An elasticity solution of laminated cylindrical panel

Abstract

In this paper, an exact elasticity solution of cylindrical panel under cylindrical bending is presented. The formulation is based on the displacement approach in which 3D elasticity equations are reduced to 2-D equations using plane-strain conditions. In the present formulation, an exact elasticity solution is feasible due to the consideration of simply supported boundary conditions with applied loads expressed in harmonic forms. Single layered and multi-layered orthotropic composite panels subjected to realistic transverse normal loads are analysed. Solutions have been presented for uni-directional, bi-directional, and symmetric three-layered cross-ply laminated composite cylindrical panels. Variation of displacements and stresses through the thickness has been investigated for the panel subjected to single sinusoidal load, uniformly distributed load, hydrostatic load, and strip load. Validation of results is presented using reference results in the literature. The extensive results presented in this paper can be served as benchmark solutions for the assessment of improved panel theories.