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.     

Nonlinear free vibration of a shear deformable laminated composite annular elliptical plate

The nonlinear free vibration of a laminated composite annular elliptical plate with elliptically orthotropic plies is investigated. The effects of out-of-plane shear deformations, rotatory inertia and geometrical nonlinearity are taken into account. The problem is solved numerically using a new polynomially enriched sector elliptic p-element. The nonlinear equations of free motion are obtained using the harmonic balance method and solved iteratively by the linearized updated mode method. Results for the fundamental linear and nonlinear frequencies are obtained. Comparison is made with published results for a polar orthotropic annular plate and shows very good agreement. The minor semi-axis ratio, thickness ratio, moduli ratio, number of plies, layup sequence, and boundary conditions are shown to influence the hardening behavior.     

Super convergent shear deformable finite elements for stability analysis of composite beams

The super convergent finite beam elements are newly presented for the spatially coupled stability analysis of composite beams. For this, the theoretical model applicable to the thin-walled laminated composite I-beams subjected to the axial force is developed. The present element includes the transverse shear and the warping induced shear deformation by using the first-order shear deformation beam theory. The stability equations and force–displacement relationships are derived from the principle of minimum total potential energy. The explicit expressions for the seven displacement parameters are then presented by applying the power series expansions of displacement components to simultaneous ordinary differential equations. Finally, the element stiffness matrix is determined using the force–displacement relationships. In order to demonstrate the accuracy and the superiority of the beam element developed by this study, the numerical solutions are presented and compared with the results obtained from other researchers, the isoparametric beam elements based on the Lagrangian interpolation polynomial, and the detailed three-dimensional analysis results using the shell elements of ABAQUS. The effects of shear deformation, boundary condition, fiber angle change, and modulus ratios on buckling loads are investigated in the analysis.     

Large amplitude free vibration of a shear deformable laminated composite parabolic plate with parabolically orthotropic plies

The large amplitude free vibration of a laminated composite parabolic plate with parabolically orthotropic plies is investigated for the first time. The effects of out-of-plane shear deformations, rotary inertia, and geometrical nonlinearity are taken into account. The geometry of the plate is described, and the analysis performed in the parabolic coordinate system. The problem is solved numerically using a new parabolic hierarchical finite element. The nonlinear equations of free motion are mapped from the time domain into the frequency domain using the harmonic balance method. The resultant nonlinear equations are solved iteratively using the linearized updated mode method. Results for the fundamental linear and nonlinear frequencies are obtained for symmetric and antisymmetric laminates with clamped and simply supported edges. Comparisons are made with the finite element method for clamped and free isotropic parabolic plates and show excellent agreement. The aspect ratio, thickness ratio, moduli ratio, number of plies, layup sequence, and boundary conditions are shown to affect the hardening behavior.     

An accurate two-node finite element for shear deformable curved beams

An accurate two-node (three degrees of freedom per node) finite element is developed for curved shear deformable beams. The element formulation is based on shape functions that satisfy the homogeneous form of the partial differential equations of motion which renders it free of shear and membrane locking. The element is demonstrated to converge to the results obtained from a shear deformable straight beam when the beam becomes shallower. Numerical examples were performed to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency with respect to previously published formulations. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

能量有限元方法在复合材料层合梁耦合结构振动分析中的应用

以能量有限元方法(EFEM)建立控制方程,研究了复合材料层合梁受激励时的横向振动问题。该方法以结构中的能量密度作为变量,根据波动理论中功率流与能量密度的平衡关系建立了与傅里叶热传导方程类似的二阶偏微分方程组,通过有限元离散得到结构单元节点的能量密度矩阵形式方程。根据耦合连续平衡条件,建立耦合单元节点矩阵,从而对总矩阵方程进行组集及求解,得到结构中能量密度的分布。通过数值算例与传统有限元方法(FEM)结果做了对比,取得了较好的一致性。     

