A 3-node piezoelectric shell element for linear and geometrically nonlinear dynamic analysis of smart structures

Abstract

Composite laminates consisting of passive and multi-functional materials represent a powerful material system. Passive layers could be made of isotropic materials or fiber-reinforced composites, while piezoelectric ceramics are considered here as a multi-functional material. The paper is focused on linear and geometrically nonlinear dynamic analysis of smart structures made of such a material system. For this purpose, a linear 3-node shell element is used. It employs the Mindlin-Reissner kinematics and the discrete shear gap (DSG) technique to alleviate the transverse shear locking effects. The electric potential is assumed to vary linearly through the thickness for each piezoelectric layer. A co-rotational formulation is used to handle the geometrically nonlinear effects. A number of examples involving actuator and sensor application of piezoelectric layers are considered. For the validation purposes, the results available in the literature and those computed in Abaqus are used as a reference.