Static and vibration analyses of thick, generally laminated deep curved beams with different boundary conditions

A rigorous first order shear deformation theory is employed along with modified ABD parameters to analyze static and free vibration behavior of generally laminated deep curved beams. The deepness term (1 + z/R) is exactly integrated into ABD parameters formulation and equivalent modulus of elasticity is used instead of traditional stiffness terms to account for deepness and material coupling of the beam structures, respectively. Static as well as free vibration analyses were performed and the results for deflection, moment resultants, and natural frequencies were obtained. The exact solution for simply supported boundary condition as well as numerical solutions using GDQ for other boundary conditions are presented. Results are compared with those obtained using accurate three dimensional finite element simulations using commercial software. It has been shown that when considering more accurate stiffness parameter, FSDT can accurately predict static and free vibration behaviors of composite deep beams of any lamination and boundary condition. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.