The Effects of Carbon Nanotube Waviness and Aspect Ratio on the Buckling Behavior of Functionally Graded Nanocomposite Plates Using a Meshfree Method

This work deals with the effects of waviness and aspect ratio on the buckling behavior of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) plates subjected to in-plane loads using reproducing kernel particle method (RKPM) based on modified first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT). Wavy single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are embedded in a polymer matrix and distributed in four types of distributions. The material properties of an FG-CNTRC plate are assumed to be graded along the thickness direction of the plate and estimated through a micromechanical model based on the extended rule of mixture. The modified shear correction factors evaluated involving the nonuniform shear stress distribution through the thickness of the FG-CNTRC plate. For the imposition of the essential boundary conditions the full transformation approach is utilized. The validity and accuracy of the RKPM method is established by a comparison with the obtained results of available literature data. Moreover, the effects of distribution, volume fraction, waviness, and aspect ratio of CNTs are investigated on the buckling behavior of FG-CNTRC plates for various boundary conditions, plate width-to-thickness and aspect ratios. Detailed parametric studies demonstrate that the waviness and aspect ratio of CNTs have noticeable effects on buckling behavior of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (CNTRC) plates. (C) 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers