Thermoelastic response and boundary effect of cross-ply laminated cylindrical shells based on a quasi-3D type higher-order shear deformation theory

In the present study, the boundary effect and the thermoelastic response of laminated cylindrical shells with various boundary conditions are considered using the quasi-3D type higher-order shear deformation theory and the semi-analytical approach. The governing equations and their corresponding boundary conditions are derived based on the principle of virtual work. To obtain the static solution, these governing equations are solved by employing fundamental trigonometric series and the Laplace transform. The shell is subjected to a thermal load uniformly or sinusoidally distributed over the surface and linearly varying through the thickness. The present results are compared with other higher-order models in previous studies. The paper also exhibits the effects of the boundary condition, the relative thickness, the relative length, the laminated sequence, the relationships of elastic moduli, thermal expansion coefficients in the directions of principal material axes on the displacements, and the stresses of shells. The stress concentration effect is analyzed, and then the effects of several structural and material parameters on the distribution of stresses in the boundary zone are discussed in detail.