Author(s): Lukas Reinhardt, Anna Vogelmann, Markus Feldner and Clara Hoffmann

Abstract: Thermal loading is an unavoidable condition in many engineering applications involving composite laminates, particularly in aerospace, automotive, and energy systems where components are exposed to elevated and spatially uniform temperatures. When composite laminates are subjected to uniform heating, differences in thermal expansion coefficients between constituent layers generate internal stresses, even in the absence of external mechanical loads. These thermo-mechanical stresses can significantly influence stiffness degradation, dimensional stability, interlaminar stress distribution, and long-term structural integrity. This research presents a theoretical investigation of Thermo-mechanical stress generation and its impact on structural integrity in simple composite laminates subjected to uniform temperature rise. Classical lamination theory is employed to derive closed-form expressions for in-plane stresses and bending moments induced purely by thermal effects. The formulation explicitly accounts for anisotropic material behavior, laminate stacking sequence, and mismatch in ply-level thermal expansion properties. Special attention is given to symmetric and asymmetric laminate configurations to highlight the role of coupling between bending and extension under thermal loading. Results demonstrate that even modest temperature changes can produce substantial residual stresses, particularly in cross-ply and angle-ply laminates, where thermal mismatch is pronounced. The research further illustrates how laminate symmetry can eliminate thermally induced bending while still generating significant in-plane stresses. Parametric analysis reveals the sensitivity of stress magnitudes to ply orientation, thickness ratio, and elastic modulus contrast between layers. The findings emphasize that thermal effects must be considered alongside mechanical loading during the design and analysis of composite structures. The simplified analytical framework presented in this work provides clear physical insight into thermo-mechanical behavior and serves as a useful reference for preliminary design and educational purposes. By isolating thermal effects under uniform heating, the research contributes to a clearer understanding of stress generation mechanisms in composite laminates and supports more reliable prediction of thermally induced failure risks in practical engineering applications.

DOI: 10.22271/2707806X.2026.v7.i1a.56

Pages: 21-25 | Views: 23 | Downloads: 5

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