Assessment of Refined Higher-Order Shear Deformation Theories for Bending Analysis of Angle-Ply Laminated Sandwich Plates

Madhusudan K. Gollar

Abstract: Laminated composite and sandwich structures in corporating lightweight flexible cores are widely employed in high-performance aerospace craft, marine hulls, automotive bodies, and civil infrastructure due to their superior specific stiffness, specific strength, and energy absorption characteristics. Accurate flexural modelling of thick sandwich panels requires a precise representation of non-linear transverse shear strain distributions across soft core layers. Conventional First-Order Shear Deformation Theory (FSDT) assumes uniform shear strain through the plate thickness, necessitating artificial shear correction factors and yielding significant errors in thick sandwich configurations. In this investigation, a comprehensive analytical displacement based framework is established utilizing Higher-Order Shear De formation Theories (HSDT) spanning fifth-order (HSDT5) up to thirtieth-order kinematics (HSDT30). Five-layered antisymmetric angle-ply sandwich panels with [15°/-15°/core/15°/-15°],[30°/-30°/core/30°/-30°],and [45°/-45°/core/45°/-45°] stacking sequences under sinusoidal transverse loading are analysed. Naiver analytical closed-form solutions are derived using the Principle of Minimum Potential Energy (PMPE), and transverse shear stresses are evaluated by integrating 3D elasticity equilibrium equations. Extensive parametric studies examine side-to-thickness ratios (a/h = 4 to 100) and core-to-face sheet thickness ratios (tc/tf = 4 to 100). Results demonstrate that FSDT severely underestimates transverse deflections and miscalculates stress fields in thick sandwich panels. Higher order kinematic models satisfy surface traction-free conditions naturally, eliminate shear correction factors, accurately capture bending-twisting coupling, and achieve numerical convergence at HSDT24 and HSDT30.

Keywords: Higher-Order Shear Deformation Theory, Laminated Sandwich Plates, Angle-Ply Laminates, Stress Analysis, Naiver Solution, Transverse Shear Deformation, MATLAB

How to Cite?: Madhusudan K. Gollar, "Assessment of Refined Higher-Order Shear Deformation Theories for Bending Analysis of Angle-Ply Laminated Sandwich Plates", Volume 15 Issue 9, September 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 859-865, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR26909204448, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR26909204448

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