THE s-VERSION OF FINITE ELEMENT METHOD FOR LAMINATED COMPOSITES

The s-version of the finite element method is developed for laminated plates and shells. By this technique the global domain is idealized using 2-D Equivalent Single Layer model. The regions where ESL model errs badly in capturing localized phenomena are superimposed by a stack of 3-D elements. Assumed strain formulation and selective polynomial order escalation in the two models, as well as fast iterative procedures, are employed to maintain a high level of computational efficiency.