Chaotic motion of a nonlinear thermoelastic elliptic plate

In the paper the nonlinear dynamic equation of a harmonically forced elliptic plate is derived, with the effects of large deflection of plate and thermoelasticity taken into account. The Melnikov function method is used to give the critical condition for chaotic motion. A demonstrative example is discussed through the Poincaré mapping, phase portrait and time history. Finally the path to chaotic motion is also discussed. Through the theoretical analysis and numerical computation some beneficial conclusions are obtained. Foundation item: the National natural Science Foundation of China (19672038); the Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Provence (1880342).