Arch Appl Mech (2010) 80: 401–412

DOI 10.1007/s00419-009-0324-z

O R I G I NA L

A. M. Afsar · N. M. L. Huq · J. I. Song

Analytical solution to a mixed boundary value elastic

problem of a roller-guided panel of laminated composite

Received: 25 August 2008 / Accepted: 15 April 2009 / Published online: 30 April 2009
© Springer-Verlag 2009

Abstract This study presents an analytical solution to elastic field in a roller-guided panel of symmetric cross-
ply laminated composite material. The mixed boundary value two-dimensional plane stress elasticity problem
is formulated in terms of a single displacement potential function. This reduces the problem to the solution of
a single fourth order partial differential equation of equilibrium as the other equilibrium equation is satisfied
automatically. The solution is obtained in terms of an infinite Fourier series. To present some numerical results,
a panel of glass/epoxy laminated composite is considered and different components of stress and displacement
at different sections of the panel are presented graphically. To justify the present analytical solution, it is
compared with the finite element solution obtained by using the commercial software ANSYS. It is found that
the two solutions agree well with each other. This ensures that the formulation developed in this study based
on the displacement potential approach can be used to obtain analytical solution of an elastic field in structural
elements of laminated composite under any mode of boundary conditions prescribed in terms of either stress,
displacement or any combination of these.
Keywords Analytical solution · Symmetric laminated composite · Elasticity · Panel · Mixed boundary
condition · Displacement potential

1 Introduction

At present, many structural elements are designed with composite materials as these materials exhibit better
characteristics in comparison with those of conventional materials. However, in practice, the boundaries of
these structural elements are always subjected to some conditions in terms of loads or constraints applied
by the adjacent elements or supports. In most of the cases, these conditions are of the mixed type, i.e., a part
of the boundaries is subjected to load and the other part is subjected to constraints or displacement. Although
these mixed boundary value problems of composite materials can be solved by numerical techniques like finite
difference and finite element methods, a reliable analytical solution to these problems may be more promising
to the designers as it ensures the accuracy of the results.
A. M. Afsar
Department of Mechanical Engineering, BUET, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh

N. M. L. Huq
Department of Mechanical Engineering, DUET, Gazipur 1700, Bangladesh

A. M. Afsar (B) · J. I. Song

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Changwon National University,
9-Sarim Dong, Changwon, Kyungnam 641-773, South Korea
E-mail: mdafsarali1967@yahoo.com
Tel.: +82-010-2892-3397
Fax: +82-055-275-0101
402 A. M. Afsar et al.

