Analytical solution to bending of stiffened and continuous antisymmetric laminates

Abstract

Analytical StripMethod is presented for the analysis of the bending-extension coupling problem of stiffened and continuous antisymmetric thin laminates. A system of three equations of equilibrium, governing the general response of antisymmetric laminates, is reduced to a single eighth-order partial differential equation (PDE) in terms of a displacement function. The PDE is then solved in a single series form to determine the displacement response of antisymmetric cross-ply and angle-ply laminates. The solution is applicable to rectangular laminates with two opposite edges simply supported and the other edges being free, clamped, simply supported, isotropic beam supports, or point supports.