Bending of a Simply Supported Composite Laminate
Application ID: 67641
A composite material is a heterogeneous material formed of two or more constituents integrated together to achieve enhanced structural performance. Owing to the improved strength and reduced weight compared to conventional materials, the range of applications of composite materials spans diverse fields. This necessitates a thorough understanding of the behavior of these materials under various loading conditions.
This verification example analyses a simply supported composite plate subjected to a transverse sinusoidal distributed load. The plate is made of three layers with a cross-ply configuration (0/90/0). The analysis is performed using both the layerwise and the Equivalent Single Layer (ESL) theories, and the results are compared with the exact 3D elasticity solutions. The estimates of the in-plane normal stress, the transverse normal stress, and the transverse shear stresses in each layer show an exact match with the reference solution.

This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products:
however, additional products may be required to completely define and model it. Furthermore, this example may also be defined and modeled using components from the following product combinations:
The combination of COMSOL® products required to model your application depends on several factors and may include boundary conditions, material properties, physics interfaces, and part libraries. Particular functionality may be common to several products. To determine the right combination of products for your modeling needs, review the Specification Chart and make use of a free evaluation license. The COMSOL Sales and Support teams are available for answering any questions you may have regarding this.