Restrictions on nonlinear constitutive equations for elastic shells

Constitutive equations for the resultant forces and moments applied to a shell-like body necessarily couple the influences of the shell geometry and the constitutive nature of the three-dimensional material from which the shell is constructed. Consequently, even when the nonlinear constitutive equation of the three-dimensional material is known, the complicated influence of the shell geometry on the constitutive response of the shell is not known. The main objective of this paper is to develop restrictions on the constitutive equations of nonlinear elastic shells which ensure that exact solutions of the shell equations are consistent with exact nonlinear solutions of the three-dimensional equations for homogeneous deformations. Since these restrictions are nonlinear in nature they provide valuable general theoretical guidance for specific constitutive assumptions about the coupling of material and geometric properties of shells. Examples of the linear theories of a plate and a spherical shell are considered.