Elastic–plastic thermal stress analysis in a thermoplastic composite disc applied linear temperature loads via FEM

The aim of this study is to obtain thermal stresses in a thermoplastic composite disc unidirectionally reinforced by steel fibers. Finite element method was used to calculate the thermal elastic and elastic–plastic stress distributions within the composite disc. Therefore, the solution was carried out using the ANSYS software. The temperature loading was chosen so as to vary linearly from inner surface to outer surface along the radial sections of the disc. Linear thermal loads were selected as to differ from each other. They were also adjusted from 90 to 130 °C. Thermal stresses were formed within the disc by the linear temperature loads due to its having different thermal expansion coefficients in radial and tangential directions. In line with the thermal analysis results, the magnitudes of the tangential stress components for both elastic and elastic–plastic solutions were above the radial stress components. In addition, the residual stress components were also calculated using both elastic and elastic–plastic solution results. The results obtained pointed out that the magnitudes and distributions of the thermal stresses and residual stresses were greatly influenced by the increase in linear temperature loads.