A PLY DROP-OFF ELEMENT FOR INCLUSION OF DROP-OFF IN THE GLOBAL ANALYSIS OF LAYERED COMPOSITE STRUCTURES

Abstract A finite element approach for the inclusion of the ply drop-off in the global analysis of structures made of layered composite materials has been presented. The proposed element can accommodate the drop-off anywhere within the element. Therefore, it can include the effect of drop-off without increasing the size of the global matrices. The applicability of the method has been illustrated by means of several examples.