A refined plate theory for functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced plates with piezoelectric actuator

With the advantage of outstanding mechanical characteristics, carbon nanotube (CNT) is nowadays considered as one of the most ideal reinforcements for composite materials. Mechanical properties of functionally graded carbon nanotube reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) structures have been extensively investigated in the pub-lished literature. However, analytical results on transverse shear stresses of smart FG-CNTRC plates subjected to electro-mechanical loadings are scarce in literature. To fill this gap, a refined plate theory is proposed for bending analysis of laminated FG-CNTRC plates integrated with a piezoelectric fiber reinforced composite (PFRC) actuator. The kinematic assumptions of the proposed plate theory are obtained by superimposing an efficient zigzag function on the first-order shear deformation theory. Laminated FG-CNTRC plates with four distribution types of CNT through the thickness are considered. The governing equations are obtained by using the principle of minimum potential energy and the Navier's method is used to solve the boundary value problem. The present results are compared with the three-dimensional (3D) elasticity solutions and the results computed by using the chosen models. Numerical results show that the proposed zigzag function can effectively improve the accuracy of proposed plate model in predicting the displacements and stresses. In order to understand clearly the static behaviors of smart FG-CNTRC plates, the influences of electro-mechanical loading, CNT distribution through the thickness direction, CNT volume fraction and span-to-thickness ratio are thoroughly investigated.

Automated summary

The study focuses on the mechanical properties of carbon nanotube reinforced composite materials and their stress analysis under electro-mechanical loadings. By proposing a refined plate theory and considering factors such as CNT distribution, the model's accuracy is effectively improved.