Analysis of non-linear piezothermoelastic laminated beams with electric and temperature effects

Conventional analyses of piezoelectric laminated structures are based on linear theories. Investigations of non-linear characteristics are still relatively scarce. In this paper, static, dynamic, and control effects of a piezothermoelastic laminated beam with an initial non-linear large static deflection (the von Karman type geometric non-linear deformation) and temperature and electric inputs are studied. It is assumed that the piezoelectric layers are uniformly distributed on the top and bottom surfaces of the beam. Beam equations incorporating the non-linear deflections, piezoelectric layers, temperature and electric effects are simplified from the generic piezothermoelastic shell equations. Analytical solutions of non-linear static deflection and eigenvalue problems of the non-linearly deformed beam including temperature and electric effects are derived. Active control effects on non-linear static deflections and natural frequencies imposed by the piezoelectric actuators via high control voltages are investigated. A numerical example is provided and response behavior is investigated. (C) 1998 Academic Press Limited.