Analysis of thick orthotropic laminated composite plates based on higher order shear deformation theory

A two-dimensional finite element model is presented to perform the linear static analysis of laminated orthotropic composite plates based on a refined higher order shear deformation theory. The theory accounts for parabolic distributions of transverse shear stresses and requires no shear correction factors. A finite element program is developed using serendipity element with seven degrees of freedom per node. The present solutions are compared with those obtained using three-dimensional elasticity theory and those obtained by other researchers. The theory accurately predicts displacements and transverse shear stresses compared to previously developed theories for thick plates and are very close to three-dimensional elasticity solutions. The effects of transverse shear deformation, material anisotropy, aspect ratio, fiber orientation and lamination sequence on transverse shear stresses are investigated. The error in values of transverse shear stresses decreases as the number of lamina increases, for a plate of same thickness. An increase in degree of anisotropy results in lower values of deflection in the plate. For cross-ply plate an increase in anisotropy results in an increase in effective stress whereas for angle-ply plate the effect is almost negligible. Through thickness variation of transverse shear stresses are independent of anisotropy. The maximum effective stress increases exponentially at lower values of anisotropy and reaches to an asymptotic value at higher values. The stacking sequence has a significant effect on the transverse deflections and shear stress. Rectangular plates experience less effective, in-plane and transverse shear stresses compared to square plates.     

Efficient 2D thermo-mechanical analysis of composites and sandwich laminates

The static behavior of composites and sandwich plates in thermo-mechanical environment is investigated by a two dimensional (2D) FE model. An efficient higher-order zig-zag theory (HOZT) considering actual through-thickness temperature profile and a least square error (LSE) method to accurately predict the inter-laminar stresses is implemented in this model. The in-plane displacement field is obtained by superposing a cubically varying global displacement field on a zig-zag displacement field having different slopes at each layer. This plate theory represents parabolic through thickness variation of transverse shear stresses, which satisfy the inter-laminar continuity at the layer interfaces and zero transverse shear stress conditions at the top and bottom of the plate. In the present 2D finite element (FE) model, the first derivatives of transverse displacement have been treated as independent variables to circumvent the problem of C¹ continuity associated with the above plate theory (HOZT). The accurate through-thickness distribution of temperature is obtained by using a linear zig-zag thermal lamination theory proposed by the authors by using the thermal conduction properties of different constituent layers in the thickness direction. The LSE method is applied at the postprocessing stage to accurately calculate the inter-laminar stresses by the 3D equilibrium equations of the plate problem, after in-plane stresses are calculated. The proposed combined FE model (HOZT+LSE) is implemented to analyze the static behavior of laminated composites and sandwich plates subjected to thermo-mechanical loadings. Many new results are also presented that should be useful for the future reference.     

A simple finite element formulation of a higher-order theory for unsymmetrically laminated composite plates

A higher-order theory which satisfies zero transverse shear stress conditions on the bounding planes of a generally laminated fibre-reinforced composite plate subjected to transverse loads is developed. The displacement model accounts for non-linear distribution of inplane displacement components through the plate thickness and the theory requires no shear correction coefficients. A C∘ continuous displacement finite element formulation is presented and the coupled membrane-flexure behaviour of laminated plates is investigated. The nodal unknowns are the three displacements, two rotations and two higher-order functions as the generalized degrees of freedom. The simple isoparametric formulation developed here is capable of evaluating transverse shears and transverse normal stress accurately by using the equilibrium equations. The accuracy of the nine-noded Lagrangian quadrilateral element is then established by comparing the present results with the closed-form, three-dimensional elasticity and other finite element available solutions.     

An efficient FE model based on combined theory for the analysis of soft core sandwich plate

An efficient C⁰ continuous finite element (FE) model is developed based on combined theory (refine higher order shear deformation theory (RHSDT) and least square error (LSE) method) for the static analysis of soft core sandwich plate. In this (RHSDT) theory, the in-plane displacement field for the face sheets and the core is obtained by superposing a global cubically varying displacement field on a zig-zag linearly varying displacement field with a different slope in each layer. The transverse displacement assumes to have a quadratic variation within the core and it remains constant in the faces beyond the core. The proposed model satisfies the condition of transverse shear stress continuity at the layer interfaces and the zero transverse shear stress condition at the top and bottom of the sandwich plate. The nodal field variables are chosen in an efficient manner to circumvent the problem of C¹ continuity requirement of the transverse displacements. In order to calculate the accurate through thickness transverse stresses variation, LSE method has been used at the post processing stage. The proposed combine model (RHSDT and LSE) is implemented to analyze the laminated composites and sandwich plates. Many new results are also presented which should be useful for future research.     