Free vibration and buckling analysis of laminated composite plates using the NURBS-based isogeometric finite element method

An isogeometric finite element method based on non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS) basis functions is developed for natural frequencies and buckling analysis of thin symmetrically laminated composite plates based upon the classical plate theory (CPT). The approximation of the solution space for the deflection field of the plate and the parameterization of the geometry are performed using NURBS-based approach. The essential boundary conditions are formulated separately from the discrete system equations by the aid of Lagrange multiplier method, while an orthogonal transformation technique is also applied to impose the essential boundary conditions in the discrete eigen-value equation. The accuracy and the efficiency of the proposed method are thus demonstrated through a series of numerical experiments of laminated composite plates with different boundary conditions, fiber orientations, lay-up number, eigen-modes, etc. The obtained numerical results are then compared with either the analytical solutions or other available numerical methods, and excellent agreements are found.     

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.     

An accurate higher-order theory and C finite element for free vibration analysis of laminated composite and sandwich plates

At present, it is difficult to accurately predict natural frequencies of sandwich plates with soft core by using the C⁰ plate bending elements. Thus, the C¹ plate bending elements have to be employed to predict accurately dynamic response of such structures. This paper proposes an accurate higher-order C⁰ theory which is very different from other published higher-order theory satisfying the interlaminar stress continuity, as the first derivative of transverse displacement has been taken out from the in-plane displacement fields of the present theory. Therefore, the C⁰ interpolation functions is only required during its finite element implementation. Based on the Hamilton’s principle and Navier’s technique, analytical solutions to the natural frequency analysis of simply-supported laminated plates have been presented. To further extend the ranges of application of the proposed theory, an eight-node C⁰ continuous isoparametric element is used to model the proposed theory. Numerical results show the present C⁰ finite element can accurately predict the natural frequencies of sandwich plate with soft core, whereas other global higher-order theories are unsuitable for free vibration analysis of such soft-core structures.     

A refined high-order global-local theory for finite element bending and vibration analyses of laminated composite beams

A refined high-order global-local laminated/sandwich beam theory is developed that satisfies all the kinematic and stress continuity conditions at the layer interfaces and considers effects of the transverse normal stress and transverse flexibility, e.g. for beams with soft cores or drastic material properties changes. The global displacement components, described by polynomial or combinations of polynomial and exponential expressions, are superposed on local ones chosen based on the layerwise or discrete-layer concepts. Furthermore, the non-zero conditions of the shear and normal tractions of the upper and lower surfaces of the beam may also be enforced. In the present C¹-continuous shear locking-free finite element model, the number of unknowns is independent of the number of layers. Comparison of present bending and vibration results for thin and thick beams with results of the three-dimensional theory of elasticity reveals efficiency of the present method. Moreover, the proposed model is computationally economic and has a high convergence rate.     

Buckling of shear deformable laminated composite plates

A shear deformable finite element is developed for the buckling analysis of laminated composite plates. The finite element formulation is based on Mindlin's theory in which shear correction factors are derived from the exact expressions for orthotropic materials. A variety of problems on uniaxial and shear bucklings of laminated composite plates are solved. The effects of material properties, plate aspect ratio, length-to-thickness ratio, number of layers and lamination angle on the buckling loads of symmetrically and antisymmetrically laminated composite plates are investigated. Optimal lamination arrangements of layers for maximizing the buckling loads of the plates are determined.     

Static and vibration analysis of laminated composite beams with an interlaminar shear stress continuity theory

A finite element method for stress and vibration analysis of laminated composite beams was investigated. The analysis was based on a multilayered theory presented by Lu and Liu. This theory accounts for the continuity of interlaminar shear stress. The principle of minimum potential energy was used in the finite element formulation. The interlaminar shear stress was obtained directly from the constitutive equations. It was verified that the present technique was able to give excellent results for displacements, stresses and vibration frequencies for both thin and thick composite beams. The effects of the number of layers and the number of elements on the convergence were also discussed.     

