Static and dynamic analysis of laminated composite and sandwich plates and shells by using a new higher-order shear deformation theory

A new higher order shear deformation theory for elastic composite/sandwich plates and shells is developed. The new displacement field depends on a parameter “m”, whose value is determined so as to give results closest to the 3D elasticity bending solutions. The present theory accounts for an approximately parabolic distribution of the transverse shear strains through the shell thickness and tangential stress-free boundary conditions on the shell boundary surface. The governing equations and boundary conditions are derived by employing the principle of virtual work. These equations are solved using Navier-type, closed form solutions. Static and dynamic results are presented for cylindrical and spherical shells and plates for simply supported boundary conditions. Shells and plates are subjected to bi-sinusoidal, distributed and point loads. Results are provided for thick to thin as well as shallow and deep shells. The accuracy of the present code is verified by comparing it with various available results in the literature.     

Bending and free vibration analysis of isotropic and multilayered plates and shells by using a new accurate higher-order shear deformation theory

Bending and free vibration analysis of multilayered plates and shells by using a new accurate higher order shear deformation theory (HSDT) is presented. It is one of the most accurate HSDT available in the literature, mainly because new non-polynomial shear strain shape functions (combination of exponential and trigonometric) used in the present theory are richer than polynomial functions, and free surface boundary conditions can be guaranteed a priori. The present HSDT is able to reproduce Touratier’s HSDT as special case. The governing equations and boundary conditions are derived by employing the principle of virtual work. These equations are then solved via Navier-type, closed form solutions. Bending and dynamic results are presented for cylindrical and spherical shells and plates for simply supported boundary conditions. Panels are subjected to sinusoidal, distributed and point loads. Results are provided for thick to thin as well as shallow and deep shells. The present results are compared with the exact three-dimensional elasticity theory and with several other well-known HSDT theories. The present HSDT is found to be more precise than other several existing ones for analyzing the bending and free vibration of isotropic and multilayered composite shell and plate structures.     

Bending and free vibration analysis of isotropic and multilayered plates and shells by using a new accurate higher-order shear deformation theory

Bending and free vibration analysis of multilayered plates and shells by using a new accurate higher order shear deformation theory (HSDT) is presented. It is one of the most accurate HSDT available in the literature, mainly because new non-polynomial shear strain shape functions (combination of exponential and trigonometric) used in the present theory are richer than polynomial functions, and free surface boundary conditions can be guaranteed a priori. The present HSDT is able to reproduce Touratier’s HSDT as special case. The governing equations and boundary conditions are derived by employing the principle of virtual work. These equations are then solved via Navier-type, closed form solutions. Bending and dynamic results are presented for cylindrical and spherical shells and plates for simply supported boundary conditions. Panels are subjected to sinusoidal, distributed and point loads. Results are provided for thick to thin as well as shallow and deep shells. The present results are compared with the exact three-dimensional elasticity theory and with several other well-known HSDT theories. The present HSDT is found to be more precise than other several existing ones for analyzing the bending and free vibration of isotropic and multilayered composite shell and plate structures.     

Bending response of functionally graded plates by using a new higher order shear deformation theory

This paper presents an analytical solution to the static analysis of functionally graded plates, using a recently developed higher order shear deformation theory (HSDT) and provides detailed comparisons with other HSDT’s available in the literature. These theories account for adequate distribution of the transverse shear strains through the plate thickness and tangential stress-free boundary conditions on the plate boundary surfaces, thus a shear correction factor is not required. The mechanical properties of the plates are assumed to vary in the thickness direction according to a power-law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. The governing equations of a functionally graded (FG) plate and boundary conditions are derived by employing the principle of virtual work. Navier-type analytical solution is obtained for FG plates subjected to transverse bi-sinusoidal and distributed loads for simply supported boundary conditions. Results are provided for thick to thin FG plates and for different volume fraction distributions. The accuracy of the present code is verified by comparing it with known results in the literature.     