For the mathematical modeling of plane boundary-value elastic problems, the Airy stress function approach
[1] and the displacement formulations [2] are considered as classical methods in the filed of elasticity. The Airy
stress function formulation in conjunction with the finite-difference technique has been reported to be effective
in obtaining solutions of two dimensional elastic problems [3,4]. Further, the stress function formulation was
extended by Conway and Ithaca [5] in the form of Fourier integrals for the case of orthotropic materials. Using
this formulation, they have obtained analytical solutions for a number of ideal problems. However, the major
drawback of the stress function approach is that it can be used for the boundary conditions prescribed in terms
of loading only. Boundary conditions prescribed in terms of constraint or displacement cannot be dealt with
by this approach. The displacement formulations, on the other hand, can be used to deal with displacement
boundary conditions. However, this approach involves the finding of two displacement parameters from two
second-order partial differential equations of equilibrium. It is quite difficult to solve two second-order partial
differential equations simultaneously and this becomes more severe when the boundary conditions are mixed
[2]. Durelli and Ranganayakuma [6] outlined the difficulties involved with solving practical stress problems
using these approaches. Thus, it is obvious that neither of the approaches is suitable for analytical solution of
elastic field in structural elements of composite materials under mixed boundary conditions.
Recently, a new approach of displacement potential is introduced in an attempt to obtain analytical solution
to two-dimensional elasticity problems under mixed boundary conditions. This approach was originally devel-
oped for isotropic materials by Ahmed et al. [7]. Later, this approach was extended for orthotropic composite
materials and used to solve a number of problems both analytically and numerically [8–12]. The outstanding
advantage of this approach is that it can be used to obtain solution to problems under any boundary conditions
prescribed in terms of either stress or displacement or any combination of these. However, the displacement
potential approach extended in [9–11] is applicable to orthotropic lamina only. In practice, composite materi-
als are used, in most of the applications, as a laminate consisting of several laminae. Therefore, to solve the
elasticity problems of laminated composites, the displacement potential approach mentioned above should be
further extended and modified with a view to dealing with more practical problems.
In the present study, an analytical solution to elastic field in a roller-guided panel of laminated composite is
presented for mixed boundary conditions. Modifying the displacement potential approach mentioned earlier,
the present mixed boundary value problem of laminated composite panel is formulated in terms of a single
displacement potential function. This reduces the problem to the solution of a single fourth order partial dif-
ferential equation of equilibrium. The other equilibrium equation is satisfied automatically. The solution is
obtained in terms of Fourier infinite series. Some numerical results of different components of stress and dis-
placement are presented for a glass/epoxy laminated panel. The comparison of the numerical results obtained
by the present analytical approach and finite element method using the commercial software ANSYS justifies
the validity of the present analytical solution. Thus, the formulation developed in this study can be reliably
used for obtaining analytical solution to elastic field in structural elements of laminated composite under
mixed boundary conditions. It is worth mentioning that the roller-guided panel, considered here, has potential
application as sliding doors and windows for both buildings and cars, sliding fences for partitioning a room,
sliding sun roofs, etc.

2 Analytical model of the problem

With reference to the two-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system x-y, a rectangular panel of symmetric
cross-ply laminated composite is considered as shown in Fig. 1. The width and length of the panel are desig-
nated by a and b, respectively. The left lateral edge of the panel lying along the y-axis is rigidly fixed, while the
two longitudinal edges parallel to the x-axis are roller guided. The physical phenomena of the roller-guided
edges are simulated by the fact that these edges experience no shear stress and there is no displacement in the
direction perpendicular to these edges. The right lateral edge of the panel is assumed to be subjected to any
external load. In this study, we consider a linearly varying tensile load σx0 = P(1 − 2y/a), where P is the
maximum value of the load. For this model of the mixed boundary value problem, the analytical solution to
the elastic field is obtained based on the displacement potential approach.

3 Displacement potential formulations

When a symmetric laminate is subjected to an in-plane loading, the bending-extension coupling stiffness matrix
vanishes [13] and the mid-plane strains become equal to the global strains. In addition, the shear-extension
Analytical solution to a mixed boundary value elastic problem of a roller-guided panel of laminated composite 403

y
Fibers Roller guided edges

σ x0 = P⎜⎛1 −
a 2y ⎞
⎟
⎝ a⎠

Fig. 1 A rectangular panel of symmetric cross-ply laminated composite

coupling terms of the extensional stiffness matrix are banished for a cross-ply laminate. For such a laminate,
the average stress–strain relations under plane stress in global coordinate system can be formulated as [13,14]
⎡ ⎤ ⎡ ⎤⎡ ⎤
σx 1 A11 A12 0 εx
⎣ σ y ⎦ = ⎣ A12 A22 0 ⎦ ⎣ ε y ⎦ (1)
τx y h 0 0 A66 γx y

where σx and σ y are the components of normal stress in the x- and y- directions, respectively, τx y is the shear
stress component, εx and ε y are the normal strain components in the x- and y- directions, respectively, γx y is
the shear strain component, and the elements of stiffness matrix [ A] are given by


