Higher-order shear deformable finite strip for the flexure analysis of composite laminates

A higher-order shear deformable finite strip is developed for the analysis of composite laminates. Higher-order displacement fields are assumed to account for the non-linear variation of transverse displacement through the plate thickness. Transverse shear deformation can now be effectively evaluated in the absence of shear correction factors. The permitted laminate properties are quite general, encompassing anisotropic and full coupling between in-plane and out-of-plane behavior. Applications on a range of layup arrangements with varying number of layers, length-to-thickness ratio and stiffness ratio E1/E2 are included.