Dynamic behavior of a piezothermoelastic laminate considering the effect of transverse shear

In this paper, we analyze the dynamic behavior of a piezothermoelastic laminate considering the effect of transverse shear. The analytical model is a rectangular laminate composed of fiber-reinforced laminae and piezoelectric layers. The model is assumed to be a symmetric cross-ply laminate with all edges simply supported and to be subjected to mechanical, thermal and electrical loads varying arbitrarily with time. The behavior of the laminate is analyzed based on first-order shear deformation theory. Closed solutions of the following quantities are obtained: (1) the natural frequencies of the laminate, (2) the weight function for the deflection and (3) the unsteady deflection due to loads varying arbitrarily with time. Moreover, numerical examples of the solutions are shown to examine the effect of transverse shear on the dynamic behavior of the laminate and how the voltage applied to the laminate decreases the deflection due to mechanical or thermal loads.