Finite Element Analysis on the Behavior of Laminated Composite Shells With Embedded Shape Memory Alloy Wires

Motivated by needs such as those in the aerospace industry, this paper demonstrates the thermomechanical characteristics of static and dynamic (frequency) behaviors of laminated composite shells with embedded shape memory alloy (SMA) wire subjected to temperature environments. Numerical analysis for SMA fiber reinforced composite laminates is performed by synergizing finite element method with Brison’s model [1,2] of SMA constitutive law. A nonlinear finite element procedure with respect to shape memory alloy hybrid composite (SMAHC) shell has been developed which incorporates a thermodynamically derived constitutive law for SMA behavior. Present illustrative applications involve rectangular laminated panels clamped along one side, although the method is applicable to more complicated laminates, geometries and boundary conditions. Panel geometry is discretized into specially-developed 3D degenerated eight-node laminated composite shell elements. General shell theory, involving incremental nonlinear finite element equilibrium that includes large deformations with Green-Lagrange strains, is employed. Several test cases which depend on volume fraction of SMA, temperature and ply angles are presented to illustrate the thermomechanical behavior of SMAHC. The results of numerical analysis show the ability of the suggested procedure to compute the thermomechanical behavior of SMAHC due to SMA’s internal phase transformations with stress and temperature.