The increasing use of composite materials requires a better understanding of the behavior of laminated plates and shells. Large displacements and rotations, as well as shear deformations, must be included in the analysis. Since linear theories of shells and plates are no longer adequate for the analysis and design of composite structures, more refined theories are now used for such structures. This text develops, in a systematic manner, the overall concepts of the nonlinear analysis of shell structures. The authors start with a survey of theories for the analysis of plates and shells with small deflections and then lead to the theory of shells undergoing large deflections and rotations applicable to elastic laminated anisotropic materials. Subsequent chapters are devoted to the finite element solutions and include test case comparisons. The book is intended for graduate engineering students and stress analysts in aerospace, civil, or mechanical engineering.
