Thin circular composite plate subjected to uniformly distributed;Load

Abstract

This project provides a fundamental study for the responses of thin circular composite plates subjected to a uniformly distributed load. The aims to investigate the differences between exact solutions and approximated responses through Finite Element Analysis (FEA). The structural responses are described using analytical methods using Kirchoff Plate Theory, Classical Laminate Theory and Classical Plate Theory. Thereafter, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was employed to simulate the structural responses of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) plates consisting of asymmetrical layers subjected to uniformly distributed load, under various boundary conditions. Before the analysis, a mesh convergence study was conducted to ensure that the type of element and its size is optimal for the geometric nature of the model. Then, FEA was conducted with ANSYS Composite PrePost and static structural analysis under various fibre orientation and support boundary conditions. The analysis was conducted with asymmetrical composite settings under similar loading conditions. It was found that the layup of unidirectional constituent led to a huge difference in maximum deformation of an asymmetrical laminated composite. In addition, the results also varied greatly with different support conditions, and it was found that the maximum displacement was much smaller on a clamp supported plate than on a simply supported plate. Moreover, an analytical analysis of the composite stiffness matrix and maximum deflection was conducted to compare with the numerical solution. An alternate isotropic plate analysis was conducted for confidence study and the results were good coherence with analytical solution. This study hopes to improve on historical efforts for structural analysis on a thin circular composite plate by constructing a validated model and achieving better confidence in numerical solutions for future engineering problems.