A refined theory of laminated shells with higher-order transverse shear deformation

Based on refined analysis, a theory of laminated composite shells with higher-order transverse shear deformation is presented. The continuity conditions of displacements and transverse shear stresses at layer interfaces and the conditions of zero transverse shear stresses on the surfaces of the shells are introduced to improve and simplify the displacement field. The number of the displacement unknowns and the order of the equilibrium equations are the same as in the first-order shear deformation theory, but the present theory can predict continuous parabolic transverse shear stresses. The closed-form solutions of simply-supported cross-ply shells are obtained and compared with the elasticity solutions and other theoriesʹ solutions. For both shallow and deep shells, the present solutions of displacements and in-plane stresses are very close to the elasticity solutions. Copyright © 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd