A finite element for the linear analysis of laminated circular plates

A new finite element for modeling axiysymmetric circular plates is developed. The element is based upon Mindlin's shear-deformable plate theory, and elements may be stacked on top of one another to model laminated plate by the addition of only rotational degrees of freedom for each lamina. The elements assure continuity of the displacements between the layers, but not continuity of the traction vectors. Neither interlaminar slip nor debonding between the layers is considered.

The plate element is more efficient at modeling laminated structures than conventional plate elements or solid elements because it accurately models the structure while keeping the degrees of freedom per element to a minimum. If one were to use solid elements to model a laminated circular plate, many more elements would have to be used in the model to avoid loss of accuracy due to a large aspect ratio. Each layer in the laminated plate is allowed an independent rotation: hence, the model gives more accurate results than classical lamination theory models. The new element is also immune from shear locking at least for radius-to-thickness ratios up to 500 without having to incorporate reduced numerical integration schemes. In fact, the element's stiffness matrix may be integrated in closed form: this is not possible for most plate elements in the literature.     

Geometrically nonlinear NURBS isogeometric finite element analysis of laminated composite plates

This research present the development of geometrically nonlinear NURBS isogeometric finite element analysis of laminated composite plates. First-order, shear-deformable laminate composite plate theory is utilized in deriving the governing equations using a variational formulation. Geometric nonlinearity is accounted for in Von-Karman sense. A family of NURBS elements are constructed from refinement processes and validated using various examples. k-refined NURBS elements are developed to study thin plates. Isotropic, orthotropic and laminated composite plates are studied for various boundary conditions, length to thickness ratios and ply-angles. Computed center deflection is found to be in an excellent agreement with the literature. For thin plate analysis, linear and k-refined quadratic NURBS element is found to remedy the shear locking problem. k-refined quadratic NURBS element provide stabilized response to distorted, coarse meshes without increasing the order of the polynomial, owing to the increased smoothness of solution space.     

Triangular finite element for analysis of thick laminated plates

The development of a general triangular C⁰ element, based on an assumed quadratic displacement potential energy approach, is presented for the analysis of arbitrarily laminated thick plates. The element formulation assumes transverse inextensibility and layerwise constant shear-angle. Convergence of transverse displacement, moments and stresses, the effects of two different Gauss quadrature schemes and comparison of the present solutions with the available analytical/finite-element results also form a part of the investigation. Furthermore, numerical results indicate close agreement between the LCST (layerwise constant shear-angle theory) and the three-dimensional elasticity theory with the length (or width) to thickness ratio as low as 4. Detailed comparison of the LCST-based finite-element solutions with those based on the CST (constant shear-angle theory) and the CLT (classical lamination theory) clearly demonstrates the superiority of the former over the latter two, especially in the prediction of the distribution of the in-plane displacements and stresses through the laminate thickness. This paper also introduces a new non-dimensionalized parameter, Δθ*, which is shown to be a very useful measure for classification of the laminated plates and the suitability of different plate theories over various ranges of length-to-thickness ratio.     

A new finite element for buckling analysis of laminated stiffened plates

A new stiffened plate element for stability analysis of laminated stiffened plates has been presented. The basic plate element is a combination of Allman's plane stress triangular element and a Discrete Kirchhoff–Mindlin plate bending element. The element includes transverse shear effects. The model accommodates any number of arbitrarily oriented stiffeners within the plate element and eliminates constraints on the mesh division of the plate. The element has no problem associated with shear locking – a phenomenon usually encountered in isoparametric elements. The stability analysis of laminated stiffened plates has been carried out under different loading conditions with the present element.     

A semi-analytical finite element for laminated composite plates

This paper presents a semi-analytical finite element solution for laminated composite plates. The method is based on a mixed variational principle that involves both displacements and stresses. Finite element meshes are only used in the plane of plate, while the through thickness distributions of displacements and stresses are obtained using the method of state equations. Numerical results show that the rate of convergence of the new method is fast and the solutions can be very close to corresponding exact three-dimensional ones. The use of a recursive formulation of the state equations leads to an algebra equation system, from which solution are sought, whose dimension is independent of the numbers of layers of the plate considered.     