n
 
A11 = Q 11 c4 + Q 22 s 4 + 2 (Q 12 + 2Q 66 ) s 2 c2 k
(h k − h k−1 ) (2a)
k=1
n
  
A12 = (Q 11 + Q 22 − 4Q 66 ) s 2 c2 + Q 12 c4 + s 4 k (h k − h k−1 ) (2b)
k=1
n
 
A22 = Q 11 s 4 + Q 22 c4 + 2 (Q 12 + 2Q 66 ) s 2 c2 k
(h k − h k−1 ) (2c)
k=1
n
  
A66 = (Q 11 + Q 22 − 2Q 12 − 2Q 66 ) s 2 c2 + Q 66 s 4 + c4 k (h k − h k−1 ) (2d)
k=1

ν12 E 2
Here, Q 11 = 1−νE211 ν12 , Q 12 = 1−ν 21 ν12
, Q 22 = 1−νE212 ν12 , Q 66 = G 12 , c = cos θ, s = sin θ, h k − h k−1 is
the thickness of the k-th ply of the laminate, h is the total thickness of the laminate, θ is the angle between
the x−axis and the fiber direction of a lamina in the laminate, E 1 and E 2 are the Young’s modulus in the
longitudinal and the transverse directions, respectively, ν12 and ν21 are the major and minor Poison’s ratios,
respectively, and G12 is the in-plane shear modulus of a lamina in the laminate.
Using the basic strain-displacement relations, Eq. (1) can be expressed in terms of displacements as


1 ∂u x ∂u y
σx = A11 + A12 (3a)
h ∂x ∂y


1 ∂u x ∂u y
σy = A12 + A22 (3b)
h ∂x ∂y


1 ∂u x ∂u y
τx y = A66 + (3c)
h ∂y ∂x
404 A. M. Afsar et al.

where u x and u y are two displacement components in the x- and y-directions, respectively. With reference to
a rectangular Cartesian coordinate system and in the absence of body forces, the equations of equilibrium for
the plane elasticity problems are given by

∂σx ∂τx y
+ =0 (4a)
∂x ∂y
∂σ y ∂τx y
+ = 0. (4b)
∂y ∂x

Combination of Eqs. (3) and (4) yields

∂ 2u x ∂ 2u y ∂ 2u x
A11 + (A 12 + A 66 ) + A 66 =0 (5a)
∂x2 ∂ x∂ y ∂ y2
∂ 2u y ∂ 2u x ∂ 2u y
A22 2 + (A12 + A66 ) + A66 2 = 0. (5b)
∂y ∂ x∂ y ∂x

Equation (5) represents two second-order elliptic partial differential equations of equilibrium in terms
of two displacement parameters. It is quite difficult to obtain analytical solution satisfying these two partial
differential equations simultaneously. Thus, one of the objectives of the displacement potential approach is
to reduce the number of equations. To achieve this goal, here, a displacement potential function ψ(x, y) is
introduced in this study and the two displacement components are expressed in terms of this displacement
potential function as

∂ 2ψ
ux = (6a)
∂ x∂ y
A11 ∂ 2ψ A66 ∂ 2ψ
uy = − − . (6b)
A12 + A66 ∂ x 2 A12 + A66 ∂ y 2

With the above definition of ψ(x, y), the first equilibrium equation of Eq. (5) is automatically satisfied.
Therefore, ψ(x, y) has to satisfy the second equilibrium equation only [Eq. (5b)]. Substituting Eq. (6) into
Eq. (5b), it is found that the displacement potential function ψ(x, y) has to satisfy the following condition:

∂ 4ψ A22 A212 2 A12 ∂ 4ψ A22 ∂ 4 ψ
+ − − + = 0. (7)
∂x4 A66 A11 A66 A11 ∂ x 2 ∂ y 2 A11 ∂ y 4

Thus, it is found that the present mixed boundary value problem is reduced to the solution of a single
fourth order partial differential equation [Eq. (7)]. By making use of Eq. (6), the components of stress given
by Eq. (3) can also be expressed in terms of the displacement potential function ψ(x, y) as


A66 ∂ 3ψ ∂ 3ψ
σx = A11 2 − A12 3 (8a)
h (A12 + A66 ) ∂x ∂y ∂y


1  2 ∂ 3ψ ∂ 3ψ
σy = A12 + A12 A66 − A11 A22 − A 22 A 66 (8b)
h (A12 + A66 ) ∂ x 2∂ y ∂ y3


A66 ∂ 3ψ ∂ 3ψ
σx y = A12 − A 11 . (8c)
h (A12 + A66 ) ∂ x∂ y 2 ∂x3

Once the Eq. (7) is solved for the displacement potential function ψ(x, y), the components of displacement
and stress can readily be determined from Eqs. (6) and (8), respectively. At this point, the displacement potential
function formulation for a laminated composite is complete. The solution to a problem can be obtained for a
given set of boundary conditions. It is noted that all the components of stress and displacement are expressed
in terms of the same displacement potential function. Thus, the formulation can be used for any modes of
boundary conditions, whether they are prescribed in terms of stress or displacement or any combination of
these.
Analytical solution to a mixed boundary value elastic problem of a roller-guided panel of laminated composite 405

4 Solution to the problem

Although a lot of functions can satisfy Eq. (7), not all of these can be chosen as a solution as these may not be
suitable for satisfying all the boundary conditions of the problem. Therefore, the boundary conditions of the
problem should also be taken into consideration while selecting a function for the solution of Eq. (7). In an
attempt to obtain the solution of Eq. (7) with regard to the present panel problem, the displacement potential
function ψ(x, y) is assumed in the form of series as
∞

ψ(x, y) = X m sin αy + M x 2 y + N y 3 (9)
m=1

where X m is a function of x only, M and N are arbitrary constants, and α = mπ/a. Substitution of Eq. (9)
into Eq. (7) yields a fourth order ordinary differential equation as
  2
Xm − B Xm α + C X m α4 = 0 (10)
A2
where B = AA2266
− A1112A66 − 2AA1112 , C = AA22
11
, and the ( ) indicates differentiation with respect to x. The general
solution of this differential equation can be given by
X m = Am en 1 x + Bm en 2 x + Cm en 3 x + Dm en 4 x (11)
 √  √
where n 1 , n 2 = α B± B2 −4C , n 3 , n 4 = −α B± B2 −4C , and Am , Bm , Cm , and Dm are arbitrary con-
2 2

stants. Now by making use of Eqs. (6), (8), (9), and (11), the components of displacement and stress can be
expressed as
∞
 
u x (x, y) = n 1 Am en 1 x + n 2 Bm en 2 x + n 3 Cm en 3 x + n 4 Dm en 4 x α cos αy + 2M x (12a)
m=1
 ∞
1   
u y (x, y) = A66 Am en 1 x + Bm en 2 x + Cm en 3 x + Dm en 4 x α 2
A12 + A66
m=1

 
−A11 n 21 Am en 1 x + n 22 Bm en 2 x + n 23 Cm en 3 x + n 24 Dm en 4 x sin αy − 2y (A11 M + 3A66 N )

(12b)
 ∞
A66   
σx (x, y) = A12 Am en 1 x + Bm en 2 x + Cm en 3 x + Dm en 4 x α 3
h(A12 + A66 )
m=1

 
+ A11 n 21 Am en 1 x + n 22 Bm en 2 x + n 23 Cm en 3 x + n 24 Dm en 4 x α cos αy + 2(A11 M − 3A12 N )

(13a)
 ∞
1   
σ y (x, y) = A22 A66 Am en 1 x + Bm en 2 x + Cm en 3 x + Dm en 4 x α 3
h (A12 + A66 )
m=1
 2  
+ A12 + A12 A66 − A11 A22 n 21 Am en 1 x + n 22 Bm en 2 x + n 23 Cm en 3 x + n 24 Dm en 4 x α cos αy

