A SIMPLE FINITE-ELEMENT FOR THE ANALYSIS OF LAMINATED PLATES

A standard four-noded rectangular element with seven degrees of freedom at each node is developed for the analysis of flexible laminated plate structures having a constant thickness of any individual layer. The displacement model is so chosen that it can explain adequately the parabolic distribution of transverse shear stresses and the non-linearity of in-plane displacements across the thickness. A wide range of plates, thick to thin and semi-rigid to flexible, are examined for different loadings and boundary conditions. The results are compared with the existing analytical and numerical solutions. The present element formulation confirms its applicability for a wide variety of laminated composite plates.