An element for static, vibration and buckling analysis of thick laminated plates

A conforming finite element formulation of the equations governing composite multilayered plates using Reddy's higher-order theory is presented. The element has eight degrees of freedom, u₀, v₀, w, ?w/?x, ?w/?y, ?²w/?x?y, γ_x, γ_y, per node. The transverse displacement of the present element is described by a modified bicubic displacement function while the in-plane displacements and shear-rotations are interpolated quadraticly. The element is evaluated for its accuracy in the analysis of static, vibration, and buckling of anisotropic rectangular plates with different lamination schemes and boundary conditions. The conforming finite element described here for the higher-order theory gives fairly accurate results for displacements, stresses, buckling loads, and natural frequencies.