A Review of Modeling of Composite Structures

Abstract

This paper provides a brief review on modeling of composite structures. Composite structures in this paper refer to any structure featuring anisotropy and heterogeneity, including but not limited to their traditional meaning of composite laminates made of unidirectional fiber-reinforced composites. Common methods used in modeling of composite structures, including the axiomatic method, the formal asymptotic method, and the variational asymptotic method, are illustrated in deriving the classical lamination theory for the composite laminated plates. Future research directions for modeling composite structures are also pointed out.