Three-dimensional solutions for antisymmetrically laminated anisotropic plates

Analytic three-dimensional elasticity solutions are presented for the stress and free vibration problems of multilayered anisotropic plates. The plates are assumed to have rectangular geometry and antisymmetric lamination with respect to the middle plane. A mixed formulation is used with the fundamental unknowns consisting of the six stress components and the three displacement components of the plate. Each of the plate variables is decomposed into symmetric and antisymmetric components in the thickness direction, and is expressed in terms of a double Fourier series in the Cartesian surface coordinates. Extensive numerical results are presented showing the effects of variation in the lamination and geometric parameters of composite plates on the importance of the transverse stress and strain components.