Abstract：Based on the displacement mode of Reddy’s higher-order beam, and taking account of the slip deformation at the interface of the composite beam, the governing equations and boundary conditions for bending of the Reddy’s composite beam are formulated using the principle of minimum potential energy. The governing equations are transformed into an ordinary differential equation system consisting of 12 fundamental unknowns, and the solution expressions and the general analytical method for solving the ODE system are presented. Then, the bending of the simply-supported Reddy composite beam subjected to a uniform transversal load is studied, and the obtained results are in good agreement with those of the finite element method, which demonstrates the effectiveness and reliability of the general analytical method presented in the paper. Finally, the influences of the slip shear stiffness kcs at the composite beam interface, the Young’s modulus to shear modulus ratio E/G, beam span to depth ratio L/h and the layer’s depth ratio hs/hc, etc. on the bending of the Reddy composite beam are examined numerically. It is revealed that the slip stiffness has a great influence on the distribution of the stresses on the cross-section of composite beam, and the influence of the shear effect on the composite beam’s deflection becomes more remarkable with the beam span to depth ratio L/h decreasing and the the Young’s modulus to shear modulus ratio or the slip stiffness increasing. In such cases, the shear effect can not be neglected.
2014, Vol. 35 
