An analytical solution for the flexural response of intelligent composite and sandwich panels

Abstract

The objective of the paper is to present a simple analytical solution to study the flexural behaviour of intelligent (composite and sandwich) panels subjected to electromechanical loads. For this purpose, panels with simply supported edge restraints are considered, and a one-term solution, which is the exact solution for the cases considered, is developed. The first-order shear deformation theory is used in this study. The constitutive equations employed herein not only provide the requisite electromechanical coupling but also account for the stiffness of the actuator and sensor layers apart from substrate. The displacement field and sensor voltage are obtained by minimizing the total (electro-mechanical) potential. While constitutive relations are used to compute the inplane stress-state, the transverse normal and shear stresses are computed using 3-D elasticity equilibrium equations. A series of numerical examples is solved to study the influence of actuator loads (applied voltage) on these displacement and stress fields. A few interesting observations are made regarding the variation of interlaminar shear stresses at the actuator/substrate and sensor/substrate interface.