Thermal bending analysis of composite laminated cylindrical shells using arefined first-order theory

A refined single-layer thermoelastic model of composite laminated cylindric al shells is presented using a mixed variational approach. The present mode l accounts for Reissner-Mindlin's displacement assumptions and continuous s tress distributions through the thickness. Therefore the present first-orde r shell theory recovers the actual interlaminar stress state without losing its simplicity and leads to a consistency with the elasticity theory. Furt hermore, the stresses are consistent with surface conditions. So, the ratio nale for the shear correction factors used in other first-order theories ar e obviated. Governing equations including thermomechanical effects are dedu ced with the required boundary conditions. A wide variety of numerical resu lts for cross-ply symmetric and antisymmetric laminated circular cylindrica l shells are presented for various boundary conditions. A bending analysis is made to illustrate the influences of orthotropy, the length-to-radius ra tio, the radius-to-thickness ratio, the number of layers, and boundary cond itions on the thermal responses.