2

 w
  5  28 x  2 9 y  311 x 2  312 y 2
xy
 4 Node Rectangular Element
 2w 
  2 
 x   2 4  6 7 x  2 8 y  611 xy 
  w  
     2    2 6  2 9 x  610 y  612 xy 
2

 y  2  4 x  4 y  6 x 2  6 y 2 
 2w   5 8 9 11 12 
2 
 xy 

   Q   QG     B 

1

where

0 0 0 2 0 0 6 x 2 y 0 0 6 xy 0 
Q  0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 x 6 y 0 6 xy 
0 0 0 0 2 0 0 4 x 4 y 0 6 x 2 6 y 2 
 4 Node Rectangular Element

Stiffness matrix is given by

k     B   D  B dxdy
T


k   G   
1 T
 
 Q   D Q  dxdy G 
T 1
 4 node Rectangular Element

Alternate method by using natural coordinates

 
4
w   NiI wi  NiII xi  NiIII yi
i 1
 12 node Rectangular Element

Alternate method by using natural coordinates

Shape function for 4-Node quadrilateral
1

N  1  i 1  i  2  i  i   2   2
i
I

8

b
Ni   i 1  i 1  i  1  i 
II 2

8
a
Ni   i 1  i  1  i 1  i 
III 2

8
Where,
x  xc y  yc
  
a b
 4 Node Rectangular Element

Stiffness matrix is given by

 1  2 Ni 
w   N     2 2 
and
 a  
 1  2 Ni 
 B    2 2 
 b  
Stiffness matrix is given by  2 2 N 
 i

 ab  
 B  D B J d d
1 1
k  
T

1 1

Integration is carried out numerically. The stiffness matrix

contains  and  of 4th order. Thus, it require 3X3 Gaussian
integration to get exact solution of 2n-1 order.
 4 Node Rectangular Element

Load vector for distributed load on the surface by

 
F e     N    dxdy
T

F e  G      P   dxdy
1 T T

Or
1 1
F e     N    J d d
T

1 1
 Thick Plate
Mindlin Plate Theory
 Thick Plate
Mindlin Plate Theory
 Thick Plate
Mindlin Plate Theory
Displacement relationships
 Thick Plate

Mindlin Plate Elements

4-Node quadrilateral

 k     B   D B dV
T

V
 Thick Plate

The displacement at any point

inside the element is given by
w  Ni 0 0   wi 
  n    
 x     0 Ni 0   xi 
  i 1  0 N i   
 y  0  yi

Where,

N1 
1   1   
N2 
1   1   
4 4

N3 
1   1   
N4 
1   1   
4 4
 Thick Plate
The position of a point  x  n  Ni 0   xi 
     
 y  i 1  0 Ni   yi 
Strain
  x   Ni 
  0 0 
 x   x 
  y  4  N i 
 f    y   i1 0 0
y 
  

=
  
  y    Ni Ni  flexure strain (f)
  x
 0  +
 x y   y x 
shear strain (s)
 w   Ni 
x   Ni 0 
x   x  n  x
       w   i1  N   
 y   y   i 0  Ni 
 y
 
  y 
 Thick Plate
   x  y  
 D    
  x y  
 Mx   
The stress curvature      x  y 
strain (flexure) is given by  f    M y     D  x  y 

M  
 xy   
  D 1     x   y 
  
 2  y x 
or,
 Ni Ni 
0 
 x y 
n  N N 
 f    Di1 0  i
x
 i
y
  
 
 1   Ni 1   Ni 
0
 2 y 2 x 
 Thick Plate

The stress curvature    D  B   

f f
strain (flexure) is given by

where
 Ni Ni 
0 
 x y 
n  N i N i 
 B f    0   
i 1
 x y 
 1   Ni 1   Ni 
0
 2 y 2 x 
 Thick Plate
Qs   xz 
The shear forces are given by  s   Q   GA  
 y  yz 

Qx  1 0 x  Eh x  G

E
 s   Q   Gh       where 2 1  
 y  0 1 
 y 2 1    
 y
 w 
 x  
 x
Q x
 s   Q   Gh  w 
 y   
 y y 

 Ni   Ni 
 Ni 0  Ni 0
n  x n  x
 s   Gh  N      Ds      
i 1  i 1  N i
 i 0 Ni   0 Ni 
 y   y 
 Thick Plate

Thus, in matrix form  s    Ds  Bs  

 Ni 
where  Ni 0
n  x
 s  i 1 N
B    
 i 0 Ni 
 y 

For isoparametric representation, Jacobian matrix is used

 N i   N i  where  x y   n Ni n Ni 

       xi  yi 

 x  1     i 1  i 1 
 N    J     J    x 
y   n N i n N

 i 
 iN  
     xi  i yi 
 y 
       i 1  i 1  
 Thick Plate
Total stiffness matrix is given by
k  k f  ks

k    B f   D f   B f  hdxdy    Bs   Ds  Bs  hdxdy

T T

   
1 1 1 1
k     B f   D f   B f  J d d     Bs   Ds  Bs  J d  d
T T

1 1 1 1

Load vector for distributed load on the surface by

1 1
F e     N    J d d
T

1 1

Integration is carried out numerically. The stiffness matrix

contains  and  of 3th order. Thus, it require 2X2 Gaussian
integration to get exact solution of 2n-1 order.
 Shells

Special Case of Plate

 Examples
Plate theory
Examples
 Shells

Shells?
Thin structures
spanned over curved
surfaces
Shells
 Shells
Flat Shell Element
 Shells
Curved Shell Element
 Shells

Examples