In an article recently published in this journal, the powerful single-term extended Kantorovich method (EKM) originally proposed by Kerr in 1968 for two-dimensional (2D) elasticity problems was further extended by the authors to the three-dimensional (3D) elasticity solution for laminated plates. The single-term solution, however, failed to predict accurately the stress field near the boundaries; thus limiting its applicability. In this work, the method is generalized to the multiterm solution. The solution is developed using the Reissner-type mixed variational principle that ensures the same order of accuracy for displacements and stresses. An n-term solution generates a set of 8n algebraic-ordinary differential equations in the in-plane direction and a similar set in the thickness direction for each lamina, which are solved in close form. The problem of large eigenvalues associated with higher order terms is addressed. In addition to the composite laminates considered in the previous article, results are also presented for sandwich laminates, for which the inaccuracy in the single-term solution is even more prominent. It is shown that considering just one or two additional terms in the solution (n = 2 or 3) leads to a very accurate prediction and drastic improvement over the single-term solution (n = 1) for all entities including the stress field near the boundaries. This work will facilitate development of near-exact solutions of many important unresolved problems involving 3D elasticity, such as the free edge stresses in laminated structures under bending, tension and torsion.
