Thermal, electrical, mechanical coupled mechanics for initial buckling analysis of smart plates and beams using discrete layer kinematics

Non-linear behavior of smart structures is of interest to researchers due to the possibilities for the elaboration of more effective actuators and sensors based on piezoelectric materials. The aim of the present work, is to present an integrated approach for the buckling behavior of smart beams and plates under multiple loading conditions. In order to present an accurate analysis, a coupled constitutive formulation between thermal, electrical and mechanical fields is elaborated incorporating non-linearity due to large displacements. An 8-node plate element was implemented in combination with discrete layer kinematics (LW) for the through-the-thickness representation of the structure. The issues of the critical buckling load under different electrical conditions as well as thermal and electrical loading are also presented. Experimental results contribute to the verification of the accuracy of the numerical analysis results and of the coupling mechanics in general.