ABSTRACT
TheKirchhoff1-Love2 theory is an extension of the Bernoulli beam theory to thin plates and shells. The theory was developed in 1888 by Love using assumptions proposed by Kirchhoff. It is assumed that the mid-surface can be used to represent the three-
dimensional plate or shell. The following kinematic assumptions are made in this theory [5]:
• straight lines normal to the mid-surface remain straight and normal to the midsurface after deformation
• the thickness of the plate does not change during a deformation. This means that thin plates and shells can be represented by surfaces with two
local coordinates.
