Complex potential formalisms for bending of inhomogeneous monoclinic plates including transverse shear deformation

This paper develops complex potential formalisms for the solution of the bending problem of inhomogenoeus anisotropic plates, on the basis of the most commonly used refined plate theories. Being an initial step in that direction, it works out such formalisms only in connection with the bending problem of shear deformable homogeneous plates as well as plates having a special type of inhomogeneity along their thickness direction. The adopted type of inhomogeneity is however still general enough to include certain classes of plates made of functionally graded material as well as the classes of cross- and angle-ply symmetric laminates as particular cases. The basic formalism, similar to that developed by Stroh in plane strain elasticity, is detailed in relation with the equilibrium equations of a generalized plate theory that accounts for the effects of transverse shear deformation and includes conventional, refined theories as particular cases. Some interesting specializations, related to the most important of those conventional plate theories, are then presented and discussed separately. Hence, the outlined formalisms provide, for the first time in analytical form, the general solution of the partial differential equations associated with the most commonly used refined, elastic plate theories.