An improved model for unsymmetric plates

Wu, Zhangming ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7100-3282, Li, Hao and Chen, Yuli 2020. An improved model for unsymmetric plates. Composite Structures 252 , 112622. 10.1016/j.compstruct.2020.112622

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Abstract

For an unsymmetric plate, a pure bending (plate curvature) inevitably causes a certain amount of stretching to the geometric mid-plane due to the stretching-bending coupling. However, in the classical thin plate theory, the geometric mid-plane is assumed to remain unstrained under a pure bending. In this study, we demonstrate that the classical thin plate theory based on Kirchhoff-Love hypothesis is not accurate to model the structural behavior of unsymmetric plates. To overcome this limitation, we propose an improved theoretical model for unsymmetric plates through taking advantages of neutral plane strains in defining the geometric functions instead of mid-plane strains. Subsequently, the new governing equations and energy expression for the cylindrical bending of unsymmetric plates are derived using a modified constitutive equation. An alternative derivation approach based on the general stress equations is also presented for further validation. A direct consideration of stretching-bending coupling in the constitutive equation can significantly reduce the number of unknown parameters in establishing an accurate analytical model for unsymmetric plates. The pure bending problem of unsymmetric plates with small deformation is first studied, for which the improved model proposed in this paper is shown to capture the out-of-plane deformation of unsymmetric plates, accurately. However, many previous works have to take into account the nonlinear von K\'{a}rm\'{a}n strains even in the model of this small deformation problem. For the pure plate bending problem with large deformation, few unknown terms are needed for the improved model to give accurate results compared with the conventional mid-plane strain based method. Later, this improved model is applied to predict the stable configurations, the bifurcation/loss-of-bifurcation and the static snap-through phenomena of bistable cross-ply composite laminates. Furthermore, the application of this improved model for the accurate simulation of the nonlinear dynamics of unsymmetric plates is also demonstrated. Applying this proposed improved model, the model is reduced into an analogous one for isotropic or symmetric plates, therefore, the problem of unsymmetric plates can be solved readily and accurately.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Engineering
Subjects:	T Technology > TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0263-8223
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	13 July 2020
Date of Acceptance:	9 June 2020
Last Modified:	29 Nov 2024 00:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/133174

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