Finite element analysis of moderately thick shells

Thick shells of revolution find application in nuclear pressure vessel technology. In this paper, a finite ring shell element, based on the stress-strain relations of moderately thick shells, is developed. The element has 20 degrees of freedom. Cubic polynomials are assumed for all the generalized displacements, i.e. the in-plane forces, the normal displacements and the total rotations of the normal about the co-ordinate lines. This ensures faster convergence and better accuracy in the results. The effectiveness of the element is demonstrated by numerical examples.