Fiber-Reinforced Elastic Shells: A Direct Cosserat Approach

We formulate a direct theory for fiber-reinforced elastic shells. Our framework utilizes the Cosserat theory of elasticity to model both the shell-like nature of the structure and the embedded fiber response. To this end, we merge the multiple-director theory of Cosserat continua with the additional constraint that the fibers convect as material curves on the surface. The virtual power statement furnishes the equilibrium equations. We also present a coordinate-free formulation and close with a discussion of material symmetry.