The influence of each primary variable of a structural theory varies depending on the structural problem, and some variables can be more important than others in predicting the mechanical behaviour of a structure. Moreover, some terms might not have any influence, since their absence does not affect the accuracy of the solution. The axiomatic/asymptotic method (AAM) has been recently developed to investigate the influence of each variable of beam, plate and shell models. The AAM leads to the Best Theory Diagram (BTD) where the accuracy of a model can be evaluated against the number of variables. The BTD is a tool to edit an arbitrarily given theory to get a lower number of terms for a given error or to increase the accuracy while keeping the computational costs constant.

MUL2 Investigators

Erasmo Carrera, Maria Cinefra, Marco Petrolo

Reference Papers

Carrera E., Miglioretti F.. "Selection of appropriate multilayered plate theories by using a genetic like algorithm", Composite Structures (2012), 94, pp. 1175-1186

Carrera E., Petrolo M.. "On the Effectiveness of Higher-Order Terms in Refined Beam Theories", Journal of Applied Mechanics (2011), Vol. 78 / 021013, pp. 1-17

Carrera E., Petrolo M.. "Guidelines and Reccomendations to Construct Theories for Metallic and Composite Plates", AIAA Journal (2010), Vol. 48, N° 12, pp.2852-2866

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