A new theory for laminated composite plates

Abstract

This work presents a new multilayered laminated composite structure model to predict the mechanical behaviour of multilayered laminated composite structures. This new multilayered structure model describes the shear stress distribution model through the thickness respecting free boundary conditions on the top and bottom surfaces by an exponential function. This model has the same order of complexity as Touratier's model ‘Sine’, so a shear correction factor is not required like in the first-order shear deformation theory. This model is more precise than all other existing refined theories. This theory is based on the kinematic approach in which the shearing is represented by an exponential function. The virtual power principal is used to deduce the boundary value problem. To verify the precision of the present model, several significant problems on bending, vibration, and buckling of laminated and sandwich structures have been studied. The results by the present model are compared with the exact three-dimensional elasticity theory and with several other well-known theories. The proposed model is found to be more precise for analysing multilayered structures.