Analysis of higher order composite beams by exact and finite element methods

In this paper, a two-layer partial interaction composite beams model considering the higher order shear deformation of sub-elements is built. Then, the governing differential equations and boundary conditions for static analysis of linear elastic higher order composite beams are formulated by means of principle of minimum potential energy. Subsequently, analytical solutions for cantilever composite beams subjected to uniform load are presented by Laplace transform technique. As a comparison, FEM for this problem is also developed, and the results of the proposed FE program are in good agreement with the analytical ones which demonstrates the reliability of the presented exact and finite element methods. Finally, parametric studies are performed to investigate the influences of parameters including rigidity of shear connectors, ratio of shear modulus and slenderness ratio, on deflections of cantilever composite beams, internal forces and stresses. It is revealed that the interfacial slip has a major effect on the deflection, the distribution of internal forces and the stresses.