Bending Analysis of SMA Embedded Rectangular Laminated Sandwich Plates with Soft Core Using 3D Finite Element Method

Abstract

Nowadays Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) are used as actuators in many applications such as aerospace structures. In sandwich structures, the SMA wires or plates are used in the skins for shape control of the structure or vibration damping. In this paper, bending behavior of sandwich plates with embedded SMA wires in their skins is studied. 3D finite element method is used for construction and analysis of the sandwich plate with a flexible core and two stiff skins. Some important points such as continuity conditions of the displacements, satisfaction of interlaminar transverse shear stresses, the conditions of zero transverse shear stresses on the upper and lower surfaces and in-plane and transverse flexibility of soft core are considered for accurate modeling and analysis of sandwich structures. Solution for bending analysis of sandwich plates under various transverse loads are presented and the effect of many parameters such as plate dimensions, loading conditions, material properties of core, skins and SMA wires are studied. Comparison of the present results in special case with those of the three-dimensional theory of elasticity and some plate theories confirms the accuracy of the proposed model.