Thin shells reinforced by fibers with intrinsic flexural and torsional elasticity

A two-dimensional thin shell model, derived from a three-dimensional Cosserat elasticity theory for fiber-reinforced solids, is presented. Models for single laminae and two-ply laminates are derived. The novelty of these models lies in the assignment of intrinsic flexural and torsional elasticity to the embedded fibers, regarded as continuously distributed material curves.