CONTROL OF ADAPTIVE SHELLS WITH THERMAL AND MECHANICAL EXCITATIONS

Shell-type components and structures are very common in many mechanical and structural systems. Modelling and analysis of adaptive piezothermoelastic shell laminates represent high level of sophistication and complexity. Accordingly, a numerical method is developed to investigate the complicated temperature, mechanical, and control interactions of piezothermoelastic shell composites in this study. Constitutive equations and governing equations of a generic piezothermoelastic continuum are defined first. Strain–displacement relations, electric field–potential relations, thermal gradient–temperature relations of laminated shell composites are then defined. A new piezothermoelastic composite triangular shell finite element is formulated and developed. Matrix equations of the piezothermoelastic shell laminate are derived, in which mechanical, temperature, and electric force vectors are also defined. The electric force vector is used to active control of the shell laminates. Finite element solutions of a piezoelectric laminated composite plate are compared with experimental data and numerical solutions first. Distributed control of a piezoelectric laminated semicircular shell subjected to mechanical and temperature (thermal shock) excitations is investigated and control effectiveness evaluated.