Thermal buckling and postbuckling behavior of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite plates

Thermal buckling and postbuckling behavior is presented for functionally graded nanocomposite plates reinforced by single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) subjected to in-plane temperature variation. The material properties of SWCNTs are assumed to be temperature-dependent and are obtained from molecular dynamics simulations. The material properties of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composites (FG-CNTRCs) are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction, and are estimated through a micromechanical model. Based on the multi-scale approach, numerical illustrations are carried out for perfect and imperfect, geometrically mid-plane symmetric FG-CNTRC plates and uniformly distributed CNTRC plates under different values of the nanotube volume fractions. The results show that the buckling temperature as well as thermal postbuckling strength of the plate can be increased as a result of a functionally graded reinforcement. It is found that in some cases the CNTRC plate with intermediate nanotube volume fraction does not have intermediate buckling temperature and initial thermal postbuckling strength.     

Nonlinear vibration and bending of sandwich plates with nanotube-reinforced composite face sheets

This paper studied the large amplitude vibration and the nonlinear bending of a sandwich plate with carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (CNTRC) face sheets resting on an elastic foundation in thermal environments. The material properties of CNTRC face sheets are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction, and are estimated through a micromechanical model. The governing equation of the plate that includes plate-foundation interaction is solved by a two-step perturbation technique. The thermal effects are also included and the material properties of both CNTRC face sheets and homogeneous core layer are assumed to be temperature-dependent. A detailed parametric study is conducted to study the effects of nanotube volume fraction, core-to-face sheet thickness ratio, temperature change, foundation stiffness and in-plane boundary conditions on the nonlinear vibration characteristics and nonlinear bending behaviors of sandwich plates with functionally graded CNTRC face sheets. The results for the same plate with uniformly distributed CNTRC face sheets are also provided for comparison.     

Buckling and Postbuckling Behavior of Functionally Graded Nanotube-Reinforced Composite Plates in Thermal Environments

This paper investigates the buckling and postbuckling of simply supported, nanocomposite plates with functionally graded nanotube reinforcements subjected to uniaxial compression in thermal environments. The nanocomposite plates are assumed to be functionally graded in the thickness direction using single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) serving as reinforcements and the plates' effective material properties are estimated through a micromechanical model. The higher order shear deformation plate theory with a von Kármán-type of kinematic nonlinearity is used to model the composite plates and a two-step perturbation technique is performed to determine the buckling loads and postbuckling equilibrium paths. Numerical results for perfect and imperfect, geometrically mid-plane symmetric functionally graded carbon nanotube reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) plates are obtained under different sets of thermal environmental conditions. The results for uniformly distributed CNTRC plate, which is a special case in the present study, are compared with those of the FG-CNTRC plate. The results show that the buckling loads as well as postbuckling strength of the plate can be significantly increased as a result of a functionally graded nanotube reinforcement. The results reveal that the carbon nanotube volume fraction has a significant effect on the buckling load and postbuckling behavior of CNTRC plates.     

Thermal buckling and postbuckling behavior of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite cylindrical shells

Thermal postbuckling analysis is presented for nanocomposite cylindrical shells reinforced by single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) subjected to a uniform temperature rise. The SWCNTs are assumed to be aligned and straight with a uniform layout. Two kinds of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (CNTRC) shells, namely, uniformly distributed (UD) and functionally graded (FG) reinforcements, are considered. The material properties of FG-CNTRCs are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction, and are estimated through a micromechanical model. The governing equations are based on a higher order shear deformation theory with a von Kármán-type of kinematic nonlinearity. The thermal effects are also included and the material properties of CNTRCs are assumed to be temperature-dependent. Based on the multi-scale approach, numerical illustrations are carried out for perfect and imperfect, FG- and UD-CNTRC shells under different values of the nanotube volume fractions. The results show that the buckling temperature as well as thermal postbuckling strength of the shell can be increased as a result of a functionally graded reinforcement. It is found that in most cases the CNTRC shell with intermediate nanotube volume fraction does not have intermediate buckling temperature and initial thermal postbuckling strength.     

