Coupled thermoelastic transient analyses of truss-like structures via high-fidelity beam models

This study investigates dynamic problems in the context of coupled thermoelasticity, employing the Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF) to develop variable-fidelity kinematic one-dimensional (1D) beam models. Using higher-order 1D CUF models, accurate predictions are made for displacements, stresses, and temperature changes in homogeneous isotropic structures subjected to thermal loading. By transforming the complex three-dimensional (3D) problem into a computationally efficient 1D model, this approach achieves a balance between accuracy and low computational expense. Classical theories of thermoelasticity are adopted in this work. Several structures are analyzed to demonstrate the capabilities of this numerical tool. Through numerical analyses, convergence studies, and comparisons with benchmark solutions or results derived from solid models, the accuracy of the formulation is demonstrated. The results document the good accuracy and reliability of the proposed approach.