FLEXURAL ANALYSIS OF THERMALLY LOADED SYMMETRIC SANDWICH BEAM

Abstract

In the present paper, an attempt has been made to study the effect of temperature gradient on simply supported symmetric sandwich beam. A Navier’s solution technique is used. The temperature profile is assumed to be linear across the thickness of a sandwich beam. A higher order beam theory (HBT) is used to include the effect of shear deformation on thermal flexural response of the sandwich beam. The theory satisfies the shear stress free boundary condition at the top and bottom surfaces of the sandwich beam. No shear correction factor is required. The principle of virtual work is used to obtain the governing equations and boundary conditions. A program has been developed in FORTRAN-77 to obtain thermal stresses and displacements in the sandwich beam for various aspect ratios. The numerical results are presented for moderately thick and thin sandwich beams to assess the performance of the theory. The validity of the present theory is verified by comparing the results with the results available in the literature. The present results are in good agreement with the results of other theories.