 2
+ 2 A12 + A12 A66 − A11 A22 M − 6A22 A66 N (13b)

∞
A66  
σx y (x, y) = − A12 n 1 Am en 1 x + n 2 Bm en 2 x + n 3 Cm en 3 x + n 4 Dm en 4 x α 2
h (A12 + A66 )
m=1
 3 
+ A11 n 1 Am e + n 32 Bm en 2 x + n 33 Cm en 3 x + n 34 Dm en 4 x sin αy.
n1 x
(13c)
For the present roller-guided panel shown in Fig. 1, the boundary conditions are
406 A. M. Afsar et al.

(i) u y (x, 0) = u y (x, a) = 0; 0 ≤ x ≤ b

(ii) σx y (x, 0) = σx y (x, a) = 0; 0 ≤ x ≤ b
(iii) u x (0, y) = u y (0, y) = 0; 0 ≤ y ≤ a
(iv) σx (b, y) = σx0 (b, y) = P(1 − 2y a ); 0 ≤ y ≤ a/2, σx y (b, y) = 0; 0 ≤ y ≤ a.
Note that the boundary condition (ii) on the stiffened edges and the first part of the boundary condition (i)
are satisfied automatically. Now, the linearly varying tensile load σx0 (b, y) = P(1 − 2y a ) applied at the right
lateral edge x = b can be expressed in terms of Fourier series as
∞

σx0 (b, y) = E 0 + E m cos αy
m=1
where
⎫
a/2  ⎪
⎪
P 2y P ⎪
⎪
E0 = 1− dy = ⎪
⎪
a a 4 ⎪
⎬
0 for m = 1, 2, 3, . . .. . .∞.
a/2  ⎪
2P 2y 4P  mπ  ⎪
⎪
⎪
Em = 1− cos αydy = 2 2 1 − cos ⎪
⎪
a a m π 2 ⎪ ⎭
0
Using of the remaining boundary conditions in Eqs. (12) and (13) gives the constants M and N as
hP
M=
8A11
hP
N =−
24 A66
and provides the following four simultaneous algebraic equation for the determination of the remaining four
unknown constants Am , Bm , Cm , and Dm .
n A +n B +n C +n D =0 (14a)
 1 m 2 2 m 2 3 m  4 2m  
A11 n 1 − A66 α Am + A11 n 2 − A66 α 2 Bm + A11 n 23 − A66 α 2 Cm + A11 n 24 − A66 α 2 Dm = 0
(14b)
  
A11 n 21 α + A12 α 3 Am en 1 b + A11 n 22 α + A12 α 3 Bm en 2 b + A11 n 23 α + A12 α 3 Cm en 3 b

+ A11 n 24 α + A12 α 3 Dm en 4 b = Ē m (14c)
  
A11 n 1 + A12 n 1 α Am e + A11 n 2 + A12 n 2 α Bm e + A11 n 3 + A12 n 3 α Cm e
3 2 n1 b 3 2 n2 b 3 2 n3 b

+ A11 n 34 + A12 n 4 α 2 Dm en 4 b = 0 (14d)
where
E m h (A12 + A66 )
Ē m = .
A66
The above four simultaneous algebraic equations (14a–d) can further be realized in a simplified form for
the solution of the unknowns as follows
⎡ ⎤⎡ ⎤ ⎡ ⎤
n1 n2 n3 n4 Am 0
⎢ P1 P2 P3 P4 ⎥ ⎢ Bm ⎥ ⎢ 0 ⎥
⎣ Q Q Q Q ⎦ ⎣ C ⎦ = ⎣ Ē ⎦ (15)
1 2 3 4 m m
R1 R2 R3 R4 Dm 0
where
⎤
Pi = A11 n i2 − A66 α 2
 ⎥
Q i = A11 n i2 α + A12 α 3 en i b ⎥ ; i = 1, 2, 3, 4.
 ⎦
Ri = A11 n i3 + A12 n i α 2 en i b

