Five-variable higher-order model for accurate analysis and design of laminated plates

By using an effective theoretical model, efficiency and accuracy of design for laminated plates can be significantly improved. However, the existing five-variable higher-order models will encounter difficulty to accurately produce interlaminar stresses, which will influence evaluation on interlaminar performance of laminated plates. Thus, this paper attempts to propose an efficient higher-order model with five variables, where the Legendre polynomial is introduced into in-plane displacement field at each layer. By enhancing compatible condition of displacements and equilibrium condition of stresses, the unknowns depending on the layer number have been eliminated. Differing from other existing five-variable higher-order models, the proposed model can describe the zig-zag effect of in-plane displacements, and fulfill continuity of transverse shear stresses at interfaces. The governing equations are further derived through the principle of virtual displacement, and analytical solutions for only simply-supported plates have been presented. To assess the capability of the proposed method, three-dimensional elasticity solutions have been employed for comparison, and other five-variable higher-order models from the literature have been also chosen for assessment. Numerical results show that the proposed model possesses the same computational efficiency as the selected five-variable models, but can predict more accurate results. In addition, the proposed model is employed to analyze bending behaviors of sandwich and composite plates, and accurate results can be also acquired. Therefore, the present model is proposed to design laminated plates.