Analytical solution for bending and buckling response of laminated non-homogeneous plates using a simplified-higher order theory

Abstract

In this study, analytical solutions for the bending and buckling analysis of simply sup-ported laminated non-homogeneous composite plates based on first and simplified-higher order theory are presented. The simplified-higher order theory assumes that the in-plane rotation tensor is constant through the thickness. The constitutive equa-tions of these theories were obtained by using principle of virtual work. Numerical results for the bending response and critical buckling loads of cross-ply laminates are presented. The effect of non-homogeneity, lamination schemes, aspect ratio, side-to-thickness ratio and in-plane orthotropy ratio on the bending and buckling response were analysed. The obtained results are compared with available elasticity and higher order solutions in the literature. The comparison studies show that simplified-higher order theory can achieve the same accuracy of the existing higher order the-ory for non-homogeneous thin plate.