A Refined Plate Theory for Nonlinear Bending Analysis of Laminated Composite Plates

A higher‐order refined mathematical model has been formulated to analyze the nonlinear bending behavior of layered composite plates. The displacement functions of the composite layered plate satisfy both the upper and lower surfaces of the plate and account for the parabolic variation of transverse shear stress across the plate thickness without applying shear correction factors. The Von‐Karman hypothesis is employed to derive the nonlinear strain‐displacement relationships and incorporated into the equation of motion for a simply supported laminated plate based on Hamilton's principle. The Finite element solutions are obtained through eigenvalue formulation by applying Navier's solution technique. The analytical solutions of the present refined model are compared with exact theories. Comparison studies show that the developed refined model achieves accuracy and is computationally efficient.