Exponential decay rates for a full von Karman system of dynamic thermoelasticity

The full von Karman system accounting for in plane acceleration and thermal effects is considered. The main results of the paper are: (i) the wellposedness of regular and weak (finite energy) solutions, (ii) the uniform decay rates obtained for the energy function in the presence of mechanical damping affecting only the solenoidal part of the velocity field representing the horizontal displacements of the plate. The obtained decay rates are uniform with respect to the parameter gamma which represents the momenta of inertia and whose presence distinguishes the "parabolic-like' from the hyperbolic character of the dynamics. (C) 2000 Academic Press.