The solution of Eq. (15) provides the unknowns Am , Bm , Cm , and Dm which can be directly used to determine
the different components of displacement and stress from Eqs. (12) and (13), respectively.
Analytical solution to a mixed boundary value elastic problem of a roller-guided panel of laminated composite 407

Table 1 Mechanical properties of glass/epoxy composite

E 1 (MPa) E 2 (MPa) G 12 (MPa) ν12 ν21

38.60 × 103 8.27 × 103 4.14 × 103 0.26 0.06

(a) 1.0
n=3
b/a = 3.0

Normalized Position, (y/a)

0.8
x/b = 0
x/b = 0.5
0.6 x/b = 0.9
x/b = 1.0
0.4

0.2

0
-0.002

0.002

0.004

0.006

0.008

0.01

0.012

0.014

0.016
0

Longitudinal Displacement, (ux/b)

(b) 1.0 x/b = 0

0.50
Normalized Position, (y/a)

0.8 0.75 x/b = 0.95

0.90 0.98
0.99
0.6 1.00

0.4

0.2
n=3
b/a = 3.0
0
-0.001 0 0.001 0.002 0.003 0.004 0.005 0.006
Lateral Displacement, (uy/a)

Fig. 2 a Longitudinal displacement at different sections of the panel. b Lateral displacement at different sections of the panel

5 Results and discussion

In this section, some numerical results are presented for a panel of glass/epoxy laminated composite. Here,
it is worth mentioning that the formulations developed in this study can be used for any composite materi-
als. However, the glass/epoxy composite has been chosen in this study merely as an example. The effective
mechanical properties of a unidirectional glass/epoxy lamina are shown in Table 1. The maximum value of the
applied stress P is taken as 1,000 MPa. Further, all the results presented here correspond to the panel aspect
ratio b/a = 3, laminate stacking sequence of [0/90/0], and the number of ply n = 3. The thickness of each
ply is considered as 1.0 mm. Although any number of plies can be used for the solution to elastic field, only
three plies have been considered in this study to generate the numerical results. However, it should be ensured
that the laminate is symmetric for any number of plies as the formulations have been developed for a laminate,
based on the assumption that the bending-extension coupling stiffness matrix does not come into the scenario.
The convergence of the solution is verified by varying the number of terms m in the series solution of the
displacement potential function ψ. The results are compared for different values of m and it is found that the
solution converges very well for m = 35. Hence, all the results presented hereafter correspond to m = 35.
Shown in Fig. 2a is the normalized longitudinal displacement component u x /b as a function of normalized
position y/a at different sections of the panel. The magnitude of the displacement is the maximum at the
408 A. M. Afsar et al.

(a) 1.0

Normalized Position, (y/a)

0.8 n=3
b/a = 3.0
x/b = 0
0.6 x/b = 0.5
x/b = 0.9
0.4 x/b = 1.0

0.2

0
-0.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
Longitudinal Stress, (σx/P)

(b) 1.0
n=3
Normalized Position, (y/a)

0.8 b/a = 3.0

x/b = 0
x/b = 0.5
0.6
x/b = 0.9
x/b = 1.0
0.4

0.2

0
-0.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8
Lateral Stress, (σy/P)

(c) 1.0 n=3

b/a = 3.0
Normalized Position, (y/a)

x/b = 0
0.8
x/b = 0.5
x/b = 0.9
0.6 x/b = 1.0

0.4

0.2

0
-0.15 -0.1 -0.05 0 0.05
Shear Stress, (σxy /P)