Transverse stress profiles reconstruction for finite element analysis of laminated plates

The present work focuses on a posteriori, equilibrium based, reconstruction of transverse stress profiles in the finite element analysis of FSDT laminated plates. The accuracy of this reconstruction depends on accuracy of the first and second-order derivatives of the plate stress resultants, which is not guaranteed by most available low-order plate finite elements. To cure this trouble, two different strategies, based on the Recovery by Compatibility in Patches procedure, are here proposed and compared. Numerical results of typical reconstructed transverse stress profiles are presented showing the effectiveness of the proposed approach.     

A shear-flexible triangular finite element model for laminated composite plates

Formulation and numerical evaluation of a shear-flexible triangular laminated composite plate finite element is presented in this paper. The element has three nodes at its vertices, and displacements and rotations along with their first derivatives have been chosen as nodal degrees-of-freedom. Computation of element matrices is highly simplified by employing a shape function subroutine, and an optimal numerical integration scheme has been used to improve the performance. The element has satisfactory rate of convergence and acceptable accuracy with mesh refinement for thick as well as thin plates of both homogeneous isotropic and laminated anisotropic materials. The numerical studies also suggest that reliable prediction of the behaviour of laminated composite plates necessitates the use of higher order shear-flexible finite element models, and the proposed finite element appears to have some advantages over available elements.     

A novel hybrid-Trefftz finite element for symmetric laminated composite plates

International Journal of Mechanics and Materials in Design - A novel hybrid-Trefftz finite element (HTFE) for the analysis of symmetric laminated composite plates has been developed. Unlike the...     

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.     

A novel smart hybrid-Trefftz finite element for smart laminated composite plates

A novel smart hybrid-Trefftz finite element ( HTFE ) has been developed for the analysis of smart laminated composite plates. The substrates of the smart plates are symmetric and antisymmetric cross-ply plates. The derivation of this HTFE is devoid of the complicated task of finding the particular solutions of simultaneous governing partial differential equations. The Trefftz functions are constructed from the finite number of free-field exact solutions of the homogeneous simultaneous governing partial differential equations of the element domain in a straightforward manner without transforming them into a single governing equation. The HTFE is validated with the exact solutions of the smart composite plates. It is observed that this HTFE is an efficient finite element and can be utilized for the analysis of active control of smart composite structures.     

Stochastic finite element analysis of the free vibration of laminated composite plates

Using the Stochastic Finite Element Method (SFEM) to perform reliability analysis of the free vibration of composite plates with material and fabrication uncertainties has received much attention lately. In this work the stochastic analysis is performed using the First-Order Reliability Method (FORM-method 2) and the Second-Order Reliability Method (SORM). The basic random variables include laminae stiffness properties and material density, as well as the randomness in ply orientation angles. Modeling of the composite behavior utilizes a nine-noded isoparametric Lagrangian element based on the third-order shear deformation theory. Calculating the eigenvectors at the mean values of the variables proves to be a reasonable simplification which significantly increases solution speed. The stochastic finite element code is validated using comparisons with results of Monte Carlo simulation technique with importance sampling. Results show that SORM is an excellent rapid tool in the stochastic analysis of free vibration of composite plates, when compared to the slower Monte Carlo simulation techniques.     

Thermal postbuckling analysis of laminated composite plates by the finite element method

The thermal postbuckling behavior of composite laminated plates subjected to a nonuniform temperature field is investigated by the finite element method. Based on the principle of minimum potential energy, the nonlinear stiffness matrix and geometry matrix are derived. The assumed displacement state over the middle surface of the plate element is expressed as a product of one-dimensional, first-order Hermitian polynomials. An iterative method is employed to determine the thermal postbuckling load. The results of the computations reveal that the thermal postbuckling behavior of composite laminated plates is influenced by lamination angle, plate aspect ratio, modulus ratio and the number of layers.     

The efficient finite element analysis of rectangular and skew laminated plates

Various solutions of laminated plates by the finite element method are analysed. An efficient solution of skew (or rectangular) laminated plates with small effect of σ_z and ?_z stress and strain components is developed. It can be used with an arbitrary number of layer elements (sub-elements) in different plate elements. Some remarks to the possible modification of solution are presented. Numerical examples with a short discussion and conclusions complete the paper.     

