Thick composite structures under a load pinch

Abstract

Thick composites are increasingly used in the design of mechanical structures. Combined with low weight, they are generally resistant structures, which can support importante loads. In addition, depending on the number and nature of the materials used, it is possible to adapt properties for specific applications (damping structures).This work proposes the establishment of a new theoretical model of multilayer beam. The model, which is simple and easy handling, is intended for the subsequent establishment of a finite element. The goals are: improve the refinement of the transverse displacement and transverse shear, avoiding the calculation of transverse shear, the use of correction factors, keep only the usual displacement,test the accuracy of the model compared with models from the literature (for an equivalent single-layer approach). The proposed approach is of the kinematics, the form adopted for the displacement field is justified from a dimensional point of view, by the equations of elasticity. The equations of motion and boundary conditions are obtained by applying the principle of virtual power. The validity of the model is tested on problems for which solutions (obtained by previous theories)exist.