Date of Graduation

2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Committee Chair

Nithi T Sivaneri

Committee Co-Chair

Ever J Barbero

Committee Member

Terence D Musho

Abstract

A beam made of composite material undergoing large deflections is analyzed based on a higher-order shear deformation theory. Composite materials offer several advantages over conventional materials in the form of improved strength to weight ratio, high impact strength, corrosion resistance, and design flexibility. The Euler-Bernoulli beam theory is valid only for small deflections and may be too restrictive in a number of applications. The formulation of the large deflection analysis of composite beams is carried out using the principle of virtual work. The spatial discretization is done using an h-p version finite element method. The nonlinear large deflection equations are solved using an iterative process. Results are presented in the form of deflections as a function of position.

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