THERMOMECHANICAL LOAD-CARRYING CAPACITY OF SANDWICH FLAT PANELS

The study of the nonlinear response of sandwich flat panels exposed to thermomechanical loading systems is the topic of this article. The sa ndwich structure considered in this article consists of a thick core l ayer bonded by the face layers, which are assumed to be symmetrically located with respect to the midplane of the overall structure. The loa ds involved in this analysis consist of biaxial compressive edge loads , a lateral pressure, and a nonuniform temperature field. The effects of the unavoidable initial geometric imperfections and the character o f tangential boundary conditions are incorporated, and their implicati ons upon the structural response are explored. In short, the results o f this study are intended to provide pertinent information on the ther momechanical load-carrying capacity of flat sandwich structures.