A procedure for the reliability analysis of laminated composite plate
structures subjected to large deflections under random static loads is
presented. The nonlinear analysis of laminated composite plate struct
ures is achieved via a corotational total Lagrangian finite element fo
rmulation which is based on the von Karman assumption and first order
shear deformation theory. This formulation is applicable for the nonli
near analysis of plate structures with large rotations but moderate de
formation and thus accurate enough to predict the behavior of the stru
ctures at the point of failure. The reliability assessment of laminate
d composite plate structures with random strength subjected to random
loads is approached by the determination of limit state surfaces in lo
ad space' The limit space surfaces are obtained by performing a series
of first ply failure analyses following different load paths in load
space using the proposed nonlinear structural analysis technique and a
n appropriate failure criterion. A numerical technique is then propose
d to evaluate the reliability of the plate structures. Examples of the
reliability analyses of laminated plates with different layer orienta
tions subject to random loads are given for illustration.