Sectional warping corrective model for free edge stresses in composite laminates

The edge stress problem in composite laminates under uniform axial extension is analyzed. The displacement distribution in three directions along the thickness are derived respectively by use of the sectional warping corrective theory, and the hierarchical displacement functions are adopted in the width direction. Finally, based on the principle of virtual work, a special finite element model for boundary-layer effects is obtained. Accuracy and convergence of the solution are studied, and the present results are compared with those of the existing finite difference and conventional finite element methods. It is shown that the present stresses result is in good agreement with the exact solution, and the effectiveness of the present model for analyzing free edge stresses is ascertained. The present model is simple while the degree of freedom is lower than that of the other numerical methods.