Improved shell finite element for piezothermoelastic analysis of smart fiber reinforced composite structures

Present article deals with the development of an improved eight noded layered shell finite element formulation for piezothermoelastic analysis of smart fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite shell structures with bonded piezoelectric sensors and actuators. Stress resultant-type Koiter's shell theory has been used and twist curvature component has been incorporated to keep the strain equations complete. The transverse shear effect has also been considered according to Mindlin's hypothesis. Pyroelectric effect has been considered in the formulation. The developed formulation has been observed to give accurate results for both deep and shallow shells and will be useful for analysis of smart FRP shell structures. It is observed that pyroelectric effect has a significant influence on the response of such shells under piezothermoelastic loading. Different types of smart shell panels viz. spherical, ellipsoidal, doubly curved and cylindrical have been analyzed and the coupled thermo-electro-mechanical responses have been presented.