Nonlinear Analysis of Laminated Cross-Ply Plates

Nonlinear bending of unsymmetrically laminated cross-ply plates has been the subject of some investigations. Utilizing the multiple Fourier Series method the writers have examined the post-buckling of loosely clamped cross-ply plates. Nonlinear bending of rigidly clamped cross-ply plates has been considered by one of the writers using the perturbation method. Zaghloul and Kennedy have used the finite-difference technique to investigate the large deflections of unsymmetric cross-ply plates with all-clamped and all-simply supported edges. They have modified the boundary conditions to render the analysis simple but have not described how the boundary condition for zero normal bending moment at the edges of a simply supported plate. In this note the method is extended to study the large deflection behavior of a simply supported unsymmetric cross-ply rectangular plate under arbitrary transverse loading. The notations used are adopted in the present analysis.