Analysis of nonlinear dynamic stability for carbon nanotube-reinforced composite plates resting on elastic foundations

This article studies nonlinear dynamic stability of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (CNTRC) plates resting on an elastic foundation. The single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are aligned and distributed in the form of uniformly distributed (UD) and functionally graded (FG) reinforcements. The governing equations are established based on classic plate theory, which is converted to a Mathieu-type equation by using a two-step perturbation technique, and then solved by adopting an incremental harmonic balanced (IHB) method. In numerical results, the effects of nonlinear geometric factor, distribution and fraction volume of CNTs, and foundation stiffness on principle dynamic unstable regions are discussed.     

Postbuckling of nanotube-reinforced composite cylindrical shells in thermal environments,Part I: Axially-loaded shells

A postbuckling analysis is presented for nanocomposite cylindrical shells reinforced by single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) subjected to axial compression in thermal environments. Two kinds of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (CNTRC) shells, namely, uniformly distributed (UD) and functionally graded (FG) reinforcements, are considered. The material properties of FG-CNTRCs are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction, and are estimated through a micromechanical model. The governing equations are based on a higher order shear deformation theory with a von Kármán-type of kinematic nonlinearity. The thermal effects are also included and the material properties of CNTRCs are assumed to be temperature-dependent. A singular perturbation technique is employed to determine the buckling loads and postbuckling equilibrium paths. The numerical illustrations concern the postbuckling behavior of axially-loaded, perfect and imperfect, FG-CNTRC cylindrical shells under different sets of thermal environmental conditions. The results for UD-CNTRC shell, which is a special case in the present study, are compared with those of the FG-CNTRC shell. The results show that the linear functionally graded reinforcements can increase the buckling load as well as postbuckling strength of the shell under axial compression. The results reveal that the CNT volume fraction has a significant effect on the buckling load and postbuckling behavior of CNTRC shells.     

Assessment of Voigt and Mori–Tanaka models for vibration analysis of functionally graded plates

The small- and large-amplitude vibrations are presented for a functionally graded rectangular plate resting on a two-parameter (Pasternak-type) elastic foundation in thermal environments. Two kinds of micromechanics models, namely, Voigt (V) model and Mori–Tanaka (M–T) model, are considered. The motion equations are based on a higher order shear deformation plate theory that includes plate-foundation interaction. The thermal effects are also included and the material properties of functionally graded materials (FGMs) are assumed to be temperature-dependent. Two cases of the in-plane boundary conditions are considered. Initial stresses caused by thermal loads or in-plane edge loads are introduced. The accuracy of Voigt and Mori–Tanaka models for the vibration analysis of FGM plates is investigated. The comparison studies reveal that the difference between these two models is much less compared to the difference caused by different solution methodologies and plate theories. The results show that the difference of the fundamental frequencies between M–T and V solutions is very small, and the difference of the nonlinear to linear frequency ratios between M–T and V solutions may be negligible.     

Nonlinear vibration of shear deformable FGM cylindrical shells surrounded by an elastic medium

This paper investigates the large amplitude vibration behavior of a shear deformable FGM cylindrical shell of finite length embedded in a large outer elastic medium and in thermal environments. The surrounding elastic medium is modeled as a Pasternak foundation. Two kinds of micromechanics models, namely, Voigt model and Mori-Tanaka model, are considered. The motion equations are based on a higher order shear deformation shell theory that includes shell-foundation interaction. The thermal effects are also included and the material properties of FGMs are assumed to be temperature-dependent. The equations of motion are solved by a two step perturbation technique to determine the nonlinear frequencies of the FGM shells. Numerical results demonstrate that in most cases the natural frequencies of the FGM shells are increased but the nonlinear to linear frequency ratios of the FGM shells are decreased with increase in foundation stiffness. The results confirm that in most cases Voigt model and Mori-Tanaka model have the same accuracy for predicting the vibration characteristics of FGM shells.     

