Layer reduction technique for composite laminate analysis

In this study, a layer reduction technique to decrease the number of degrees-of-freedom in composite analysis by combining a multiple-layer approach with a single-layer approach is presented. The single-layer approach is of classical laminate theory or high-order shear deformation theory while the multiple-layer approach is the interlaminar shear stress continuity theory. The layer reduction technique increases computational efficiency in composite analysis by reducing an n-layer laminate to a four-layer laminate but retaining the easiness and accuracy in calculating the transverse stresses from constitutive equations directly. The feasibility of this technique is demonstrated by numerical examples of composite laminates under both bidirectional bending and cylindrical bending.