Hygro-Thermo-Mechanical Equivalent Layer-Wise Theory of Laminated Shell Structures

Francesco Tornabene^*, Matteo Viscoti, Rossana Dimitri
Department of Innovation Engineering, University of Salento, Lecce, 73100, Italy
* Corresponding Author: Francesco Tornabene. Email: email
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Theoretical and Computational Modeling of Advanced Materials and Structures-II)

Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences https://doi.org/10.32604/cmes.2025.058841

Received 22 September 2024; Accepted 02 December 2024; Published online 06 January 2025

Download PDF

Abstract

This study presents a generalized two-dimensional model for evaluating the stationary hygro-thermo-mechanical response of laminated shell structures made of advanced materials. It introduces a generalized kinematic model, enabling the assessment of arbitrary values of temperature variation and mass concentration variation for the unvaried configuration at the top and bottom surfaces. This is achieved through the Equivalent Layer-Wise description of the unknown field variable using higher-order polynomials and zigzag functions. In addition, an elastic foundation is modeled utilizing the Winkler-Pasternak theory. The fundamental equations, derived from the total free energy of the system, are solved analytically using Navier’s method. Then, the Fourier-based generalized differential quadrature numerical method is adopted to efficiently recover the through-the-thickness distribution of secondary variables in agreement with the hygro-thermal loading conditions. The formulation is applied in some examples of investigation where the response of panels of different curvature and lamination schemes is evaluated under external hygro-thermal fluxes and prescribed values of temperature and moisture concentration. In addition, this study investigates the effect of the hygro-thermal coupling due to Dufour and Soret effect. The present formulation is verified to be a valuable tool for reducing computational effort and determining the effect on the mechanical response of laminated structures in a thermal and hygrometric environment.