A first-order shear deformation finite element model for elastostatic analysis of laminated composite plates and the equivalent functionally graded plates

In the present paper, the first-order shear deformation plate (FSDT) model is exploited to investigate the mechanical behavior of laminated composite and functional graded plates. Three approaches are developed to transform the laminated composite plate, with stepped material properties, to an equivalent functionally graded (FG) plate with a continuous property function across the plate thickness. Such transformations are used to determine the details of a functional graded plate equivalent to the original laminated one. In addition it may provide an easy and efficient way to investigate the behavior of multilayer composite plates, with direct and less computational efforts. A comparative study has been developed to compare the effectiveness of the three proposed transformation procedures.