Analysis of a simply supported laminated anisotropic rectangular plate

Abstract

Using a Fourier series method, a solution is obtained to the governing equations of simplysupported laminated plates in which coupling occurs between bending and in-plane extension. Results are presented for bending under transverse load, natural frequencies of flexural vibrations, and buckling under uniform biaxial compression. Coupling is shown to reduce the effective stiffness of a laminate compared to analogous homogeneous orthotropic plates.