Stability Analysis of Shells Using a NURBS-based Isogeometric Approach

Resumo

Shells are structures sensitive to buckling due to their characteristic high slenderness. Thus, the evaluation of buckling loads and the study of the post-buckling behavior are essential. Isogeometric analysis has been widely used in analysis of shells, due to its ability to accurately represent the geometry of the structure regardless of the discretization level and the simplicity of model refinement procedures. The aim of this work is to evaluate the stability of shells through an isogeometric approach, considering large displacements and moderate rotations. This formulation is based on the Reissner-Mindlin theory for thick shells and the degenerated continuum approach using NURBS as basis functions. The proposed formulation is applied in the stability analysis of plates and shells,
where critical loads and equilibrium paths are evaluated and compared to solutions available in the literature or obtained by the Finite Element Method.