Coupled thermoelastic isotropic laminates

Abstract

We consider in this paper the general properties of laminates designed to be isotropic in extension and in bending and with a coupling between the in- and out-of plane responses. In particular, we analyze the mathematical properties of the tensors describing the elastic and thermal behavior and the mechanical consequences of these properties. The differences, from the mathematical and mechanical point of view, between the hybrid laminates, i.e. composed by layers of different materials, and those made of identical plies, are pointed out and analyzed. The polar formalism for planar tensors is used in this study.