Static response analysis of laminated sector and annular plates with axisymmetric geometry

This research deals with the static analysis of the sector and annular symmetric laminated plates. By utilizing the classical lamination theory, a novel formulation of the partial differential equation governing the deflection of circular laminated composite plates is revealed in the polar coordinates. The validity of this partial differential equation is substantiated by verifying the equality of the fourth-order derivative of the deflection equation in both Cartesian and polar coordinates. The finite difference method, which is famous for its efficacy and computational power in tackling partial differential equations, is employed to solve the derived differential equation. The numerical procedure which includes introducing supplementary nodes outside boundaries is thoroughly investigated. Deflection values are obtained at various points across the sector plane, accounting for different boundary conditions, outer-to-inner radius ratios, and layer compositions. To validate the outcomes of this study, the commercially available finite element software ABAQUS is also used to analyze the problem. Moreover, sensitivity analysis is carried out based on structural parameters of the system such as the number of layers, the thickness of layers, the angle of sectors, and boundary conditions.