Fig. 3 a Longitudinal stress at different sections of the panel. b Lateral stress at different sections of the panel. c Shear stress at
different sections of the panel

section x/b = 1.0 (right lateral edge), where the external load is applied. The value of displacement gradually
decreases toward the fixed support x/b = 0 (left lateral edge). The displacement is exactly zero at the section
x/b = 0, which satisfies the physical boundary conditions of the problem. Further, the longitudinal displace-
ment at and near the right lateral section (x/b = 1.0) varies from its maximum value at y/a = 0 (bottom
edge) to the minimum value at y/a = 1.0 (top edge). This agrees with the nature of distribution of the applied
load which is the maximum at the bottom edge y/a = 0.
Analytical solution to a mixed boundary value elastic problem of a roller-guided panel of laminated composite 409

Table 2 In-plane engineering constants of a [0/90/0] glass/epoxy laminate

E x (MPa) E y (MPa) G x y (MPa) νx y ν yx

28.7 × 103 18.5 × 103 4.14 × 103 0.117 0.075

(a) 1.0
x/b = 0.5, Ana

Normalized Position, (y/a)

x/b = 0.5, FEM
0.8
x/b = 0.9, Ana
x/b = 0.9, FEM
0.6

0.4

0.2

0
-0.002

0.002

0.004

0.006

0.008

0.01

0.012

0.014

0.016
0

Longitudinal Displacement, (ux/b)

(b) 1.0 Ana x/b = 0.50

FEM 0.90
Normalized Position, (y/a)

0.8 0.95
0.98
0.99
0.6 1.00

0.4

0.2

0
-0.001 0 0.001 0.002 0.003 0.004 0.005 0.006
Lateral Displacement, (uy/a)

Fig. 4 a Comparison of analytical and finite element solutions of longitudinal displacement. b Comparison of analytical and
finite element solutions of lateral displacement

Figure 2b illustrates the variation of normalized lateral displacement component u y /a as a function of y/a
at different sections of the panel. It is seen that the lateral displacement is exactly zero at the left lateral edge
x/b = 0 and at the top and bottom edges corresponding to y/a = 0 and 1.0, respectively. This conforms to
the physical condition of the problem. As before, the maximum lateral displacement also occurs at the right
lateral edge x/b = 1.0, where the external load is applied. Further, it is noted that the lateral displacement is
positive at and near the right lateral edge (x/b ≥ 0.95) and negative at other sections (x/b < 0.95).
Figure 3a illustrates the distribution of normalized longitudinal stress component σx /P as a function of
y/a at different sections of the panel. At the right lateral edge x/b = 1.0, the distribution of the stress matches
with the applied load. The magnitude of the stress decreases with the decreasing value of x/b. Further, it is
noted that the distribution of the stress tends to be uniform at the sections (near the fixed edge) sufficiently
away from the section of the applied load. This verifies the famous Saint Venant’s principle.
The distribution of normalized lateral stress σ y /P as a function of y/a is displayed in Fig. 3b. The max-
imum lateral stress is developed at the right lateral edge x/b = 1.0, where the external load is applied. It is
noted that the magnitude of the lateral stress at all sections is insignificant except at the section x/b = 1.0,
where the maximum value of the lateral stress is about 60% of the applied load.
410 A. M. Afsar et al.

(a) 1.0

Normalized Position, (y/a)

x/b = 0.5, Ana
0.8
x/b = 0.5, FEM
0.6 x/b = 0.9, Ana
x/b = 0.9, FEM
0.4

0.2

0
-0.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
Longitudinal Stress, (σx/P)

(b) 1.0
Normalized Position, (y/a)

0.8
x/b = 0.5, Ana

0.6 x/b = 0.5, FEM

x/b = 0.9, Ana
0.4 x/b = 0.9, FEM

0.2

0
-0.2 -0.1 0 0.1 0.2
Lateral Stress, (σy/P)

(c) 1.0 x/b = 0.5, Ana

x/b = 0.5, FEM
Normalized Position, (y/a)

