Higher-order Closed-form Solutions for Thick Laminated Sandwich Shells

Abstract

Closed-form formulations of 2D higher-order shear deformation theories for the thermomechanical and free vibration analysis of simply supported, cross-ply laminated sandwich, doubly curved thick shells are presented. One of the higher-order shear deformation theories accounts for the effects of both transverse shear strains/stresses and the transverse normal strain/stress, while the other includes only the effects of the transverse shear deformation. Numerical results for thermal and mechanical load cases of laminated composite and sandwich thick shell panels are compared with the available analytical solutions, and it is believed that solutions for thermal loading will serve as benchmarks in future. Natural frequencies of laminated sandwich shells are also presented.