Thermo-mechanical loading of laminates with imperfect interfaces

Composite laminates are currently being pursued for structures which may be subjected to explosive threats in aggressive environments, characterized by extreme temperatures and seawater. A mechanical model is formulated for laminated plates subjected to thermo-mechanical loading and deforming in cylindrical bending; the layers are assumed to be imperfectly bonded, with sliding interfaces and delaminations. The model derives dynamic equilibrium equations which depend on only three unknown displacement functions for arbitrary numbers of layers/interfaces. Close form solutions are obtained which highlight accuracy and limitations of the approach and the influence of the imperfect interfaces on stress and displacement fields