Isogeometric analysis of laminated composite and sandwich plates using a layerwise deformation theory

We present an isogeometric finite element formulation for static, free vibration and buckling analysis of laminated composite and sandwich plates. The idea behind this work is to associate an isogeometric analysis (IGA) with a layerwise theory [A.J.M. Ferreira. Analyis of composite plates using a layerwise deformation theory and multiquadrics discretization. Mech Adv Mater Struct 2005;12(2):99-112]. Isogeometric analysis based on non-uniform rational B-spline (NURBS) basic functions were recently proposed to preserve exact geometries and to enhance very significantly the accuracy of the traditional finite elements. B-splines basic function (or NURBS) is used to represent for both geometric and field variable approximations, which provide a flexible way to make refinement and degree elevation. They enable us to achieve easily the smoothness with arbitrary continuity order compared with the traditional FEM. The layerwise theory assumes a first-order shear deformation theory in each layer and the imposition of displacement continuity at the layers interfaces. This permits to remove shear correction factors and improves the accuracy of transverse shear stresses. Intensive numerical studies have been conducted to show the highly efficient performance of the proposed formulation. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.