In this paper, we propose a geometrically nonlinear spectral shell element based on Reissner--Mindlin kinematics using a rotation-based formulation with additive update of the discrete nodal rotation vector. The formulation is provided in matrix notation in detail. The use of a director vector, as opposed to multi-parameter shell models, significantly reduces the computational cost by minimizing the number of degrees of freedom. Additionally, we highlight the advantages of the spectral element method (SEM) in combination with Gauss-Lobatto-Legendre quadrature regarding the computational costs to generate the element stiffness matrix. To assess the performance of the new formulation for large deformation analysis, we compare it to three other numerical methods. One of these methods is a non-isoparametric SEM shell using the geometry definition of isogeometric analysis (IGA), while the other two are IGA shell formulations which differ in the rotation interpolation. All formulations base on Rodrigues' rotation tensor. Through the solution of various challenging numerical examples, it is demonstrated that although IGA benefits from an exact geometric representation, its influence on solution accuracy is less significant than that of shape function characteristics and rotational formulations. Furthermore, we show that the proposed SEM shell, despite its simpler rotational formulation, can produce results comparable to the most accurate and complex version of IGA. Finally, we discuss the optimal SEM strategy, emphasizing the effectiveness of employing coarser meshes with higher-order elements.

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