Alternate stress and conjugate strain measures, and mixed variational formulations involving rigid rotations, for computational analyses of finitely deformed solids, with application to plates and shells-I. Theory

Attention is focused in this paper on: (i) definitions of alternate measures of "stress-resultants" and "stress-couples" in a finitely deformed shell (finite mid-plane stretches as well as finite rotations); (ii) mixed variational principles for shells, undergoing large mid-plane stretches and large rotations, in terms of a stress function vector and the rotation tensor. In doing so, both types of polar decomposition, namely rotation followed by stretch, as well as stretch followed by rotation, of the shell midsurface, are considered; (iii) two alternate bending strain measures which depend on rotation alone for a finitely deformed shell; (iv) objectivity of constitutive relations, in terms of these alternate strain/"stress-resultants", and "stress-couple" measures, for finitely deformed shells. To motivate these topics, and for added clarity, a discussion of relevant alternate stress measures, work-conjugate strain measures, and mixed variational principles with rotations as variables, is presented first in the context of three-dimensional continuum mechanics. Comments are also made on the use of the presently developed theories in conjunction with mixed-hydrid finite element methods. Discussion of numerical schemes and results is deferred to the Part II of the paper, however.