Boundary Discontinuous Fourier analysis of clamped isotropic and cross-ply laminated plates via Unified Formulation

This paper presents an analytical solution for the static analysis of plates with clamped boundary conditions prescribed at the edges. The displacement field is expressed via the Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF) where an Equivalent-Single-Layer (ESL) approach is adopted. The governing equations are obtained by employing the principle of virtual displacements (PVD) statement. The main novelty is the use of the boundary-discontinuous Fourier-based approach to provide accurate numerical solutions. From thick to thin isotropic, cross-ply laminated and sandwich plates with different side-to-thickness ratios and stacking sequences are studied. Furthermore, the out-of-plane stresses are calculated via both the constitutive relation and the stress recovery technique. The accuracy of the proposed solution is verified by comparing the numerical results obtained with those from the literature and 3D FEM solutions. The present approach seems capable of handling not just fully clamped conditions but also mixed external conditions, which may include clamped and simply-supported edges. The solution approach provided in this article is unique, hence the proposed results might be useful as a benchmark for validating new plate theories and finite elements.