Spline finite strip analysis of piezoelectric composite plates

In the present study, the spline finite strip with higher-order shear deformation is formulated for the static analysis of piezoelectric composite plates. In the analysis, the electric potential of each continuous electrode is taken as a structural degree of freedom, so that the equipotential condition on the electrode is automatically satisfied. The analysis can be conducted based on Reddy's third-order shear deformation theory, Touratier's "Sine" model, Afaq's exponential model and Cho's higher-order zigzag laminate theory, respectively. Consequently, the shear correction coefficients are not required in the analysis, and an improved accuracy for thick plate is achieved. The numerical results obtained based on different shear deformation theories are presented in comparison with the three-dimensional Solutions. The behaviours of piezoelectric composite plates with different length-to-thickness ratios and fibre orientations are investigated through numerical examples.