A survey of recent shell finite elements

Since the mid-1960s when the forms of curved shell finite elements were ori ginated, including those pioneered by Professor Gallagher, the published li terature on the subject has grown extensively. The first two present author s and Liaw presented a survey of such literature in 1990 in this journal. P rofessor Gallagher maintained an active interest in this subject during his entire academic career, publishing milestone research works and providing periodic reviews of the literature. In this paper, we endeavor to summarize the important literature on shell finite elements over the past 15 :years. It is hoped that this will be a befitting tribute to the pioneering achiev ements and sustained legacy of our beloved Professor Gallagher in the area of shell finite elements. This survey includes: the degenerated shell appro ach; stress-resultant-based formulations and Cosserat surface approach; red uced integration with stabilization; incompatible modes approach; enhanced strain formulations; 3-D elasticity elements; drilling d.o.f. elements; co- rotational approach; and higher-order theories for composites. Copyright (C ) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.