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.     

Nonlinear damping and forced vibration analysis of laminated composite beams

The purpose of the present work it to study the damping and forced vibrations of three-layered, symmetric laminated composite beams. In the analytical formulation, both normal and shear deformations are considered in the core by using the higher-order zig-zag theories. The harmonic balance method is coupled with a one mode Galerkin procedure for a simply supported beam. The geometrically nonlinear coupling leads to a nonlinear frequency amplitude equation governed by several complex coefficients. In the first part of the paper, linear and nonlinear damping parameters of laminated composite beams are obtained. In the second part, nonlinear forced vibration analysis is carried out for small and large vibration amplitudes. The frequency response curves are presented and discussed for various geometric and material properties.     

A semi-analytical finite element model for the analysis of laminated 3D axisymmetric shells: Bending, free vibration and buckling

A general semi-analytical finite element model is developed for bending, free vibration and buckling analysis of shells of revolution made of laminated orthotropic elastic material. The 3D elasticity theory is used and the equations of motion are obtained by expanding the displacement field and load in the Fourier series in terms of the circumferential coordinate, θ. The coefficients of the expansion are functions of (r, z), and they are approximated using the finite element method. This leads to a semi-analytical finite element in the (r, z) plane. The element is validated by comparing the present results with the analytical and numerical solutions available in the literature.     

Effects of geometric imperfections on vibration of compressed shear deformable laminated composite curved panels

Summary The vibrational behavior of geometrically imperfect single and multilayered composite double-curved shallow panels subjected to a system of tangential compressive/tensile edge loads in the pre- and postbuckling ranges is investigated. The effects of transverse shear deformations, lamination, the character of in-plane boundary conditions, and of transverse normal stress are incorporated and their influence is emphasized.Numerical illustrations enabling one to compare the obtained results based on higher order and first order shell theories with their classical counterparts, based on the Love-Kirchhoff model are presented and conclusions related to their range of applicability are outlined.     

Buckling analysis of shear deformable plates by boundary element method

In this paper, the derivation and numerical implementation of boundary integral equations for the buckling analysis of shear deformable plates are presented. Plate buckling equations are derived as a standard eigenvalue problem. The formulation is formed by coupling boundary element formulations of shear deformable plate and two dimensional plane stress elasticity. The eigenvalue problem of plate buckling yields the critical load factor and buckling modes. The domain integrals which appear in this formulation are treated in two different ways: initially the integrals are evaluated using constant cells, and next, they are transformed into equivalent boundary integrals using the dual reciprocity method (DRM). Several examples with different geometry, loading and boundary conditions are presented to demonstrate the accuracy of the formulation. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Coupling effects in bending, buckling and free vibration of generally laminated composite beams

A closed form expression to determine the effective flexural modulus of a laminated composite beam is developed and presented in this contribution. This effective flexural modulus is applied to the bending, buckling and free vibration response of generally laminated composite beams with various boundary supports. The expression was developed using the combination of the Euler–Bernoulli beam and classical lamination theory. In addition the results of an extensive finite element analysis are used to validate the analytical model. The comparison of the analytical results, the finite element results and the experimental results showed good correlation. It is also observed that coupling response is an important variable that must be included in the computation of the effective flexural stiffness of generally laminated beam.     

A shear deformable theory of laminated composite shallow shell-type panels and their response analysis I: Free vibration and buckling

Summary This paper deals with the substantiation of a shear deformable theory of cross-ply laminated composite shallow shells. While the developed theory preserves all the advantages of the first order transverse shear deformation theory it succeeds in eliminating some of its basic shortcomings. The theory is further employed in the analysis of the eigenvibration and static buckling problems of doubly curved shallow panels. In this context, the state space concept is used in conjunction with the Lévy method, allowing one to analyze these problems in a unified manner, for a variety of boundary conditions. Numerical results are presented and some pertinent conclusions are formulated.     

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.