Efficient Coupled Zigzag Theory for Hybrid Piezoelectric Beams for Thermoelectric Load

An efficient coupled zigzag theory is developed for electrothermal stress analysis of hybrid piezoelectric beams. The thermal and potential fields are approximated as piecewise linear for the sublayers. The deflection is modeled to account for the transverse normal strain due to piezoelectricity and temperature. The longitudinal displacement is approximated as a combination of third-order global variation and a layerwise linear variation. The shear continuity conditions at the layer interfaces and the shear traction-free conditions at the top and bottom are used to formulate the theory in terms of three primary displacement variables. The theory is assessed by comparing the analytical solution for simply supported beam with the exact piezothermoelasticity solution. Comparisons for two thermal loads on a hybrid test beam devised for this study and hybrid composite beams establish that the present theory yields quite accurate results.