Micro-slot injection into a boundary layer driven by a favourable pressure gradient

This study aims to investigate the nonlinear forced vibration of functionally graded (FG) nanobeams. It is assumed that material properties are gradually graded in the direction of thickness. Nonlocal nonlinear Euler–Bernoulli beam theory is used to derive nonlocal governing equations of motion. The linear eigenmodes of FG nanobeams are used to transform a partial differential equation of motion into a system of ordinary differential equations via the Galerkin method. The multiple scale method is used to find the governing equations of the steady-state responses of FG nanobeams excited by a distributed harmonic force with constant intensity. It is also assumed that the working frequency is close to three times greater than the lowest natural frequency. Based on the equation governing the linear natural frequencies of FG nanobeams, the influence of the small scale parameter, material composition, and stiffness of the foundation on the linear relationship among natural frequencies is studied. Results show that superharmonic response or a combination of resonances may occur as well as a subharmonic response depending on the power-law index and stiffness of the foundation. Then the governing equations of a steady-state response of FG nanobeams for four possible solutions are obtained depending on the value of the small scale parameter. It is shown that the simplest response of FG nanobeams is a subharmonic response or superharmonic response. The equations governing the frequency–response curves are obtained and the effects of the power-law index and small scale parameter on them are discussed.     

Dynamic analysis of functionally graded nanocomposite cylinders reinforced by carbon nanotube by a mesh-free method

In this paper, dynamic analysis of nanocomposite cylinders reinforced by single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) subjected to an impact load was carried out by a mesh-free method. Free vibration and stress wave propagation analysis of carbon nanotube reinforced composite (CNTRC) cylinders are presented. In this simulation, an axisymmetric model is used. Four types of distributions of the aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are considered; uniform and three kinds of functionally graded (FG) distributions along the radial direction of cylinder. Material properties are estimated by a micro mechanical model. In the mesh-free analysis, moving least squares (MLSs) shape functions are used for approximation of displacement field in the weak form of motion equation and the transformation method was used for the imposition of essential boundary conditions. Effects of the kind of distribution and volume fractions of carbon nanotubes and cylinder thickness on the natural frequencies and stress wave propagation of CNTRC cylinders are investigated. Results obtained for this analysis were compared with FEM and previous published work and good agreement was seen between them.     

Nonlocal beam model for nonlinear analysis of carbon nanotubes on elastomeric substrates

Postbuckling, nonlinear bending and nonlinear vibration analyses are presented for single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) resting on a two-parameter elastic foundation in thermal environments. The SWCNT is modeled as a nonlocal nanobeam which contains small scale effects. The elastomeric substrate with finite depth is modeled as a two-parameter elastic foundation. The thermal effects are included and the material properties of both SWCNTs and the substrate are assumed to be temperature-dependent. The governing equation that includes beam–foundation interaction is solved by a two-step perturbation technique. The numerical results reveal that the small scale parameter e₀a reduces the postbuckling equilibrium paths, the static large deflections and natural frequencies of SWCNTs resting on an elastic foundation. The results also reveal that the effect of the small scale parameter is significant for compressive buckling, but less pronounced for static bending and marginal for free vibration of SWCNTs resting on an elastic foundation.     

Nonlinear free vibration of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite beams

This paper investigates the nonlinear free vibration of functionally graded nanocomposite beams reinforced by single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) based on Timoshenko beam theory and von Kármán geometric nonlinearity. The material properties of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composites (FG-CNTRCs) are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction and estimated though the rule of mixture. The Ritz method is employed to derive the governing eigenvalue equation which is then solved by a direct iterative method to obtain the nonlinear vibration frequencies of FG-CNTRC beams with different end supports. A detailed parametric study is conducted to study the influences of nanotube volume fraction, vibration amplitude, slenderness ratio and end supports on the nonlinear free vibration characteristics of FG-CNTRC beams. The results for uniformly distributed carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (UD-CNTRC) beams are also provided for comparison. Numerical results are presented in both tabular and graphical forms to investigate the effects of nanotube volume fraction, vibration amplitude, slenderness ratio, end supports and CNT distribution on the nonlinear free vibration characteristics of FG-CNTRC beams.     

Static and free vibration analysis of multilayered functionally graded shells and plates using an efficient zigzag theory

Accurate zigzag theory is presented for static and free vibration analysis of multilayered functionally graded material (FGM) cylindrical shells and rectangular plates by approximating inplane displacements as a combination of linear layerwise and cubic global terms. Governing equations of motion are derived using Hamilton’s principle. The theory yields accurate results for displacements, stresses and natural frequencies in simply-supported functionally graded multilayered cylindrical shell panels and rectangular plates. Effect of changing the volume fraction ratio, aspect ratio and thickness of FGM layer between two homogeneous layers are investigated for a number of multilayered shell and plate laminates.     

Postbuckling of nanotube-reinforced composite cylindrical shells in thermal environments,Part II: Pressure-loaded shells

A postbuckling analysis is presented for nanocomposite cylindrical shells reinforced by single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) subjected to lateral or hydrostatic pressure in thermal environments. The multi-scale model for functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) shells under external pressure is proposed and a singular perturbation technique is employed to determine the buckling pressure and postbuckling equilibrium path. Numerical results for pressure-loaded, perfect and imperfect, FG-CNTRC cylindrical shells are obtained under different sets of thermal environmental conditions. The results for uniformly distributed CNTRC shell, which is a special case in the present study, are compared with those of the FG-CNTRC shell. The results show that the linear functionally graded reinforcements can increase the buckling pressure as well as postbuckling strength of the shell under external pressure. The results reveal that the carbon nanotube volume fraction has a significant effect on the buckling pressure and postbuckling behavior of CNTRC shells.     

Postbuckling of nanotube-reinforced composite cylindrical shells under combined axial and radial mechanical loads in thermal environment

A postbuckling analysis is presented for nanocomposite cylindrical shells reinforced by single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) subjected to combined axial and radial mechanical loads in thermal environment. Two types of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (CNTRC) shells, namely, uniformly distributed (UD) and functionally graded (FG) reinforcements, are considered. The material properties of FG-CNTRCs are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction, and are estimated through a micromechanical model. The governing equations are based on a higher order shear deformation shell theory with a von Kármán-type of kinematic nonlinearity. The thermal effects are also included and the material properties of CNTRCs are assumed to be temperature-dependent. A boundary layer theory and associated singular perturbation technique are employed to determine the buckling loads and postbuckling equilibrium paths. The numerical illustrations concern the postbuckling behavior of perfect and imperfect, FG-CNTRC cylindrical shells under combined action of external pressure and axial compression for different values of load-proportional parameters. The results for UD-CNTRC shell, which is a special case in the present study, are compared with those of the FG-CNTRC shell.     

Nonlinear thermo-elastic bending of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite plates resting on elastic foundations by dynamic relaxation method

In this study, the nonlinear thermo-elastic bending analysis of a functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite plate resting on two parameter elastic foundations is investigated. The material properties of the carbon nanotube-reinforced composite plates are assumed to be temperature dependent and graded in the thickness direction. The nonlinear formulations are based on a first-order shear deformation plate theory and large deflection von Karman equations. A dynamic relaxation method is employed to solve the plate nonlinear partial differential equations. The effects of volume fraction of carbon nanotubes, thermal gradient, temperature dependency, elastic foundation, boundary conditions, plate width-to-thickness ratio, aspect ratio, and carbon nanotubes distribution are studied in detail.     

Nonlinear analysis of sandwich plates with FGM face sheets resting on elastic foundations

Nonlinear vibration, nonlinear bending and postbuckling analyses are presented for a sandwich plate with FGM face sheets resting on an elastic foundation in thermal environments. The material properties of FGM face sheets are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction according to a simple power law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. The governing equation of the plate that includes plate-foundation interaction is solved by a two-step perturbation technique. The thermal effects are also included and the material properties of both FGM face sheets and homogeneous core layer are assumed to be temperature-dependent. The numerical results reveal that the foundation stiffness and temperature rise have a significant effect on the natural frequency, buckling load, postbuckling and nonlinear bending behaviors of sandwich plates. The results also reveal that the core-to-face sheet thickness ratio and the volume fraction distribution of FGM face sheets have a significant effect on the natural frequency, buckling load and postbuckling behavior of the sandwich plate, whereas this effect is less pronounced for the nonlinear bending, and is marginal for the nonlinear to linear frequency ratios of the same sandwich plate.     

Nonlinear vibration and dynamic response of shear deformable laminated plates in hygrothermal environments

This paper deals with hygrothermal effects on the nonlinear vibration and dynamic response of shear deformable laminated plates. The temperature field considered is assumed to be a uniform distribution over the plate surface and through the plate thickness. The material properties of the composite are affected by the variation of temperature and moisture, and based on a micro-mechanical model. The formulations are based on higher-order shear deformation plate theory and general von Kármán-type equation of motion, which includes hygrothermal effects. The equations of motion are solved by an improved perturbation technique to determine nonlinear frequencies and dynamic responses of shear deformable antisymmetric angle-ply and unsymmetric cross-ply laminated plates. The numerical illustrations concern the nonlinear vibration and dynamic response of the shear deformable laminated plates under different sets of hygrothermal environmental conditions. Effects of temperature rise, the degree of moisture concentration, and fiber volume fraction on natural frequencies, nonlinear to linear frequency ratios and dynamic responses are studied.     

Thermo-mechanical vibration analysis of sandwich beams with functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite face sheets based on a higher-order shear deformation beam theory

This article proposes a higher-order shear deformation beam theory for free vibration analysis of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite sandwich beams in a thermal environment. The temperature-dependent material properties of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite beams are supposed to vary continuously in the thickness direction and are estimated through the rule of mixture. The governing equations and boundary conditions are derived by using Hamilton's principle, and the Navier solution procedure is used to achieve the natural frequencies of the sandwich beam in a thermal environment. A parametric study is led to carry out the effects of carbon nanotube volume fractions, slenderness ratio, and core-to-face sheet thickness ratio on free vibration behavior of sandwich beams with functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite face sheets. Numerical results are also presented in order to compare the behavior of sandwich beams including uniformly distributed carbon nanotube-reinforced composite face sheets to those including functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite face sheets.     

Modeling and Re-Examination of Nonlinear Vibration and Nonlinear Bending of Sandwich Plates with Porous FG-GPLRC Core

In this article, an inhomogeneous model is proposed to predict the material properties of porous GPL-reinforced composite (GPLRC) and to predict the mechanical responses of a sandwich plate which consists of top and bottom metal face sheets and a porous GPLRC core. The GPLRC core is assumed to be multilayers, and each layer may have different values of porosity coefficient to achieve a piece-wise functionally graded pattern. Young's moduli along with shear modulus of porous GPLRC core are predicted by a generic Halpin-Tsai model in which the porosity is included. Thermo-mechanical properties of both metal face sheets and porous GPLRC core are assumed to be temperature-dependent. The governing equations of motion for porous sandwich plates are solved by applying a two-step perturbation approach to obtain the analytical solutions for the two cases of nonlinear vibration and nonlinear bending of porous sandwich plates. Numerical studies are performed to compare the results obtained from the present model and the equivalent isotropic model (EIM). The results reveal that, for most cases, the difference of natural frequencies between two models is over 30%, and the vibration frequency–amplitude curves and the bending load–deflection curves are underestimated by using the EIM.