A double-superposition global–local theory for vibration and dynamic buckling analyses of viscoelastic composite/sandwich plates: a complex modulus approach

A higher-order global–local theory is proposed based on the double-superposition concept for free vibration and dynamic buckling analyses of viscoelastic composite/sandwich plates subjected to thermomechanical loads. In contrast to all theories proposed so far for analysis of the viscoelastic plates, the continuity conditions of the transverse shear and normal stresses at the layer interfaces and the nonzero traction conditions at the top and bottom surfaces of the sandwich plates are satisfied. Another novelty is that these conditions may be satisfied for viscoelastic plates with temperature-dependent material properties and nonlinear behaviors subjected to thermomechanical loads. Furthermore, transverse flexibility is also taken into account. Some dynamic buckling/wrinkling analyses of the viscoelastic plates are performed in the present paper, for the first time. Comparisons made between results of the paper and results reported by well-known references confirm the accuracy and the efficiency of the proposed theory and the relevant solution algorithm.     

An efficient and simple refined theory for nonlinear bending analysis of functionally graded sandwich plates

In this paper, an efficient and simple refined theory is presented for nonlinear bending analysis of functionally graded sandwich plates. The theory presented is variationally consistent, does not require the shear correction factor, and gives rise to transverse shear stress variations such that the transverse shear stresses vary parabolically across the plate thickness, satisfying shear-stress-free surface conditions. The energy concept along with the present theory and the first- and third-order shear deformation theories is used to predict the large deflection and the stress distribution across the thickness of functionally graded sandwich plates.     

An advanced higher-order theory for laminated composite plates with general lamination angles

This paper proposes a higher-order shear deformation theory to predict the bending response of the laminated composite and sandwich plates with general lamination configurations.The proposed theory a priori satisfies the continuity conditions of transverse shear stresses at interfaces.Moreover,the number of unknown variables is independent of the number of layers.The first derivatives of transverse displacements have been taken out from the inplane displacement fields,so that the C 0 shape functions are only required during its finite element implementation.Due to C 0 continuity requirements,the proposed model can be conveniently extended for implementation in commercial finite element codes.To verify the proposed theory,the fournode C 0 quadrilateral element is employed for the interpolation of all the displacement parameters defined at each nodal point on the composite plate.Numerical results show that following the proposed theory,simple C 0 finite elements could accurately predict the interlaminar stresses of laminated composite and sandwich plates directly from a constitutive equation,which has caused difficulty for the other global higher order theories.     

Free vibration of functionally graded sandwich plates using four-variable refined plate theory

This paper uses the four-variable refined plate theory (RPT) for the free vibration analysis of functionally graded material (FGM) sandwich rectangular plates. Unlike other theories, there are only four unknown functions involved, as compared to five in other shear deformation theories. The theory presented is variationally consistent and strongly similar to the classical plate theory in many aspects. It does not require the shear correction factor, and gives rise to the transverse shear stress variation so that the transverse shear stresses vary parabolically across the thickness to satisfy free surface conditions for the shear stress. Two common types of FGM sandwich plates are considered, namely, the sandwich with the FGM facesheet and the homogeneous core and the sandwich with the homogeneous facesheet and the FGM core. The equation of motion for the FGM sandwich plates is obtained based on Hamilton’s principle. The closed form solutions are obtained by using the Navier technique. The fundamental frequencies are found by solving the eigenvalue problems. The validity of the theory is shown by comparing the present results with those of the classical, the first-order, and the other higher-order theories. The proposed theory is accurate and simple in solving the free vibration behavior of the FGM sandwich plates.     

Free vibration of functionally graded sandwich plates using four-variable refined plate theory

This paper uses the four-variable refined plate theory (RPT) for the free vibration analysis of functionally graded material (FGM) sandwich rectangular plates.Unlike other theories, there are only four unknown functions involved, as compared to five in other shear deformation theories. The theory presented is variationally consistent and strongly similar to the classical plate theory in many aspects. It does not require the shear correction factor, and gives rise to the transverse shear stress variation so that the transverse shear stresses vary parabolically across the thickness to satisfy free surface conditions for the shear stress. Two common types of FGM sandwich plates are considered, namely, the sandwich with the FGM facesheet and the homogeneous core and the sandwich with the homogeneous facesheet and the FGM core. The equation of motion for the FGM sandwich plates is obtained based on Hamilton's principle. The closed form solutions are obtained by using the Navier technique. The fundamental frequencies are found by solving the eigenvalue problems. The validity of the theory is shown by comparing the present results with those of the classical, the first-order, and the other higher-ordex theories. The proposed theory is accurate and simple in solving the free vibration behavior of the FGM sandwich plates.     

