FINITE DEFLECTIONS OF LOOSELY CLAMPED SYMMETRICALLY LAMINATED RECTANGULAR PLATES SUBJECTED TO TEMPERATURE FIELDS

This article is concerned with the geometrically nonlinear analysis for the response of symmetrically laminated composite material rectangular plates subjected to transverse loads and temperature fields. The general nonlinear thermoelastic governing equations, based on von Kármán large deflection theory, are formulated for plates subjected to temperature fields of special class where the temperature field may be assumed to be completely separable with respect to through thickness of the plate. Inertia effects and transverse shear effects are not considered. However, the governing equations include the thermomechanical coupling effects. Boundary conditions for loosely clamped edges are considered. Simultaneous determination of transverse deflection and the force function is achieved by expressing these quantities as double series involving appropriate beam eigenfunctions satisfying all the boundary conditions. Results corresponding to increasing transverse (aerodynamic) forces and thermal fields are included, indicating the sensibility of the stress and displacement fields to the class of laminated plates under consideration.