A method of solving three-dimensional problems of elasticity for laminated composite plates

An efficient method of solving 3D elasticity problems for thick and thin laminated composite plates is presented. It is based on a new concept of reference surfaces inside the plate. According to this concept, into each nth layer, In arbitrary reference surfaces parallel to the midsurface are introduced, and the displacement vectors of these surfaces are chosen as unknown functions. Such a choice allows one to represent the governing equations of the high-order theory of plates proposed in a very compact form and to derive strain–displacement relationships correctly describing all rigid-body motions of laminated plates.