Through-thickness effects in thermomechanical postbuckling of laminated structures

The nonlinear response of laminated composite structures subjected to mechanical and thermal loads is investigated. Analysis is performed using a refined theory and an associated finite element model for geometrically nonlinear analysis of laminated composite shell structures. The model is based on a third-order displacement field which accounts for both transverse shear and transverse normal deformations. Numerical studies of simply-supported panels indicate that the nonlinear response of even very thin structures is strongly dependent upon whether or not the transverse normal deformations are restrained along the boundaries of the panels. In addition, in thicker panels with aspect ratios that still fall within the range normally considered as thin, the predicted nonlinear response may depend significantly upon whether or not transverse normal stresses are explicitly accounted for in the analysis model.

Through-thickness effects in thermomechanical postbuckling of laminated structures Conference Paper