Displacement and stress analysis of laminated composite plates using an eight-node quasi-conforming solid-shell element

Abstract

This paper presents the efficient modeling and analysis of laminated composite plates using an eightnode quasi-conforming solid-shell element, named as QCSS8. The present element QCSS8 is not only lockingfree, but highly computational efficiency as it possesses the explicit element stiffness matrix. All the six components of stresses can be evaluated directly by QCSS8 in terms of the 3-D constitutive equations and the appropriately assumed element strain field. Several typical numerical examples of laminated plates are solved to validate QCSS8, and the resulting values are compared with analytical solutions and the numerical results of solid/solidshell elements of commercial codes computed by the present authors in which fine meshes were used. The numerical results show that QCSS8 can give accurate displacements and stresses of laminated composite plates even with coarse meshes. Furthermore, QCSS8 yields also accurate transverse normal strain which is very important for the evaluation of interlaminar stresses in laminated plates. Since each lamina of laminated composite plates can be modeled naturally by one or a few layers of solidshell elements and a large aspect ratio of element edge to thickness is allowed in solid-shell elements, the present solid-shell element QCSS8 is extremely appropriate for the modeling of laminated composite plates.

On the modal behaviour of ultralight composite sandwich automotive panels

“…In [14] a significant overview about the use of the Finite Element Method (FEM) on composites is reported taking in considerations vibrational problems and dynamic response respect to different materials and applications. The attractiveness of this topic is also reflected in numerous works that aimed at development of efficient and robust finite elements for modeling composite structures, ranging from equiv-alent single layer shell elements [15][16][17], via layer-wise elements [18,19] and up to solid-shell finite elements [20,21]. It also emerges that the numerical modal analysis is preferred as a primary methodological approach for describing, understanding, and modeling structural behaviour in the case of sandwich-structured composites.…”

A novel displacement-based Trefftz plate element with high distortion tolerance for orthotropic thick plates

“…Over the past decades, how to develop high-performance Mindlin-Reissner plate elements has drawn great attentions from scholars in both computation mechanics and computation engineering communities. Various methodologies and schemes have been successfully proposed, such as the enhanced assumed strain (EAS) method [6][7][8][9], the smoothed FEM [10][11][12][13][14][15], the quasi-conforming element method [16][17][18], the mixed interpolated tensorial components method [19][20][21], the refined non-conforming element method [22,23], the high-order linked interpolation method [24,25], etc.…”

Nonlinear Analysis of Composite Plates and Shells Subjected to In-Plane Loading

“…M.Cetkovic et al [2] performed a nonlinear analysis of laminated plates using layer wise displacement model, in which the nonlinear incremental algebraic equilibrium equations are solved using direct iteration method. Yu wang et al [3] conducted the displacement and stress analysis of laminated composite plates are done using eight node quasi-conforming solid shell element, is not only locking free but is highly computational efficiency as it possesses the explicit element stiffness matrix, where all the six components of stresses can be evaluated by the element in terms of 3-D constitutive equations and appropriately assumed element strain field.Alfredo R.de Faria [4] investigated the buckling optimization and pre-buckling effect of a composite plate using p p piezoelectric actuators, where the actuators are used to achieve two goals: to optimize buckling load under uncertain loading via stress stiffening effects and to ameliorate the plate prebuckling response through application of piezoelectric bending moments. Sung-Cheon Han et al [5] deals with postbuckling behaviour of laminated composite plates under the combination of in-plane shear, compression and lateral loading using element-based Lagrangian formulation where the natural coordinate based strains, stresses and constitutive equations are used in the element and it uses only single mapping but it also converges faster.H.Nguyen-Vanet al [6] improved the finite element computational model using a flat four-node element with smoothed strains for geometrically non linear analysis of composite plates.…”