This book presents a modern continuum mechanics and mathematical framework to study shell physical behaviors, and to formulate and evaluate finite element procedures. With a view towards the synergy that results from physical and mathematical understanding, the book focuses on the fundamentals of shell theories, their mathematical bases and finite element discretizations. The complexity of the physical behaviors of shells is analysed, and the difficulties to obtain uniformly optimal finite element procedures are identified and studied. Some modern finite element methods are presented for linear and nonlinear analyses. In this Second Edition the authors give new developments in the field and – to make the book more complete – more explanations throughout the text, an enlarged section on general variational formulations and new sections on 3D-shell models, dynamic analyses, and triangular elements. The analysis of shells represents one of the most challenging fields in all of mechanics, and encompasses various fundamental and generally applicable components. Specifically, the material presented in this book regarding geometric descriptions, tensors and mixed variational formulations is fundamental and widely applicable also in other areas of mechanics.

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