Abstract
The numerical study of structures constituted from composite materials, regardless the underlying shear deformation theory used may be framed into an equivalent single-layer or a layerwise methodology. The adoption of one of these approaches is mainly ruled by the detail one needs to put in the description of the deformation kinematics and on the subsequent description of other relevant quantities such as stresses or frequencies. Being important to address both qualitative and quantitatively the influence of different parameters involved in the models and materials used to represent a structure, it is also relevant to understand how layerwise theories can predict its static and dynamic response. These different issues may be addressed by carrying out parametric studies to characterize the influence of specific parameters on the mechanical performance of sandwich and laminated composite plates. To this purpose a layerwise theory based on the first order shear deformation theory, is considered, and a set of different test cases are analyzed in light of this approach, providing results which may also be useful for later comparison purposes.
Highlights
Composite laminates and sandwich plates constitute a commonly used structural component with many applications in several areas of engineering
The numerical study of structures constituted from composite materials, regardless the underlying shear deformation theory used may be framed into an equivalent single-layer or a layerwise methodology
The adoption of one of these approaches is mainly ruled by the detail one needs to put in the description of the deformation kinematics and on the subsequent description of other relevant quantities such as stresses or frequencies
Summary
Composite laminates and sandwich plates constitute a commonly used structural component with many applications in several areas of engineering. A typical sandwich structure consists of one or more layers of high-strength and high-stiffness face sheets, or skins, bonded to a core which may have significantly different elastic properties. In this layered configuration we may consider the stacking of differently oriented fiber reinforced materials, as well as a combination of different composite materials. The study of layered composite structures continues to attract the attention of many researchers, the extent of the work developed so far This may be due to continuous advances in the constitution of new materials and on their physical characterization, to the advances in technological processes, and probably because the availability of more powerful computational resources, enables the use of more expensive algorithmic procedures and the manipulation of greater data volumes
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