Nonlinear transient responses of lattice core sandwich plates under a sudden heat flux

In this study, we investigated the nonlinear thermally induced transient response of lattice core sandwich plates under the sudden application of heat flux for the first time. First, the equivalent thermal conductivity of the lattice core sandwich plates is obtained by considering the thermal conduction within the trusses and heat ra-diation in the cells. The one-dimensional transient heat transfer equation was implemented and solved using the central finite difference method to calculate the transient temperature field along the direction of the thickness of the plate. The displacement fields of the facesheets and lattice core layer were modeled using the Kirchhoff plate theory and the first-order shear deformation theory, respectively. Based on the Lagrange method and the assumed modal method, the governing equations, with mechanical-thermal coupling, for the simply supported lattice core sandwich plates under sudden heat flux are derived. Through a series of examples, the influences of the different lattice core cell types, thermal boundary conditions, truss radii, and cavity heat radiation on the nonlinear thermally induced transient responses of the sandwich plates are explored.