The development of a coupled dynamic model for thermoelastically loaded aluminium composite sandwich plates for satellite applications

An analytical-numerical coupled model has been developed to predict the effects of dynamic thermomechanical loading on aluminium composite panels in the form of metallic skin sandwich structures, for the enhanced design of spacecraft structures where the environmental conditions comprise combined mechanical and thermal loading. The model is explored for a centrally located static mechanical load in conjunction with thermal loading in the form of controlled environmental temperatures, for prescribed physical boundary conditions. The physics of dynamic thermal and mechanical loadings have been integrated into a partially coupled modelling procedure which can easily accommodate different boundary conditions and dynamically varying thermal properties.