Dynamic Interlaminar Stresses in Laminated Plates with Piezoelectric Actuators in Thermal Environments

The response histories and distribution of dynamic interlaminar stresses in laminated plates with piezoelectric actuators in thermal environments, under free vibration are studied based on thermoelectrodynamic differential equations. The stacking sequence of the laminated plates may be arbitrary. The temperature field is considered as a linear function of coordinates in-plane of each layer and the electric field is considered as the transverse component E _z only. The dynamic mode of displacements is considered as a triangle series. The in-plane stresses are calculated by using geometric equations and generalized Hooke’s law. The interlaminar stresses are evaluated by integrating the 3-D equations of dynamic equilibrium, and utilizing the given boundary conditions and continuity conditions of stresses between layers. The numerical illustrations concern the response histories and the distribution of interlaminar stress in the laminated plates with fully covered or embedded piezoelectric actuators under different sets of thermal load and electric excitation. The theoretical analyses and results are of certain significance in practical engineering applications.