Abstract

Composite materials have been used in the design of the aircrafts structures because their low weight and high mechanical strength. However, structures made in composite material are exposed to dynamical and/or static loading environments. Therefore, a major research effort is undertaken in the development of tools numerical for analysis and design of composite structures. This paper presents a numerical formulation of the composite structures using the Finite Element Method (FEM ). The damped composite structures, using inserted viscoelastic devices, and undamped composite structures are formulated by FEM . Viscoelastic materials are applied as continuous layers inserted on composite structures. The intrinsic damping of the composite material is included in the studies, too. The First‐order (FSDT ) and Higher‐order Shear Deformation (HSDT ) theories are formulated. They are distinguished by order of the approximation functions used in the mechanical displacements field. Both theories are computationally implemented using the Serendipity finite element. This is a rectangular finite element with 8 nodes, 5 or 11 degrees of freedom per node. The results are compared with papers predictions. The advantages and disadvantages of using each theory in the modeling of composite (thin or thick) and thick sandwiches structures, including the intrinsic and the viscoelastic damping, are discusses.