A quadrilateral element based on refined global-local higher-order theory for coupling bending and extension thermo-elastic multilayered plates

In this paper a refined higher-order global-local theory is presented to analyze the laminated plates coupled bending and extension under thermo-mechanical loading. The in-plane displacement fields are composed of a third-order polynomial of global coordinate z in the thickness direction and 1,2–3 order power series of local coordinate ζ_k in the thickness direction of each layer, which is identical to the 1,2–3 global-local higher-order theory by Li and Liu [Li, X.Y., Liu, D., 1997. Generalized laminate theories based on double superposition hypothesis. Int. J. Numer. Methods Eng. 40, 1197–1212] Moreover, a second-order polynomial of global coordinate z in the thickness direction is chosen as transverse displacement field. The transverse shear stresses can satisfy continuity at interfaces, and the number of unknowns does not depend on the layer numbers of the laminate.Based on this theory, a quadrilateral laminated plate element satisfying the requirement of C¹ continuity is presented. By solving both bending and thermal expansion problems of laminates, it can be found that the present refined theory is very accurate and obviously superior to the existing 1,2–3 global-local higher-order theory. The most attractive feature of this theory is that the transverse shear stresses can be accurately predicted from direct use of constitutive equations without any post-processing method. It is also shown that the present quadrilateral element possesses higher accuracy.     

Buckling of soft-core sandwich plates with angle-ply face sheets by means of a C0 finite element formulation

In order to avoid using C¹ interpolation functions in finite element implementation of the previous zig–zag theories, artificial constraints, in which the first derivatives of transverse displacement will be replaced by the assumed variables, are usually employed. However, such assumption will violate continuity conditions of transverse shear stresses at interfaces. Differing from previous work, this paper will propose a C⁰-type zig–zag theory for buckling analysis of laminated composite and sandwich plates with general configurations. The first derivatives of transverse displacement have been taken out from a displacement field of the proposed zig–zag theory. Thus, the C⁰ interpolation functions are only required in finite element implementations of the proposed model. Without use of any artificial constraints, an eight-node quadrilateral element based on the proposed model is presented by incorporating the terms associated with the geometric stiffness matrix. In order to verify performance of the proposed model, several buckling problems of sandwich plates with soft core have been analyzed. Numerical results show that the proposed model is able to predict accurately buckling loads of the soft-core sandwich plates with varying fiber orientations of face sheets.     

A C<Superscript>0</Superscript>-type zig–zag theory and finite element for laminated composite and sandwich plates with general configurations

In order to conveniently develop C⁰ continuous element for the accurate analysis of laminated composite and sandwich plates with general configurations, this paper develops a C⁰-type zig–zag theory in which the interlaminar continuity of transverse shear stresses is a priori satisfied and the number of unknowns is independent of the number of layers. The present theory is applicable not only to the cross-ply but also to the angle-ply laminated composite and sandwich plates. On the premise of retaining the merit of previous zig–zag theories, the derivatives of transverse displacement have been taken out from the displacement fields. Therefore, based on the proposed zig–zag theory, it is very easy to construct the C⁰ continuous element. To assess the performance of the proposed model, the classical quadratic six-node triangular element with seven degrees of freedom at each node is presented for the static analysis of laminated composite and sandwich plates. The typical examples are taken into account to assess the performance of finite element based on the proposed zig–zag theory by comparing the present results with the three-dimensional elasticity solutions. Numerical results show that the present model can produce the more accurate deformations and stresses compared with the previous zig–zag theories.     

A coupled refined high-order global-local theory and finite element model for static electromechanical response of smart multilayered/sandwich beams

In the present study, a coupled refined high-order global-local theory is developed for predicting fully coupled behavior of smart multilayered/sandwich beams under electromechanical conditions. The proposed theory considers effects of transverse normal stress and transverse flexibility which is important for beams including soft cores or beams with drastic material properties changes through depth. Effects of induced transverse normal strains through the piezoelectric layers are also included in this study. In the presence of non-zero in-plane electric field component, all the kinematic and stress continuity conditions are satisfied at layer interfaces. In addition, for the first time, conditions of non-zero shear and normal tractions are satisfied even while the bottom or the top layer of the beam is piezoelectric. A combination of polynomial and exponential expressions with a layerwise term containing first order differentiation of electrical unknowns is used to introduce the in-plane displacement field. Also, the transverse displacement field is formulated utilizing a combination of continuous piecewise fourth-order polynomial with a layerwise representation of electrical unknowns. Finally, a quadratic electric potential is used across the thickness of each piezoelectric layer. It is worthy to note that in the proposed shear locking-free finite element formulation, the number of mechanical unknowns is independent of the number of layers. Excellent correlation has been found between the results obtained from the proposed formulation for thin and thick piezoelectric beams with those resulted from the three-dimensional theory of piezoelasticity. Moreover, the proposed finite element model is computationally economic.     

