Thermal Induced Vibrations

Thermal induced vibrations occur in flexural elements such as beams, plates, and shells. Whenever structures are exposed to transient thermal conditions, thermal induced vibrations may occur. This phenomenon was first observed in the satellites behavior in orbit. The occurrence of thermal induced vibrations depends upon the geometrical properties of the element in consideration. This chapter presents thermal induced vibrations of rectangular plates and the spherical and conical shells. The analysis is based on the solution of transient heat conduction equation along with the equations of motion of plates and shells. Limitations for the occurrence of induced vibrations are discussed in detail.