Post-buckling analysis of composite plates containing embedded delaminations with arbitrary shape by using higher order shear deformation theory

The compressive post-buckling behavior of composite laminates containing embedded delamination with arbitrary shape is investigated analytically. For modeling the embedded delamination, the laminate is divided into three smaller regions. The higher order shear deformation theory is implemented and the formulation is based on the Rayleigh-Ritz approximation technique by the application of the simple/complete polynomial series for each region. The nonlinear equilibrium equations, which are achieved through the application of the principle of Minimum Potential Energy, are solved by employing the Newton-Raphson iterative procedure. Some interesting results are obtained and compared with those achieved by the finite element method of analysis using ANSYS commercial software. A good agreement is seen to exist between the results. This is while for a given level of accuracy in the results, ANSYS requires a markedly larger number of degrees of freedom compared to that needed by the developed method. Moreover, a considerable reduction in the load carrying capacity of laminate is noticed due to the presence of delamination.     

Bending analysis of thick exponentially graded plates using a new trigonometric higher order shear deformation theory

An analytical solution of the static governing equations of exponentially graded plates obtained by using a recently developed higher order shear deformation theory (HSDT) is presented. The mechanical properties of the plates are assumed to vary exponentially in the thickness direction. The governing equations of exponentially graded plates and boundary conditions are derived by employing the principle of virtual work. A Navier-type analytical solution is obtained for such plates subjected to transverse bi-sinusoidal loads for simply supported boundary conditions. Results are provided for thick to thin plates and for different values of the parameter n, which dictates the material variation profile through the plate thickness. The accuracy of the present code is verified by comparing it with 3D elasticity solution and with other well-known trigonometric shear deformation theory. From the obtained results, it can be concluded that the present HSDT theory predict with good accuracy inplane displacements, normal and shear stresses for thick exponentially graded plates.     

General higher-order layer-wise theory for free vibrations of doubly-curved laminated composite shells and panels

ABSTRACT

The present article illustrates a general formulation for a higher-order layer-wise theory related to the analysis of the free vibrations of thick doubly-curved laminated composite shells and panels. The theoretical framework relates to the dynamic analysis of shell structures by using a general displacement field based on the Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF), including the stretching effect for each layer. The order of the expansion along the thickness direction is taken as a free parameter. The starting point of the present general higher-order layer-wise formulation is to propose a kinematic assumption, with an arbitrary number of degrees of freedom. The main aim of this work is to determine the explicit fundamental operators that can be used for the layer-wise (LW) approach. These fundamental operators are obtained for the first time by the author and are related to motion equations of doubly-curved shells described in an orthogonal curvilinear co-ordinate system. The free vibration shell and panel problems are computationally solved using the generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) and generalized integral quadrature (GIQ) techniques. The numerical results are compared with recent papers in the literature and commercial finite element codes.     

Analysis of laminated composite plates using a higher-order shear deformation theory

A higher-order shear deformation theory is used to analyse laminated anisotropic composite plates for deflections, stresses, natural frequencies and buckling loads. The theory accounts for parabolic distribution of the transverse shear stresses, and requires no shear correction coefficients. A displacement finite element model of the theory is developed, and applications of the element to bending, Vibration and stability of laminated plates are discussed. The present solutions are compared with those obtained using the classical plate theory and the three-dimensional elasticity theory.     

Dynamic stability of laminated FGM plates based on higher-order shear deformation theory

This paper conducts a dynamic stability analysis of symmetrically laminated FGM rectangular plates with general out-of-plane supporting conditions, subjected to a uniaxial periodic in-plane load and undergoing uniform temperature change. Theoretical formulations are based on Reddys third-order shear deformation plate theory, and account for the temperature dependence of material properties. A semi-analytical Galerkin-differential quadrature approach is employed to convert the governing equations into a linear system of Mathieu–Hill equations from which the boundary points on the unstable regions are determined by Bolotins method. Free vibration and bifurcation buckling are also discussed as subset problems. Numerical results are presented in both dimensionless tabular and graphical forms for laminated plates with FGM layers made of silicon nitride and stainless steel. The influences of various parameters such as material composition, layer thickness ratio, temperature change, static load level, boundary constraints on the dynamic stability, buckling and vibration frequencies are examined in detail through parametric studies.This work was fully supported by grants from the Australian Research Council (A00104534) and from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Project No. CityU 1024/01 E). The authors are grateful for this financial support.     

