Dynamic response of prismatic metallic sandwich tubes under combined internal shock pressure and thermal load

This paper presents an analytical model for the transient thermomechanical response in the sandwich tube subjected to internal shock pressure and thermal load. A sandwich model (3-layers model) and a multilayer model for predicting transient temperature are proposed, and the effective thermal conductivities in each layer are obtained by the analytical method based on the Fourier law of conduction. The analysis of dynamic response is conducted by using the high order sandwich shell models, considering the shear deformation and compressibility of the core. Moreover, several numerical simulations are carried out by finite element (FE) analysis, which are compared with the results obtained by using analytical models. The slight discrepancies between the numerical simulations and analytical results indicate that the sandwich model (3-layers model) can predict the transient temperature in the sandwich tube correctly, and the thermomechanical response obtained by the high order sandwich shell model is within acceptable accuracy. Thermal stresses are strongly dependent on temperature gradient in the sandwich wall. The dynamic resultant forces with large amplitudes will induce structural fatigue, which is harmful to the structural life and reliability. Therefore, the thermal stresses should be considered for the design of sandwich tubes or pipes subjected to thermomechanical load. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.