Nomenclature
C= related to the constitutive matrix in global coordinates and its components F N = functions of the Nth order used in the expansion along the thickness variable H i = two-dimensional Hermite interpolation functions K = related to the global stiffness matrix and its components M = related to the global mass matrix and its components N i = two-dimensional serendipity interpolation function N l = number of plies N τ = order of the complete polynomial chosen for the displacement fields P = vector of normal forces R = vector of moments and twist u = vector of displacement fields u, v = in-plane displacement fields w = transverse displacement field x, y = in-plane coordinate variables z = transverse coordinate variable Γ = plate's in-plane domain δ mn = Kronecker delta ρ = density Ω = plate's three-dimensional domain Subscripts i, j = recurrence indices for node numbering m, n = recurrence indices for Kronecker delta x = first derivative with respect to in-plane x position xy = crossed derivative in respect to in-plane position variables y = first derivative with respect to in-plane y position α = recurrence index related to any expansion term of the three displacement fields α u , α v = related to the order of the in-plane displacement fields polynomial expansion term α w = related to the order of the out-of-plane displacement field polynomial expansion term 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 = local indices used to identify anisotropic material properties Superscripts e = related to the finite element i, j = recurrence indices for node numbering k = current ply r, s = recurrence indices indicating the terms in the displacement polynomial functions T = transpose