Shear Flexible Finite Element Research Articles

A mixed shear flexible finite element for the analysis of laminated plates

A mixed shear flexible finite element based on the Hencky-Mindlin type shear deformation theory of laminated plates is presented and their behavior in bending is investigated. The element consists of three displacements, two rotations, and three moments as the generalized degrees of freedom per node. The numerical convergence and accuracy characteristics of the element are investigated by comparing the finite element solutions with the exact solutions. The present study shows that reduced-order integration of the stiffness coefficients due to shear is necessary to obtain accurate results for thin plates.

A triangular shear-flexible finite element for moderately thick laminated composite plates

An element of triangular shape is formulated by using independent descriptions of the total and flexural displacement components and strain energy written in terms of those components. Numerically exact integration is employed in the calculation of element stiffness matrix. The resulting finite element possesses eighteen degrees of freedom for the case of a symmetrically laminated plate. Numerical results are obtained for a wide range of meshes and thickness-to-span ratios, for isotropic, orthotropic and anisotropic plates, with different support and loading conditions. These are compared with available exact, series or finite element solutions. The derived element exhibits desirable convergence characteristics and validates the proposed approach for inclusion of transverse shear deformation.