Variational Asymptotic Homogenization and Dimensional Reduction of Composite Plates with In-Plane Heterogeneity

The variational asymptotic method is used to construct a new model for composite plates which could have in-plane heterogeneity due to both geometry and material. We flrst formulate the original three-dimensional problem in an intrinsic form which is suitable for geometrically nonlinear analysis. Taking advantage of smallness of the plate thickness and heterogeneity, we use the variational asymptotic method to systematically obtain an efiective plate model unifying a homogenization process and a dimensional reduction process. This approach is implemented in the computer code VAPAS using the flnite element method for the purpose of dealing with real heterogeneous plates in application. A few examples are used to demonstrate the capability of this new model.