0.8
x/b = 0.9, Ana
x/b = 0.9, FEM
0.6

0.4

0.2

0
-0.15 -0.1 -0.05 0 0.05
Shear Stress, ( σxy/P)

Fig. 5 a Comparison of analytical and finite element solutions of longitudinal stress. b Comparison of analytical and finite element
solutions of lateral stress. c Comparison of analytical and finite element solutions of shear stress

The normalized shear stress σx y /P at different sections of the panel is shown in Fig. 3c as a function of
y/a. At x/b = 1.0, i.e., at the right lateral edge, the shear stress is zero. Further, the shear stress is also zero
at the top (y/a = 1.0) and the bottom (y/a = 0) edges of the panel. This satisfies the boundary conditions of
the problem. The maximum shear stress is developed at the vicinity (x/b = 0.9) of the right lateral edge and
its value gradually decreases as one moves towards the fixed edge x/b = 0. However, it is noted that the shear
stress is nonzero at the fixed edge x/b = 0.
Analytical solution to a mixed boundary value elastic problem of a roller-guided panel of laminated composite 411

In order to justify the validity of the analytical solution, the same roller-guided panel ([0/90/0]) of laminated
composite is solved by finite element method using the commercial software ANSYS. The relevant boundary
conditions used here are the same as those used for the analytical solution. The in-plane engineering constants
[14] of the laminate are used as the material properties for the present orthotropic panel ([0/90/0]). The in-plane
engineering constants of the panel obtained from the lamina properties of Table 1 are shown in Table 2. The
whole domain of the panel is meshed using the quadratic 8-node-82 type of element. The size of the panel
considered is 30 × 10 mm and the total number of elements used in the calculations is 300 (30 × 10). The size
and distribution of elements are uniform throughout the domain of the panel. The convergence and accuracy
of the solution are confirmed by varying the number of elements.
Figure 4a, b compare the present analytical and finite element solutions of the longitudinal and lateral
displacements, respectively, at different sections of the panel. The comparisons of the analytical and finite
element solutions of the longitudinal, lateral, and shear stress components at the sections x/b = 0.5 and 0.9
of the panel are shown in Fig. 5a–c, respectively. It is seen that both the analytical and finite element solutions
agree very well with each other. The maximum difference is found to be 2.7% for the shear stress component
(Fig. 5c) at y/a = 0.3 of the section x/b = 0.9. This small discrepancy in the results is attributed to the error
in numerical calculations by finite element method. Thus, it is justified that the present analytical solution
based on the displacement potential approach is capable of producing highly reliable and accurate results of
elastic field in structural elements of laminated composites under any boundary conditions.

6 Conclusions

Based on the displacement potential approach, the elasticity problem of a symmetric cross-ply laminated com-
posite has been formulated in terms of a single displacement potential function. The formulation developed in
the study can be used for all modes of boundary conditions, whether they are prescribed in terms of stress or
displacement or any combination of these, i.e., mixed boundary conditions. Furthermore, the formulation can
be used for a symmetric angle-ply laminate by considering the effect of fiber angle in calculating the laminate
extensional stiffness components. The distinguishing feature of the formulation is that one of the equilibrium
equations is satisfied automatically. This reduces the problem to the solution of a single equilibrium equation
only. In order to demonstrate the displacement potential-based formulation, some numerical results of stress
and displacement are presented for a panel of glass/epoxy laminated composite. The comparison of analytical
solution with that obtained by finite element method using ANSYS justifies the validity and reliability of the
present displacement potential based analytical solution. Thus, it is established that the present displacement
potential function formulation can provide the explicit information of the actual stress and displacement at
the critical regions of supports and loadings. Further, the solutions obtained are promising and satisfactory
for the entire region of interest. Therefore, the present displacement potential formulation can be applied to
obtain analytical solution to the elastic field in structural elements of laminated composites under any modes
of boundary conditions.

Acknowledgments The authors of this paper were partly supported by the Second Stage of Brain Korea21 Projects.

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