Modeling and nonlinear FE analysis of composite shells at finite rotations

Laminated composite structures are more frequently used in cutting edge engineering fields mainly because of their high stiffness-to-weight ratio. The challenge in this field of engineering is improving the static as well as the dynamic behavior of structures. Geometrically linear theories and numerical methods have been developed by many authors. Considerably less work found in nonlinear theories, especially at large deflections and finite rotations. One of the first finite element applications for laminated shells in the range of finite rotations was presented by Bas¸ar et al. (1993).