Thermal effects on nonlinear vibrations of functionally graded doubly curved shells using higher order shear deformation theory

Geometrically nonlinear vibrations of functionally graded (FG) doubly curved shells subjected to thermal variations and harmonic excitation are investigated via multi-modal energy approach. Two different nonlinear higher-order shear deformation theories are considered and it is assumed that the shell is simply supported with movable edges. Using Lagrange equations of motion, the energy functional is reduced to a system of infinite nonlinear ordinary differential equations with quadratic and cubic nonlinearities which is truncated based on solution convergence. A pseudo-arclength continuation and collocation scheme is employed to obtain numerical solutions for shells subjected to static and harmonic loads. The effects of FGM power law index, thickness ratio and temperature variations on the frequency–amplitude nonlinear response are fully discussed and it is revealed that, for relatively thick and deep shells, the Amabili–Reddy theory which retains all the nonlinear terms in the in-plane displacements gives different and more accurate results.     

Wave propagation in anisotropic plates using trigonometric shear deformation theory

In this article, wave propagation in anisotropic rectangular plates based on trigonometric shear deformation theory is studied. To the best of the authors' knowledge, it is the first time that this type of trigonometric plate theory is being used for investigating bulk waves in anisotropic plates. This type of trigonometric theory has only four unknowns but it can model thick plates. To study the accuracy of the present formulations, the authors' results are compared with other papers available in open literature for isotropic plates. Moreover, the influences of different parameters, such as wave number and thickness on the results, are investigated.     

An RMVT-based third-order shear deformation theory of multilayered functionally graded material plates

A Reissner mixed variational theorem (RMVT)-based third-order shear deformation theory (TSDT) is developed for the static analysis of simply-supported, multilayered functionally graded material (FGM) plates under mechanical loads. The material properties of the FGM layers are assumed to obey either the exponent-law distributions through the thickness coordinate or the power-law distributions of the volume fractions of the constituents. In this theory, Reddy’s third-order displacement model and the layerwise parabolic function distributions of transverse shear stresses are assumed in the kinematic and kinetic fields, respectively, a priori, where the effect of transverse normal stress is regarded as minor and thus ignored. The continuity conditions of both transverse shear stresses and elastic displacements at the interfaces between adjacent layers are then exactly satisfied in this RMVT-based TSDT. On the basis of RMVT, a set of Euler–Lagrange equations associated with the possible boundary conditions is derived. In conjunction with the method of variable separation and Fourier series expansion, this theory is successfully applied to the static analysis of simply-supported, multilayered FGM plates under mechanical loads. A parametric study of the effects of the material-property gradient index and the span-thickness ratio on the displacement and stress components induced in the plates is undertaken.     

Static and dynamic analysis of laminated composite and sandwich plates and shells by using a new higher-order shear deformation theory

A new higher order shear deformation theory for elastic composite/sandwich plates and shells is developed. The new displacement field depends on a parameter “m”, whose value is determined so as to give results closest to the 3D elasticity bending solutions. The present theory accounts for an approximately parabolic distribution of the transverse shear strains through the shell thickness and tangential stress-free boundary conditions on the shell boundary surface. The governing equations and boundary conditions are derived by employing the principle of virtual work. These equations are solved using Navier-type, closed form solutions. Static and dynamic results are presented for cylindrical and spherical shells and plates for simply supported boundary conditions. Shells and plates are subjected to bi-sinusoidal, distributed and point loads. Results are provided for thick to thin as well as shallow and deep shells. The accuracy of the present code is verified by comparing it with various available results in the literature.     

Flexural analysis of laminated plates based on trigonometric layerwise shear deformation theory

ABSTRACT

A trigonometric layerwise shear deformation theory is developed for the flexural analysis of laminated plates. The present theory achieves in-plane displacement continuity, transverse shear stress continuity, and traction-free boundary condition. Hence, botheration of shear correction coefficient is neglected. The governing differential equation and boundary conditions are obtained from the principle of virtual work. Although the present analytical method is bounded to a corner supported boundary condition, it neglects the numerical and computational error. Like first-order shear deformation theory, the present theory possesses five numbers of unknowns. Several numerical predictions are carried out and results are compared with those of other existing numerical approaches.     

Analytical model of sound transmission through relatively thick FGM cylindrical shells considering third order shear deformation theory

This work presents an analytical solution for acoustic transmission through relatively thick FGM cylindrical shells using third order shear deformation theory (TSDT). An infinitely long FGM cylindrical shell composed of metal and ceramic with power-law distribution of volume fraction through the thickness is considered. The shell is immersed in a fluid with an external airflow and an oblique plane wave impinges on the external sidewall of the shell. Comparing the results of present study with those of previous models (CST and FSDT) for thin shells, similar results are observed due to limited effects of shear and rotation on transmission loss (TL). However, for relatively thick shells where the shear and rotation effects become more important in lower R/h, TSDT presents more accurate results caused by its higher order model. In addition, the results show proportional change in TL according to distribution of material properties through the thickness of FG cylindrical shells.     

