Integrated thermal and mechanical analysis of composite plates and shells

Thermal and mechanical analyses of structures are usually performed with non-consistent tools leading to an excessive effort in data adaptation. The application of 2D finite elements for both tasks relaxes this deficiency. With thermal lamination theories assuming a linear or quadratic temperature distribution in the thickness direction, suitable elements are developed and experimentally verified for both steady-state and transient problems. On the basis of a 2D global analysis accurate transverse stresses can be determined from local equilibrium conditions. For laminated plates and cylindrical shells a procedure is presented which allows us to reduce the order of shape functions. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.