Higher-Order Stability Analysis of Imperfect Laminated Piezo-Composite Plates on Elastic Foundations Under Electro-Thermo-Mechanical Loads

This article provides a fully analytical approach for nonlinear equilibrium path of rectangular sandwich plates. The core of structure is made of symmetric cross-ply laminated composite and the outer surfaces are piezoelectric actuators which perfectly bonded to inner core. The structure is subjected to electro-thermo-mechanical loads simultaneously. One side of plate is rested on Pasternak type elastic foundation. The equilibrium equations of plate are derived based on the higher-order shear deformation theory of Reddy taking into account initial geometrical imperfection, nonlinear strain-displacement relations of von-Karman, temperature dependent properties, and different types of boundary conditions. Some numerical examples are presented to verify the accuracy of the proposed formulation. The effects of various parameters such as voltage on actuators, elastic foundation, imperfection, and pre-load condition on the buckling and postbuckling behaviors are studied. As an important finding of current research, there may be exists bifurcation point for imperfect plates by applying voltage on actuators.