THERMO-MECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF FUNCTIONALLY GRADED STRUCTURES VIA REFINED SHELL FINITE ELEMENTS

Summary. Finite shell elements based on the Unified Formula tion by Carrera (CUF) are here extended to the thermo-mechanical analysis of functionally graded plates and shells. The elements have cylindrical geometry and the Mixed In terpolation of Tensorial Components (MITC) is used to overcome the membrane and shear l ocking phenomenon. Unlike the classical models, the refined models contained in t he CUF permit to account for the grading material variation in the thickness direction. The governing thermo-dynamical equations are derived from the Principle of Virtual Displacements . The temperature profile is not assumed linear in the thickness direction, but it is calculated by solving the Fourier’s heat conduction equation. The results are presented in terms of tem perature, displacements and stresses along the thickness and they are compared with quasi-3D sobtained analytically.