Higher-order finite element modelling of laminated composite plates

P-version finite elements based on higher-order theory are developed for the two-dimensional modelling of general bending and cylindrical bending of thin-to-thick laminated composite plates. In the case of general laminated plate elements, three displacement fields are used. In the special case of cylindrically bent laminated plate elements, two displacement fields are needed. In each case the displacement is expressed as the product of two functions—one in terms of out-of-plane co-ordinates alone and the other in terms of in-plane co-ordinates. The shape functions used to build the displacement fields are based on integral of Legendre' polynomials. The quality and performance of the elements are evaluated in terms of convergence characteristics of displacements and stresses. The predicted response quantities are compared with those available in the published literature based on analytical as well as conventional finite element models.     

Re-analysis procedure for laminated plates using FSDT finite element model

 A new method is proposed for effective analysis of laminated plates incorporating accurate through-the-thickness distribution of displacements, strains and stresses in the finite element formulation. It is a two-step analysis procedure. In the first step, displacements are obtained using a post-processing procedure based on the three-dimensional stress equilibrium equations and the thermoelasticity equations, from the results of FSDT finite element analysis. In the second step, the higher-order through-the-thickness distribution of displacements are reflected on the subsequent finite element analysis. The effectiveness of the present approach for the analysis of laminated plates is shown by numerical examples. Received: 13 September 2001 / Accepted: 23 May 2002     

Vibration analysis of laminated composite plates: TV-holography and finite element method

An experimental and numerical investigation into the structural behaviour of symmetrically laminated carbon fibre-epoxy composite rectangular plates subjected to vibration. The laminated composite plates are composed on layers of Grafil XAS carbon fibres preimpregnated in 914C Fibredux epoxy resin and each plate was vibrated by a piezoelectric transducer (PZT) attached onto its surface. The specimens tested were of two different length to width ratios and of symmetric stacking sequence. In this study the short edges of the plate were of various combinations of clamp and free support conditions, and the long edges of the plate were of various combinations of free and simple support conditions. Experimental and finite element studies were carried out in parallel. The experimental vibrational response of the test plates were obtained using a TV-holography technique. The comparison between experimental results and finite element results are reasonably good in all the cases studied.     

Free vibration analysis of thick laminated plates using a mixed finite element

Abstract

A mixed finite element scheme based on assumed local high‐order displacements is proposed for the free vibration of thick laminated plates. The effects of transverse shear deformation, transverse normal stress and rotary inertia are considered in the formulation. Cross‐ply laminates with simple supports and angle‐ply laminates with clamped edges are presented as examples. The three dimensional elasticity solutions of cross‐ply laminates with simple supports are used to assess the accuracy of the present scheme. The effects of the span‐to‐thickness, aspect and material anisotropy ratio on the fundamental natural frequency are investigated. The present results are compared with the results in the published literature, and agree closely with the 3‐D elasticity solutions.     

A penalty plate-bending element for the analysis of laminated anisotropic composite plates

A C⁰ (penalty) finite element is developed for the equations governing the heterogeneous laminated plate theory of Yang, Norris and Stavsky. The YNS theory is a generalization of Mindlin's theory for homogeneous, isotropic plates to arbitrarily laminated anisotropic plates and includes shear deformation and rotary inertia effects. The present element can also be used in the analysis of thin plates by appropriately specifying the penalty parameter. A variety of problems are solved, including those for which solutions are not available in the literature, to show the material effects and the parametric effects of plate aspect ratio, length-to-thickness ratio, lamination scheme, number of layers and lamination angle on the deflections, stresses, and vibration frequencies. Despite its simplicity, the present element gives very accurate results.     

A higher-order finite element for analysis of composite laminated structures

A new six-node higher-order triangular composite layered shell finite element with six degrees of freedom at each node is presented. With respect to the inplane variables, the in-plane and the out-of-plane displacement fields of the element are quadratic and cubic respectively. By using Utku's method (AFFDL-TR-71-160, Air Force Third Conf., Wright Paterson, Ohio, 1971), the transverse shear strain energy is computed directly from the displacement field rather than from the stress couple field. Some typical bending problems for composite laminated beams and plates with different stack sequences are analyzed. Excellent agreements are obtained when compared to the exact solutions, the first order shear deformation theory (FSDT), the higher order shear deformation theory (HSDT) and some other existing finite element models. ‘Shear locking’ is avoided when the plate is thin.