Static and Vibration Analysis of Thick Generally Laminated Composite Deep Curved Beams

A rigorous first order shear deformation theory (FSDT) is employed along with modified ABD parameters to analyze static and free vibration behavior of generally laminated beams and shafts. Different approaches for calculating composite beam stiffness parameters have been considered and the most accurate one that accounts for material couplings have been used to analyze static and free vibration behaviors of straight beams with different laminates and boundary conditions. In order to analyze curved beams, the term (1+z/R) is exactly integrated into ABD parameters formulation and an equivalent modulus of elasticity is used instead of traditional stiffness terms to account for both the deepness and material coupling of the beam structures. The model has been solved analytically for simply supported boundary conditions and the general differential quadrature (GDQ) technique has been used for other boundary conditions. The results for deflection, moment resultants, and natural frequencies of straight and curved beams with different deepness ratio (often called depth ratio), slenderness ratio, lamination, and boundary conditions are compared with those obtained from accurate three dimensional finite element simulations using ANSYS. The results were in close proximity to three dimensional finite element results. The model is then applied to transverse vibration analysis of multi-span generally laminated composite shafts with a lumped mass using GDQ. The results for natural frequencies are compared to experimental and other analytical models as well as finite element simulation. The results in the present analyses were found accurate. Conclusively, it has been shown that when considering more accurate stiffness parameters, a First Order Shear Deformation Theory can accurately predict static and free vibration behaviors of composite beams and multispan shafts of any deepness, lamination and boundary conditions