Dynamic analysis of bi-stable composite plates

The static and dynamic transitions between stable states for rectangular bi-stable laminated composite plates arc considered. The laminated composite plates have nonsymmetric laminate configurations and are subjected to thermal curing in order to introduce residual stresses and to achieve bi-stability. As geometrically nonlinear effects occur, after curing, the plates are able to take multiple stable shapes at service or room temperature. A simple model for dynamic analysis of the snap-through phenomena is proposed based on strain field approximations for the plates. Hamilton's principle is applied in conjunction with the Rayleigh-Ritz method in order to achieve fast results. The model is used to evaluate the initial displacements for the stable states and also to investigate the static and dynamic transitions from one stable state to another. parametric studies are carried out for various aspect ratios, laminate configurations and actuation loads and the results arc compared with those obtained with finite element analysis in order to evaluate the accuracy of the model. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.