Find in Library

Thermo-elastic analysis of simply-supported orthotropic laminated beams subjected to high temperature and mechanical load is presented on the basis of the exact two-dimensional thermoelasticity theory. The beam is composed of several orthotropic layers, each with temperature-dependent material properties. The governing equation for each layer is analytically solved using the state space method. The displacement and stress solutions of the beam are obtained using the transfer-matrix method. A numerical example is included to study the effects of temperature on the mechanical responses of a sandwich beam. The results reveal two main effects of temperature: (i) inducing deformations and stresses by itself; (ii) affecting the deformations and stresses induced by the mechanical load. Keywords: Orthotropic laminated beams, Temperature-dependent material properties, Thermo-elasticity theory, State space method, Transfer-matrix method