An efficient approach to study multi-layered structures with cohesive interfaces

A novel approach has been recently proposed by the author to study multilayered plate and shell structures with imperfect and cohesive interfaces and delaminations. Stress and displacement fields, which in these systems are characterized by large variations and discontinuities in the thickness direction, are fully described in the theory through a limited number of displacement unknown functions, independent of the number of layers and interfaces and equal to that of single layer theories for fully bonded structures. Applications which highlight the accuracy, range of applicability and limitations of the approach will be presented at the meeting