Transient Dynamics of Thick Skew Sandwich Laminates Under Thermal/Mechanical Loads

This paper deals with the prediction of transient dynamic responses of thick skew sandwich plates using C ⁰ QUAD-8 finite element based on a realistic higher-order theory developed recently. The formulation accounts for the variation of the transverse displacement through the thickness, and abrupt discontinuity in slope of the in-plane displacements at any interface. The governing equations obtained using Lagrange’s equations of motion are solved employing the direct integration technique. The significance of retaining various higher-order terms in the present model is brought out through the numerical problems. A detailed parametric study is also carried out considering the influences of skew angle and thickness ratio on the dynamic characteristics of sandwich laminates subjected to thermal and mechanical loads.