Static and free vibration analyses of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite plates using finite element method with first order shear deformation plate theory

This paper mainly presents bending and free vibration analyses of thin-to-moderately thick composite plates reinforced by single-walled carbon nanotubes using the finite element method based on the first order shear deformation plate theory. Four types of distributions of the uniaxially aligned reinforcement material are considered, that is, uniform and three kinds of functionally graded distributions of carbon nanotubes along the thickness direction of plates. The effective material properties of the nanocomposite plates are estimated according to the rule of mixture. Detailed parametric studies have been carried out to reveal the influences of the volume fractions of carbon nanotubes and the edge-to-thickness ratios on the bending responses, natural frequencies and mode shapes of the plates. In addition, the effects of different boundary conditions are also examined. Numerical examples are computed by an in-house finite element code and the results show good agreement with the solutions obtained by the FE commercial package ANSYS.     

Low velocity impact analysis of composite sandwich shells using higher-order shear deformation theories

In the present investigation, higher-order and conventional first-order shear deformation theories are used to study the impact response of composite sandwich shells. The formulation is based on Donnell’s shallow shell theory. Nine-noded Lagrangian elements are used for the finite element formulation. A modified Hertzian contact law is used to calculate the contact force. The results obtained from the present investigation are found to compare well with those existing in the open literature. The numerical results are presented to study the changes in the impact response due to the increase of core depth from zero to some specified value and the changes in core stiffness for a particular core depth.     

Numerical investigation of functionally graded cylindrical shells and panels using the generalized unconstrained third order theory coupled with the stress recovery

A 2D Unconstrained Third Order Shear Deformation Theory (UTSDT) is presented for the evaluation of tangential and normal stresses in moderately thick functionally graded cylindrical shells subjected to mechanical loadings. Eight types of graded materials are investigated. The functionally graded material consists of ceramic and metallic constituents. A four parameter power law function is used. The UTSDT allows the presence of a finite transverse shear stress at the top and bottom surfaces of the graded cylindrical shell. In addition, the initial curvature effect included in the formulation leads to the generalization of the present theory (GUTSDT). The Generalized Differential Quadrature (GDQ) method is used to discretize the derivatives in the governing equations, the external boundary conditions and the compatibility conditions. Transverse and normal stresses are also calculated by integrating the three dimensional equations of equilibrium in the thickness direction. In this way, the six components of the stress tensor at a point of the cylindrical shell or panel can be given. The initial curvature effect and the role of the power law functions are shown for a wide range of functionally cylindrical shells under various loading and boundary conditions. Finally, numerical examples of the available literature are worked out.     

Free vibration and stability of functionally graded circular cylindrical shells according to a 2D higher-order deformation theory

A two-dimensional (2D) higher-order deformation theory is presented for vibration and buckling problems of circular cylindrical shells made of functionally graded materials (FGMs). The modulus of elasticity of functionally graded (FG) shells is assumed to vary according to a power law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. By using the method of power series expansion of continuous displacement components, a set of fundamental governing equations which can take into account the effects of both transverse shear and normal deformations, and rotatory inertia is derived through Hamilton’s principle. Several sets of truncated Mth order approximate theories are applied to solve the eigenvalue problems of simply supported FG circular cylindrical shells. In order to assure the accuracy of the present theory, convergence properties of the fundamental natural frequency for the fundamental mode r=s=1 are examined in detail. A comparison of the present natural frequencies of isotropic and FG shells is also made with previously published results. Critical buckling stresses of simply supported FG circular cylindrical shells subjected to axial stress are also obtained and a relation between the buckling stress and natural frequency is presented. The internal and external works are calculated and compared to prove the numerical accuracy of solutions. Modal transverse shear and normal stresses are calculated by integrating the three-dimensional (3D) equations of motion in the thickness direction satisfying the stress boundary conditions at the outer and inner surfaces. The 2D higher-order deformation theory has an advantage in the analysis of vibration and buckling problems of FG circular cylindrical shells.