A new look at shear correction factors and warping functions of anisotropic laminates (Q675555)

Shear warpings of a composite laminate are shown to be functions of its stacking sequence, its ply angles, and the material properties of layers. Moreover, a new formulation of shear correction factors is derived by matching the exact shear stress resultants and shear strain energy with those of the equivalent first-order shear deformation theory. Without solving a plate problem with specified loading and boundary conditions, approximate analytical shear warping functions of a composite laminate can be derived by using the continuity conditions of in-plane displacements and interlaminar shear stresses and the free shear stress conditions on the bonding surfaces. The approach results in a layerwise higher-order shear deformation theory that contains most shear deformation theories as special cases and reveals the shear coupling effect of angle-ply laminates.