Coupled thermo-piezoelectric-mechanical model for smart composite laminates

A coupled thermo-piezoelectric-mechanical model of composite laminates with surface bonded piezoelectric actuators, subjected to externally applied loads, is developed. The governing differential equations are obtained by applying the principle of free energy and variational techniques. A higher-order displacement field is used to accurately capture the tranverse shear effects in laminated composite plates of arbitrary thickness. A double triangular function expansion that satisfies the boundary conditions is used as a solution. Both thermal and mechanical loads are considered, and the effect of actuation is studied. Composite laminates of various thickness and lengths are analyzed. The thermal coupling is shown to have significant effects in both quasi-static and active response analyses.