A Refined Nonlinear Analysis Of Laminated Composite Plates And Shells

This final technical report summarizes in a compact form the results of a two-year research program on the development of refined shear deformation theories of plates and shells, and their analytical solutions. The detailed results are reported in various reports and technical papers during the course of the project. A third-order, nonlinear shear deformation shell theory and finite element model that accounts for parabolic distribution of transverse shear stresses through thickness and the von Karman nonlinear strains was developed during an investigation sponsored by NASA Langley Research Center during the first year of this research. The most significant contributions of this research are: 1. The development of analytical solutions of the linear theory for various boundary conditions. The space-time concept is used to develop such solutions. 2. The development of finite element models for first-ply and post-first-ply failure analysis.