The objective of Volume III is to lay down the proper mathematical foundations of the two-dimensional theory of shells. To this end, it provides, without any recourse to any a priori assumptions of a geometrical or mechanical nature, a mathematical justification of two-dimensional nonlinear and linear shell theories, by means of asymptotic methods, with the thickness as the "small" parameter.

Part A. Linear Shell Theory. 1. Three-dimensional linearized elasticity and Korn's inequalities in curvilinear coordinates. 2. Inequalities of Korn's type on surfaces. 3. Asymptotic analysis of linearly elastic shells: Preliminaries and outline. 4. Linearly elastic elliptic membrane shells. 5. Linearly elastic generalized membrane shells. 6. Linearly elastic flexural shells. 7. Koiter's equations and other linear shell theories. Part B. Nonlinear Shell Theory. 8. Asymptotic analysis of nonlinearly elastic shells: Preliminaries. 9. Nonlinearly elastic membrane shells. 10. Nonlinearly elastic flexural shells. 11. Koiter's equations and other nonlinear shell theories.