Thermostructural Finite Element Analysis of Laminated Doubly Curved Composite Shells

The present investigation concerns with the development of a finite element method for the thermostructural analysis of laminated doubly curved composite shells. The thermal analysis includes all conventional modes of heat transfer including external heat fluxes and convection environments. The shell strain-deformation relations are based on Donnell's shallow shell theory. The thermo-mechanical properties of composites are assumed to be temperature dependent. Both steady and transient states are analysed. The present results are found to compare well with those existing in the open literature. Numerical results are also obtained for displacements and stresses to study the effects of thermal boundary conditions, radius to span ratios, stacking sequences, structural boundary conditions and temperature dependent material properties.