Material Characteristics of a Laminated Composite Shell

Application ID: 67691


This model serves the purpose of validation and verification of the Linear Elastic Material, Layered model in the Shell interface. In COMSOL Multiphysics, composites are analyzed either based on Layerwise 3D elasticity theory through the Layered Shell interface or based on FSDT-ESL theory through the Shell interface.

The First Order Shear Deformation Theory (FSDT-ESL) is implemented in the Linear Elastic Material, Layered model in the Shell interface available with the Composite Materials Module. This theory treats a heterogeneous laminated composite as a statically equivalent single layer. ESL theory reduces a 3D continuum problem to an equivalent 2D problem, thus reducing the size and computational time of the problem.

This example is a NAFEMS benchmark, described in Benchmarks for Membrane and Bending Analysis of Laminated Shells, Part 2: Stiffness Matrix and Thermal Characteristics. Membrane and bending stiffness, flexibility matrices, midplane strains in case of unit loading, and the response to a unit change in temperature are verified.

This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products: