Fronk, Thomas Harris2014-03-142014-03-141988-03-25etd-07082010-020043http://hdl.handle.net/10919/43592Metal plates are being replaced by lighter but equally strong laminated composite plates in order to improve efficiency and increase performance of aerospace vehicles. But because of the complex construction of laminated plates they are very difficult to analyze. Conventional thin plate theories prove to be inadequate in predicting laminated composite plate behavior. Therefore, a finite element model which incorporates a first- order shear-deformation theory and nonlinear von Karman strains is described. The model is shown to accurately predict deflections in laminated composite plates due to nonuniform transient heat fluxes and transverse mechanical loads.vii, 109 leavesBTDapplication/pdfIn CopyrightLD5655.V855 1988.F765AerothermodynamicsLaminated materialsThesishttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-07082010-020043/