On the simple and mixed first-order theories for plates resting on elastic foundations

This article investigates the bending response of an orthotropic rectangular plate resting on two-parameter elastic foundations. Analytical solutions for deflection and stresses are developed by means of the simple and mixed first-order shear deformation plate theories. The present mixed plate theory accounts for variable transverse shear stress distributions through the thickness and does not require a shear correction factor. The governing equations that include the interaction between the plate and the foundations are obtained. Numerical results are presented to demonstrate the behavior of the system. The results are compared with those obtained in the literature using three-dimensional elasticity theory or higher-order shear deformation plate theory to check the accuracy of the simple and mixed first-order shear deformation theories.     

Bending of cross-ply laminated composites: An accurate and efficient plate theory based upon models of Lekhnitskii and Ren

Bending laminated composites results in a distinctive zig-zag shaped deformation pattern, accordingly jumping transverse shear strains at layer interfaces, but continuous courses of transverse shear stresses there. An accurate representation of this laminate-specific mechanical behavior in terms of plate theories is challenging, even more if computational efficiency is aimed for. Here, an axiomatic equivalent single layer plate theory for cross-ply laminated composites is presented, which is based on the work of Lekhnitskii and Ren and delivers accurate deformation and stress prognoses at the cost of six solution variables. Fulfilling transverse stress continuity, the infinitesimal equilibrium equations are considered in order to derive an appropriate ansatz for the transverse shear stresses including the influence of all plane stress reduced stiffness components. However, the effect of the normal stress σ_zz is neglected, and deflection w is assumed constant across the plate thickness. The equilibrium equations and corresponding boundary conditions of the plate theory are derived by application of the principle of virtual displacements. Numerical results for symmetrical and non-symmetrical composites as well as for typical sandwich plates obtained by the present theory show good agreement with corresponding exact elasticity solutions given by Pagano, even for thick plates.     

Effect of the thickness on elastic deformation and quasi-brittle fracture of plate components

Plane theory of elasticity lays a foundation for many important results in science and engineering. However, the understanding of the elastic solutions derived under plane stress or plane strain assumption, is far from complete. In particular, it is not clear how adequate the classical two-dimensional solutions of the plane theory of elasticity are when applied to the analysis of actual plate components having a finite thickness. So far there is no generally accepted criterion for identifying what thickness would qualify as plane stress or plane strain and, in general, what effect on the stress distribution the plate thickness has. In this work we review some recent analytical efforts, numerical and experimental studies in order to throw light onto how the plate thickness, which is largely ignored by the classical plane solutions of the theory of elasticity, influences the elastic deformation and quasi-brittle fracture of plate components.     

Three-dimensional elastodynamic solution for an arbitrary thick FGM rectangular plate resting on a two parameter viscoelastic foundation

A three-dimensional semi-analytic analysis based on the linear elasticity theory is offered to study the transient vibration characteristics of an arbitrarily thick, simply supported, functionally graded (FGM) rectangular plate, resting on a linear Winkler–Pasternak viscoelastic foundation, and subjected to general distributed driving forces of arbitrary temporal and spatial variations. The problem solution is obtained by adopting a laminate model in conjunction with the powerful state space solution technique involving a global transfer matrix and Durbin’s numerical Laplace inversion algorithm. Numerical calculations are carried out for the transient displacement and stress responses of aluminum-zirconia FGM square plates of selected thickness parameters and compositional gradients, resting on “soft” or “stiff” elastic foundations, under the action of moving transverse forces as well as uniformly distributed blast loads. Also, the response curves for the FGM plates are compared with those of equivalent bilaminate plates containing comparable total volume fractions of constituent materials. It is observed that the material gradient variation is substantially more influential on the dynamic stress concentrations induced across the plate thickness than on the displacement response of the inhomogeneous plates. In particular, the displacement response of the equivalent bilaminate plates can provide an accurate estimate for prediction of the dynamic response of the corresponding FGM plates, especially for thick plates resting on a stiff foundation. Limiting cases are considered and good agreements with the data available in the literature as well as with the computations made by using a commercial finite element package are obtained.     

