Isogeometric finite element analysis of laminated composite plates based on a four variable refined plate theory

In this paper, a novel and effective formulation based on isogeometric approach (IGA) and Refined Plate Theory (RPT) is proposed to study the behavior of laminated composite plates. Using many kinds of higher-order distributed functions, RPT model naturally satisfies the traction-free boundary conditions at plate surfaces and describes the non-linear distribution of shear stresses without requiring shear correction factor (SCF). IGA utilizes the basis functions, namely B-splines or non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS), which achieve easily the smoothness of any arbitrary order. It hence satisfies the C requirement of the RPT model. The static, dynamic and buckling analysis of rectangular plates is investigated for different boundary conditions. Numerical results show high effectiveness of the present formulation.