Bending analysis of isotropic plates with piezoelectric layer using four-variable refined plate theory

In this study, a finite element formulation based on four-variable refined plate theory is presented for bending analysis of isotropic plates with piezoelectric layer. The four-variable refined plate theory which is used in this study predicts parabolic variation of transverse shear stresses across the plate thickness and satisfies zero traction condition on the surfaces of the plate. The governing equations are derived using the principle of minimum potential energy and the weak form equations are constructed. A new 4-node nonconforming rectangular plate element with eight degrees freedom at each node is introduced for discretizing the domain and a finite element code is generated using MATLAB software for solving some benchmark problems.