Static analysis of multilayered smart shells subjected to mechanical, thermal and electrical loads

The paper introduces a quasi-3D static description of multilayered smart shells subjected to mechanical, thermal and electrical loads and it evaluates the coupling between each physical field and the effects of the shell curvatures. The governing equations are solved in a closed form and they are given in terms of three main primary variables (displacement vector, temperature and electric potential). The displacements can be modelled in both Equivalent Single Layer (ESL) or Layer Wise (LW) form, the temperature and the electric potential are always considered in LW form because of their higher spatial gradients. Independently of the multilayer approach, each variable can be expanded from linear to fourth order in the thickness direction. Comparisons between these refined 2D models and the classical ones are also proposed to show the main advantages and limitations. The fully coupled thermo-electro-mechanical governing equations are obtained from opportune extensions of the Principle of Virtual Displacements and the multifield constitutive equations.