# Static and Vibration Analysis of Imperfect Thermoelastic Laminated Plates on a Winkler Foundation

## TL;DR

This paper analyzes how imperfect laminated plates behave under thermal and mechanical loads when resting on a Winkler foundation.

## Contribution

The novel integration of state-space and thermoelasticity theories provides exact solutions for imperfect laminated plates on foundations.

## Key findings

- Lower foundation stiffness increases sensitivity of structural deformation.
- Higher interfacial flexibility reduces global stiffness and causes stress discontinuities.
- Thermal conductivity affects interfacial heat flux continuity and thermo-mechanical coupling.

## Abstract

This study introduces an analytical framework that integrates the state-space method with generalized thermoelasticity theory to obtain exact solutions for the static and dynamic behaviors of laminated plates featuring imperfect interfaces and resting on a Winkler foundation. The model comprehensively accounts for the foundation-structure interaction, interfacial imperfection, and the coupling between the thermal and mechanical fields. A parametric analysis explores the impact of the dimensionless foundation coefficient, interface flexibility coefficient, and thermal conductivity on the static and dynamic behaviors of the laminated plates. The results indicate that a lower foundation stiffness results in higher sensitivity of structural deformation with respect to the foundation parameter. Furthermore, an increase in interfacial flexibility significantly reduces the global stiffness and induces discontinuities in the distribution of stress and temperature. Additionally, thermal conductivity governs the continuity of interfacial heat flux, while thermo-mechanical coupling amplifies the variations in specific field variables. The findings offer valuable insights into the design and reliability evaluation of composite structures operating in thermally coupled environments.