THIN METALLIC AND COMPOSITE PLATES EXPERIENCING LARGE DEFLECTIONS ABOVE THE VON KARMAN LIMITS

Abstract

Thin elastic plates (metallic or composite) experiencing large deflections are considered. The deflections are much larger than the plate thickness. The geometrically nonlinear elasticity theory and the Kirchhoff assumptions are employed. Small elongations and shears are assumed. Following Novozhilov, the strain expressions are derived. Then, under a small in-plane rotation assumption and using the virtual work principle, the equilibrium equations and the boundary conditions are obtained. The equations/conditions become the known von Karman ones for the case of moderate deflections. The solutions of the obtained equations may be used as benchmarks for the nonlinear structural analysis (e.g., FEM) software in the case of large deflections.