Global/local analysis of laminated composite plates using variable kinematic finite elements

A finite element modeling methodology is developed for the hierarchical, global/local analysis of laminated composite plates. The method incorporates a new variable kinematics, displacement-based, finite element that is developed using a multiple assumed displacement field approach. The variable kinematic elements provide a great degree of flexibility in defining the transverse (through thickness) variation of the assumed displacement field. The resulting finite element model permits different subregions of the computational domain to be described by different mathematical models. Enforcing displacement continuity along subregion boundaries requires only the specification of certain homogeneous essential boundary conditions, thus avoiding the inconvenience of multi-point constraints, penalty function methods, or special transition elements.