Finite Element Formulation of Multi-Layered Shells for the Analysis of Laminated Composites

摘要

This paper presents a multi-layered/multi-director and shear- deformable finite element formulation of shells for the analysis of composite laminates. The displacement field is assumed continuous across the finite element layers through the composite thickness. The rotation field is, however, layer-wise continuous and is assumed discontinuous across these layers. This kinematic hypothesis results in independent shear deformation of the director associated with each individual layer and thus allows the warping of the composite cross-section. The resulting strain field is discontinuous across the different material sets, thereby creating the provision that the inter-laminar transverse stresses computed from the constitutive equations can be continuous. Numerical results are presented to show the performance of the method.