Finite element analysis of laminated composite stiffened plates using FSDT and HSDT: A comparative perspective

Significance of using higher-order shear deformation theory (HSDT) over the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) for analyzing laminated composite stiffened plates is brought out using the finite element method (FEM). For this purpose, a C0 HSDT, is extended for application to stiffened configurations, for linearly elastic static and natural vibration analysis. The spatial displacement fields of both the plate and the stiffener are derived as functions of reference plane variables using Taylor series expansion. The developed computational tool is employed for analyzing systems having varying configurations using the FSDT and two different HSDTs, and their comparative effects are systematically studied, demonstrating the need for using HSDT instead of FSDT, for obtaining accurate structural response of such stiffened configurations.