Isogeometric analysis of laminated smart shell structures covered with piezoelectric sensors and actuators using degenerated shell formulation

An isogeometric approach to the analysis of laminated composite smart shell structures based on the degenerated formulation and Mindlin–Reissner assumptions using non-uniform rational B-spline basis functions is the subject of this article. To model the laminated orthotropic smart free-form shells, the equivalent single layer theory is adopted, and an accurate approach to construct the local basis systems is used. To consider the electric potential in the piezoelectric layers, a sub-layer approach is employed that assumes linear variation over the thickness of the sub-layer. To investigate the performance of the approach, static, free vibration, and static control analysis of laminated composite shells covered with piezoelectric sensor and actuator layers with different degrees of basis functions is performed. Also, the effect of mechanical loading, various input voltages, and different boundary conditions on the static response and natural frequencies have been investigated. Several numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the approach and validated with the existing results from the literature.