Nonlinear thermoelastic response of laminated composite conical panels

Nonlinear thermoelastic static response characteristics of laminated composite conical panels are studied employing finite element approach based on first-order shear deformation theory and field consistency principle. The nonlinear governing equations, considering moderately large deformation, are solved using Newton-Raphson iterative technique coupled with the adaptive displacement control method to efficiently trace the equilibrium path. The validation of the formulation for mechanical and thermal loading cases is carried out. The present results are found to be in good agreement with those available in the literature. The adaptive displacement control method is found to be capable of handling problems with multiple snapping responses. Detailed parametric study is carried out to highlight the influence of semicone angle, boundary conditions, radius-to-thickness ratio and lamination scheme on the nonlinear thremoelastic response of laminated cylindrical and conical panels.