Geometrically nonlinear isogeometric analysis of laminated composite plates based on higher-order shear deformation theory

• An effectively numerical approach for geometrically nonlinear analysis of composite plates.
• The method is derived from higher-order shear deformation theory (HSDT) and isogeometric analysis (IGA).
• NURBS basis functions possess C1 continuity required by HSDT.
• Numerical results show good performance of the present method.

In this paper, we present an effectively numerical approach based on isogeometric analysis (IGA) and higher-order shear deformation theory (HSDT) for geometrically nonlinear analysis of laminated composite plates. The HSDT allows us to approximate displacement field that ensures by itself the realistic shear strain energy part without shear correction factors (SCFs). IGA utilizing basis functions namely B-splines or non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS) enables to satisfy easily the stringent continuity requirement of the HSDT model without any additional variables. The nonlinearity of the plates is formed in the total Lagrange approach based on the small strain assumptions. Numerous numerical validations for the isotropic, orthotropic, cross-ply and angle-ply laminated plates are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.