Variational sensitivity analysis of a nonlinear solid shell element

The paper is concerned with variational sensitivity analysis of a nonlinear solid shell element, which is based on the Hu–Washizu variational principle. The sensitivity information is derived on the continuous level and discretized to yield the analytical expressions on the computational level. Especially, the pseudo load matrix and the sensitivity matrix, which dominate design sensitivity analysis of shape optimization problems, are derived. Because of the mixed formulation, condensation of the pseudo load matrix on the element level is performed to compute the sensitivity matrix. An illustrative example from the field of geometry‐based shape optimization demonstrates the possible application of the presented formulation. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.