Two new refined shear displacement models for functionally graded sandwich plates

Two refined displacement models, RSDT1 and RSDT2, are developed for a bending analysis of functionally graded sandwich plates. Unlike any other theory, the number of unknown functions involved is only four, as against five in case of other shear deformation theories. The developed models are variationally consistent, have strong similarity with classical plate theory in many aspects, do not require shear correction factor, and give rise to transverse shear stress variation such that the transverse shear stresses vary parabolically across the thickness satisfying shear stress-free surface conditions. The accuracy of the analysis presented is demonstrated by comparing the results with solutions derived from other higher-order models. The functionally graded layers are assumed to have isotropic, two-constituent material distribution through the thickness, and the modulus of elasticity, Poisson’s ratio of the faces, and thermal expansion coefficients are assumed to vary according to a power-law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. The core layer is still homogeneous and made of an isotropic ceramic material. Numerical results for deflections and stresses of functionally graded metal–ceramic plates are investigated. It can be concluded that the proposed models are accurate and simple in solving the bending behavior of functionally graded plates.     

一种考虑层间位移和横向剪应力连续条件的层合板理论

本文建立了一种新的层合板理论。该理论满足层间位移和横向剪应力连续条件以及上下表面横向剪应力协调条件，其控制方程仅包含五个未知量。数值算例表明该理论具有很高的精度。     

弱粘结的斜交铺设层合圆柱壳的柱形弯曲

导出了两端简文的具有弱粘结界面的任意斜交铺设层合圆柱壳柱形弯曲问题的一个精确弹性理论解。分析中采用线性弹簧模型来表征界面的弱粘结特性。引进新的物理量改写了基本方程,导出了对应的状态空间列式,并利用变量替换技术将该状态方程转换成常系数状态方程,从而方便求解。最后给出了数值算例,并讨论了弱界面的影响。     

A refined finite element method for bending analysis of laminated plates integrated with piezoelectric fiber-reinforced composite actuators

This research presents a finite element formulation based on four-variable refined plate theory for bending analysis of cross-ply and angle-ply laminated composite plates integrated with a piezoelectric fiber-reinforced composite actuator under electromechanical loading. The four-variable refined plate theory is a simple and efficient higher-order shear deformation theory, which predicts parabolic variation of transverse shear stresses across the plate thickness and satisfies zero traction conditions on the plate free surfaces. The weak form of governing equations is derived using the principle of minimum potential energy, and a 4-node non-conforming rectangular plate element with 8 degrees of freedom per node is introduced for discretizing the domain. Several benchmark problems are solved by the developed MATLAB code and the obtained results are compared with those from exact and other numerical solutions, showing good agreement.     

一种预测层合板层间剪应力的新后处理方法

层合板是航空航天领域典型的承力构件,过大的层间应力是导致其分层失效的主要原因.准确的层间应力预测往往依赖于三维平衡方程后处理方法(TPM).然而,该方法需要计算面内应力的一阶导,使得基于C0型板理论构造的线性单元无法使用TPM计算横向剪应力.本文在三维平衡方程后处理方法的基础上,提出了一种新后处理方法(NPM).新后处理方法通过虚功等效法消除了三维平衡方程后处理方法中产生的位移参数的高阶导.基于提出的新后处理方法和C0型板理论,仅需使用线性单元就可以预测层合板的横向剪应力.为了验证所提方法的有效性,本文基于修正锯齿理论(RZT)和所提方法构造了一种C0连续的三节点三角形线性板单元.数值算例表明,所提方法和三维平衡方程后处理方法具有相同的计算精度,提出的板单元能够准确高效地预测层合板的横向剪应力.此外,所提方法便于结合现有的有限元商用软件使用,基于商用软件中板壳单元获得的节点位移,使用新后处理方法极易获得准确的层间剪应力.     

Enhanced first-order theory based on mixed formulation and transverse normal effect

An accurate prediction of displacements and stresses for laminated and sandwich plates is presented using an enhanced first-order plate theory based on the mixed variational theorem (EFSDTM) developed in this paper. In the mixed formulation, transverse shear stresses based on an efficient higher-order plate theory (EHOPT) developed by Cho and Parmerter [Cho, M., Parmerter, R.R., 1993. Efficient higher-order composite plate theory for general lamination configurations. AIAA Journal 31, 1299–1306] are utilized and modified to satisfy prescribed lateral conditions, and displacements are assumed to be those of a first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT). Relationships between the modified EHOPT and the FSDT are systematically derived via both the mixed variational theorem and the least-square approximation of difference between in-plane stresses including the transverse normal stress effect. It is shown that the transverse normal stress effect should be considered in predicting the in-plane stresses when the Poisson effect is dominant. The developed EFSDTM preserves the computational advantage of the classical FSDT while allowing for important local through-the-thickness variations of displacements and stresses through the recovery procedure. The accuracy and efficiency of the present theory are assessed by comparing its results with various plate models as well as the three-dimensional exact solutions for thick laminated and sandwich plates.     

