Rotation-free triangular shell element using node-based smoothed finite element method

In this paper, a triangular thin flat shell element without rotation degrees of freedom is proposed. In the Kirchhoff hypothesis, the first derivative of the displacement must be continuous because there are second-order differential terms of the displacement in the weak form of the governing equations. The displacement is expressed as a linear function and the nodal rotation is defined using node-based smoothed finite element method. The rotation field is approximated using the nodal rotation and linear shape functions. This rotation field is linear in an element and continuous between elements. The curvature is defined by differentiating the rotation field, and the stiffness is calculated from the curvature. A hybrid stress triangular membrane element was used to construct the shell element. The penalty technique was used to apply the rotation boundary conditions. The proposed element was verified through several numerical examples.