The increased use of composite materials in aerospace structures has caused a strong need for understanding thermal-structural behavior of laminated composites.
Hence the information on thermal stresses around the circular hole in laminated composite will have great importance for mechanically fastened joint.
In this thesis, the computer program for integrated thermal-structural analysis is developed using three-dimensional finite-element method. This program can treat linear steady heat conduction and thermally induced stresses in symmetrically laminated composite. Numerical results are obtained for temperature distribution, displacement pattern and interlaminar thermal stresses in [+45˚/-45˚]s angle-ply laminated composite with a circular hole under specified thermal boundary conditions.
It is shown that there is a high elevation of the local temperature gradient around the circular hole and the isotherm lines are affected by the fiber orientation and thermal conductivities.
Further, it is clearly found that thermally induced interlaminar stresses around the circular hole are not negligible as compared with inplane stress.