Thermo-mechanical coupling in cylindrical bending of sandwich plates

This paper presents an exact solution of linear elasticity theory for bending of sandwich plate-like beams due to temperature difference at the plate faces. It is assumed that the heat flow is stationary. The exact solution yields the temperature profile, stress and displacement distribution across the plate thickness. The analytical results are complemented by an example of a simply-supported sandwich beam.     

An asymptotic theory of sandwich plates

Elastic plates can be described by a two-dimensional theory, if the characteristic length of the stress state along the plate, l, is much larger than the plate thickness, h. If all elastic moduli of a laminated plate are of the same order, no matter how many lamina the plate has, then the normal to the mid-surface of the plane remains normal in the course of deformation, and the deformation of the plate can be described by the classical plate theory. The situation changes, when the elastic moduli are of different orders of magnitude. This occurs, in particular, for the hard-skin plates, i.e. the sandwich plates the faces of which are very hard. Due to the low deformability of the skin, normal fibers cannot remain normal to the mid-surface in the course of deformation. The deviations are characterized by transverse shear. The difference from the theory of transverse shear, introduced by Timoshenko and Reissner, is that the transverse shear effects are not the corrections to classical plate theory; they are the effects of the leading order. That is caused by the presence of an additional small parameter, the ratio of elastic moduli of the core and the skin. The additional small parameter changes the character of the asymptotics. In this paper, the governing two-dimensional equations for sandwich plates are derived by an asymptotic analysis of linear three-dimensional elasticity. We show that the classical plate theory works only within a certain range of parameters. Beyond that range the asymptotic theory differs from the classical one. We focus especially on the hard-skin plates, but obtain also the universal relations, which can be applied for any values of elastic moduli and the relative thickness of the skin and the core. As an example four-point bending problem is discussed.     

A finite element evaluation of single-layer and multi-layer theories for the analysis of laminated plates

A layerwise polynomial expansion along the thickness direction for displacements is assumed to analyse the behaviour of an arbitrary laminated composite plate. In contrast with other proposed approaches and in order to take into account the transverse normal stress distribution, out-of-plane displacements are not assumed to be constant along the thickness. Based on the proposed kinematic assumptions the continuity of the interlaminar stress components at the interface can be also achieved. A finite element procedure is established and plate models are derived in which the stress field is obtained directly from the constitutive relations and not by the integration of the three-dimensional equilibrium equations. Comparisons among the numerical results obtained with the proposed layerwise models, single-layer models, the classical laminate theory and exact three-dimensional elasticity solutions are presented and briefly discussed.     

Accurate calculation of transverse shear stresses for soft-core sandwich laminates

Accurate evaluation of transverse stresses in soft-core sandwich laminates using the existing 2D finite element (FE) models involves cumbersome post-processing techniques. In this paper, a simple and robust method is proposed for accurate evaluation of through-the-thickness distribution of transverse stresses in soft-core sandwich laminates by using a displacement-based C⁰ continuous 2D FE model derived from refined higher-order shear deformation theory (RHSDT) and a least square error (LSE) method. In this refined higher-order shear deformation theory (RHSDT), the in-plane displacement field for the face sheets and the core is obtained by superposing a global cubically varying displacement field on a zigzag linearly early varying displacement field. The transverse displacement is assumed to have a quadratic variation within the core, and it remains constant in the faces beyond the core. The proposed C⁰ FE model satisfies the condition of transverse shear stress continuity at the layer interfaces and the zero transverse shear stress condition at the top and bottom of the sandwich plate. The nodal field variables are chosen in an efficient manner to circumvent the problem of C¹ continuity requirement of the transverse displacements associated with the RHSDT. The LSE method is applied to the 3D equilibrium equations of the plate problem at the post-processing stage, after in-plane stresses are calculated by using the above FE model based on RHSDT. Thus, the proposed method is quite simple and elegant compared to the usual method of integrating the 3D equilibrium equations at the post-processing stage for the calculation of transverse stresses in a sandwich laminates. The accuracy of the proposed method is demonstrated in the numerical examples through the comparison of the present results with those obtained from different models based on HSDT and 3D elasticity solutions.     