A two variable refined plate theory for the bending analysis of functionally graded plates

Bending analysis of functionally graded plates using the two variable refined plate theory is presented in this paper.The number of unknown functions involved is reduced to merely four,as against five in other shear deformation theories. The variationally consistent theory presented here has, in many respects,strong similarity to the classical plate theory. It does not require shear correction factors,and gives rise to such transverse shear stress variation that the transverse shear stresses vary parabolically across the thickness and satisfy shear stress free surface conditions.Material properties of the plate are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction with their distributions following a simple power-law in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents.Governing equations are derived from the principle of virtual displacements, and a closed-form solution is found for a simply supported rectangular plate subjected to sinusoidal loading by using the Navier method.Numerical results obtained by the present theory are compared with available solutions,from which it can be concluded that the proposed theory is accurate and simple in analyzing the static bending behavior of functionally graded plates.     

基于高阶变形理论的夹层板的弯曲与振动

考虑面板和夹芯的面内刚度和横向剪切刚度以及抗弯刚度,考虑了高阶剪切变形,根据横向剪应变分布情况给出横向剪切转角的位移函数,基于哈密尔顿原理,推导了基于高阶变形理论、适用于软、硬夹芯情况夹层板的基本方程。作为算例,以四边简支条件下的夹层板的弯曲与振动,在不同的面板与芯层的弹性模量比和厚度比下进行了计算,并与Reissner理论、Hoff理论以及邓宗白基于Reissner理论的修正模型的计算结果进行了对比。与前述理论与方法相比,本文方法考虑因素更为全面,对夹层板的适用范围更为广泛,计算结果更为精确。针对Nastran软件计算夹层板的振动问题,对其适用范围作了简要分析。     

Higher-order shear deformable theories for flexure of sandwich plates—Finite element evaluations

A simple isoparametric finite element formulation based on a higher-order displacement model for flexure analysis of multilayer symmetric sandwich plates is presented. The assumed displacement model accounts for non-linear variation of inplane displacements and constant variation of transverse displacement through the plate thickness. Further, the present formulation does not require the fictitious shear correction coefficient(s) generally associated with the first-order shear deformable theories. Two sandwich plate theories are developed: one in which the free shear stress conditions on the top and bottom bounding planes are imposed and another, in which such conditions are not imposed. The validity of the present development(s) is established through, numerical evaluations for deflections/stresses/stress-resultants and their comparisons with the available three-dimensional analyses/closed-form/other finite element solutions. Comparison of results from thin plate. Mindlin and present analyses with the exact three-dimensional analyses yields some important conclusions regarding the effects of the assumptions made in the CPT and Mindlin type theories. The comparative study further establishes the necessity of a higher-order shear deformable theory incorporating warping of the cross-section particularly for sandwich plates.     

Dynamic stability analysis of composite plates including delaminations using a higher order theory and transformation matrix approach

A refined higher order shear deformation theory is used to investigate the dynamic instability associated with composite plates with delamination that are subject to dynamic compressive loads. Both transverse shear and rotary inertia effects are taken into account. The theory is capable of modeling the independent displacement field above and below the delamination. All stress free boundary conditions at free surfaces as well as delamination interfaces are satisfied by this theory. The procedure is implemented using the finite element method. Delamination is modeled through the multi-point constraint approach using the transformation matrix technique. For validation purposes, the natural frequencies and the critical buckling loads are computed and compared with three-dimensional NASTRAN results and available experimental data. The effect of delamination on the critical buckling load and the first two instability regions is investigated for various loading conditions and plate thickness. As expected, the natural frequencies and the critical buckling load of the plates with delaminations decrease with increase in delamination length. Increase in delamination length also causes instability regions to be shifted to lower parametric resonance frequencies. The effect of edge delamination on the static and dynamic stability as well as of delamination growth is investigated.     

Thermo-elastic solutions for multilayered wide plates and beams with interfacial imperfections through the transfer matrix method

A matrix technique is formulated to efficiently solve stationary two-dimensional thermo-elasticity problems in simply supported multilayered beams and plates with an arbitrary number of layers which may be in imperfect mechanical and thermal contact. The method uses local transfer matrices and continuity conditions at the layer interfaces to establish explicit relationships between the unknown integration constants in the solution of a generic layer and those of the first layer. Explicit expressions are then derived for temperature, displacements and stresses through the imposition of the boundary conditions at the top and bottom surfaces of the plate. The dimensionless expressions allow to easily generate exact solutions, also for plates with many layers and interfacial thermal and mechanical imperfections. The solutions can be used for parametric analyses, to investigate the influence of the inhomogeneous material structure and interfacial imperfections on local fields or to verify the accuracy of approximate theories and numerical models.