PIEZOTHERMOELASTIC BEHAVIOR OF A LAMINATED PLATE

Abstract

The response of a thin composite plate constructed of piezothermoelastic layers and subject to stationary thermal and electric fields is examined. Solutions based on classical lamination theory, extended here to include piezoelectric effects, are obtained for a “free” plate of arbitrary contour and for a simply supported, rectangular plate. Numerical results illustrate that thermally induced deformation of a structural laminate can be reduced significantly through the addition of a layer of piezoelectric material under an applied electric potential.