Modeling of functionally graded smart plates with gradient elasticity effects

ABSTRACT

In this article, the equations of motion for functionally graded plates with surface-mounted piezoelectric layers, while accounting for the gradient elasticity through the modified couple stress model and linear piezoelectricity, are derived using Hamilton’s principle. The formulation includes the coupling between mechanical deformations and the charge equations of electrostatics. The mathematical model developed herein is an equivalent single layer theory for mechanical displacement field and the potential functions. The in-plane displacements are assumed to vary as cubic functions of the thickness coordinate while the transverse displacement is assumed to vary as a quadratic function of the thickness coordinate through plate thickness. The potential function is assumed as the combination of half cosine variation of electric potential and linear variation of applied voltage on outer surfaces. The approach described here is that standard plate models can be enhanced to include the coupling between the charge equations and the mechanical deformations as well as the size dependent effect of micro- and nano-scale structures. An analytical solution of the developed model is presented using the Navier solution technique. A parametric study is performed to study the effect of material variation through thickness of plates, length scale parameters to capture the size-dependent effects, and thickness ratio between piezoelectric layers and the whole plate.     

A global/local third-order Hermitian displacement field with damaged interfaces and transverse extensibility: analytical formulation

A third-order Hermitian zig-zag plate theory is presented as development of the classical cubic zig-zag displacement field. In addition to the capabilities of the previous model ((i) transverse shear flexibility, (ii) through-the-thickness continuity of the transverse shear stresses, (iii) traction-free condition on the two external surfaces of the laminate and (iv) possibility to study damaged interfaces), the Hermitian model offers some interesting improvements ((i) through-the-thickness linear varying transverse displacement, (ii) evaluation of the normal transverse deformability in general and of the corresponding normal stress in particular, (iii) traction equilibrium condition on the external surfaces and (iv) use of the displacements and transverse shear stresses of the external surfaces as degrees of freedom of the plate model). By means of the virtual work principle of the three-dimensional linear elasticity theory, the two-dimensional equations of motion and boundary conditions are obtained. Some numerical results are finally presented to show the particular nature of the through-the-thickness Hermitian shape functions and to test the model performances in evaluating the transverse normal stress.     

Surface and internal cracks in a residually stressed plate

The problem of a surface or an internal crack in a plate which contains residual stresses is examined. The line spring model, which reduces a three-dimensional elasticity problem into a two-dimensional problem in plate theory, is used to model the crack. The Reissner plate theory, which takes into account transverse shear deformations, is used to model the plate. The formulation is based on Fourier Transforms which lead to a pair of singular integral equations that are solved numerically. The line spring method requires the plane strain solution to both the edge and internally cracked strip with crack surface loads representative of tension, bending, and the given residual stress distribution. For general use, plane strain solutions are presented for polynomial loading through the thickness up to the fifth order. Comparisons are made between the results given by the line spring model for the Reissner plate theory and the finite element method.     

On the micromechanics theory of Reissner-Mindlin plates

Summary A micromechanics model is developed for the Reissner-Mindlin plate. A generalized eigenstrain formulation, i.e., an eigencurvature/eigen-rotation formulation, is proposed, which is the analogue or counterpart of the eigenstrain formulation in linear elasticity. The micromechanics model of the Reissner-Mindlin plate is useful in the study of mechanical behavior of composite plates that contain randomly distributed inhomogeneities, whose sizes are close to the order of thickness of the plate; under those circumstances, the use of micromechanics of linear elasticity is not justified, and moreover, it is inconsistent with structural theories, such as the Reissner-Mindlin plate theory, that are actually used in engineering design.In this paper, the analytical solution of an elliptical inclusion embedded in an infinite thick plate is sought. In particular, the first order asymptotic (or approximated) solution of the elliptical inclusion problem is obtained in explicit form. Accordingly, the Eshelby tensors of the Reissner-Mindlin plate are derived, which relate eigencurvature and eigen-rotation to the induced curvature and shear deformation fields. Several variational inequalities of the Reissner-Mindlin plate are discussed and derived, including the comparison variational principles of Hashin-Shtrikman/Talbot-Willis, type. As an application, variational bounds are derived to estimate the effective elastic stiffness of Reissner-Mindlin plates, specifically, the flexural rigidity and transverse shear modulus. The newly derived bounds are congruous with the Reissner-Mindlin plate theory, and they provide an optimal estimation on effective rigidity as well as effective transverse shear modulus for unstructured composite thick plates.     

