I have a problem that includes a corrugated plate. In order to reduce the degrees of freedom of the problem, the corrugated plate can be modelled as a normal one with an orthotropic material. Then there is also the need to define different properties for the flexural behaviour (bending) and the extensional behaviour (axial forces), otherwise the equivalent model won't have a completely identical response. The idea is reflected in this article https://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn/2011/979532/.
so the final answer is if it is possible (apart from defining an orthotropic material that I know that is possible), to control the shell finite element or create my own shell finite element type in order to alter independetly the behaviour of the shell as a membrane and as a plate.