Nonlinear transient response of thermally loaded laminated panels

The nonlinear response of a composite laminated panel that is suddenly exposed to a heat flux is examined using the finite element method. The panel is cantilevered onto a rigid hub, the rotation motion of which is either fully or partially restrained. The panel elastic deformations are assumed large and are modeled via the von Karman strain-displacement relationship while the rigid-body angular rotation, for the case of a rotating rigid hub, is assumed small. The system of nonlinear governing equations is solved by the Newton-Raphson method in conjunction with the Newmark time integration scheme. The panel deformation is observed to be sensitive to the motion of the base.