A Layerwise Shear Deformation Theory for Two-Layered Cross-Ply Laminated Plates

A layerwise trigonometric shear deformation theory for flexural analysis of two-layered laminated plates, taking into account transverse shear deformation effects, is presented. The present theory has only three variables, that is, two variables less than those in the first-order shear deformation theory. The displacement field uses a sinusoidal function in terms of thickness coordinate to represent the shear deformation. The noteworthy feature of the theory is that the transverse shear stresses can be obtained directly from the use of constitutive relations with reasonable accuracy, satisfying the shear stress free surface conditions at the top and bottom surfaces of the plate and continuity conditions at interface between the layers. The transverse shear stresses can also be obtained, with better accuracy, by integrating equilibrium equations. The theory obviates the need for a shear correction factor. The governing equations and boundary conditions are obtained using the principle of virtual work. A two-layered cross-ply laminated plate is considered for the numerical study to demonstrate the efficacy of the theory. The results obtained using the present theory are discussed critically with those of other theories and are found to agree well with the exact elasticity results.     

Analysis of sandwich plates using a mixed finite element

The stress and displacement analysis of the thick sandwich plate is presented here by using an interlaminar stress mixed finite element based on local high-order deformable theory. The displacements of a sandwich plate are assumed to be high order polynomial functions layer-by-layer through the plate thickness. Since the interlaminar stresses at the interface between layers in this finite element scheme are regarded as primary variables, they can then be accurately determined. The accuracy of this finite element scheme is checked by comparing the present results with 3-D elasticity solutions of a simply supported sandwich plate. The response of a thick angle-ply, fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) faced sandwich with fully simple supports, subjected to a sinusoidal distribution of transverse load is evaluated. The present finite element results are compared with results obtained from other finite element schemes.     

An efficient FE model and Least Square Error method for accurate calculation of transverse shear stresses in composites and sandwich laminates

Accurate evaluation of transverse stresses in laminated composites and sandwich plates using 2D FE models involves cumbersome post-processing techniques. In this paper a simple and efficient method has been proposed for accurate evaluation of through-the-thickness distribution of transverse stresses in composites and sandwich laminates by using a displacement based C⁰ FE model (2D) derived from Refined Higher Order Shear Deformation Theory (RHSDT) and a Least Square Error (LSE) method. The C⁰ FE model satisfies the inter-laminar shear stress continuity conditions at the layer interfaces and zero transverse shear stress conditions at the top and bottom of the plate. In this model the first derivatives of transverse displacement have been treated as independent variables to circumvent the problem of C¹ continuity associated with the above plate theory (RHSDT). The LSE method is applied to the 3D equilibrium equations of the plate problem at the post-processing stage, after in-plane stresses are calculated by using the above FE model based on RHSDT. Thus the proposed method is quite simple and elegant compared to the usual method of integrating the 3D equilibrium equations at the post-processing stage for calculation of transverse stresses in a composite laminate. In the proposed method, the first two equations of equilibrium are utilized to compute the transverse shear stress variation through the thickness of a laminated plate whereas the third equation of equilibrium gives the normal stress variation. Accuracy of the proposed method is demonstrated in the numerical examples through comparison of the present results with those obtained from different models based on higher order shear deformation theory (HSDT) and 3D elasticity solutions.     

Analytical solutions for vibrations of laminated and sandwich plates using mixed theory

A semi-analytical method has been presented in this paper to evaluate the natural frequencies as well as displacement and stress eigenvectors for simply supported, cross-ply laminated and sandwich plates by using higher order mixed theory. Models based on equivalent single layer as well as layerwise (LW) theories have been formulated. By assuming a non-linear variation of axial displacements through the plate thickness, the warping of the transverse cross-section has been considered. Hamilton’s principle has been employed to derive the equilibrium equations. The proposed LW model fulfills a priori the continuity of displacements as well as the transverse and the normal stress components at each interface between two adjacent layers. Results obtained by present higher order mixed theory have been found in good agreement with those obtained by three-dimensional elasticity solutions. After establishing the accuracy of present results for orthotropic plates, new results for thin and thick sandwich plates have been presented which can serve as benchmark solutions for future investigations.