Transient analysis of two-dimensional structures using a coupled thermo-elastic finite element procedure

The transient response of realistic structures subjected to thermal shocks is becoming increasingly important in the design of nuclear reactor structural components, such as fuel-cladding, pressure vessel and piping. In these problems, as is known, both the thermoelastic and inertia effects need be taken into account. Due to the complexity of the thermomechanical interactions, as is seen in literature, the problem is usually solved based on the uncoupled thermoelastic theory. Although several finite element procedures have been devoted to one-dimensional coupled thermoelastic analysis, the work which is done on two-dimensional analysis is very limited. The aim of this work is thus to develop an efficient and accurate finite element procedure to deal with two-dimensional coupled thermoelastic problems subjected to thermal shocks. The achievement of this work becomes of practical interest in assessing the performance of the nuclear reactor components. (orig./RW)