Buckling of woven fibre and graphene platelet reinforced nanocomposite laminates

Buckling of a hybrid laminate combining woven glass fibres with graphene platelets in a polymer matrix is the subject of the present study. Multiscale composites provide improved stiffness and light weigh laminates and as such they have become the materials of choice in several applications. The elastic properties of 3-phase materials are determined by using micromechanical relations. In the present study, the elastic constants of the woven fabric are computed first and the second step involves extending the micromechanical computations to determine the properties of the 3-phase woven fabric-graphene reinforced matrix. The objective is to improve the buckling capacity of the woven fabric laminates with high stiffness and light weight graphene reinforcement. Analytical results are given for the buckling load for a simply supported and orthotropic laminate, taking into account the complex pattern of woven fabrics consisting of weft and warp fibres. Numerical results illustrate the effect of the design parameters such as the layer thicknesses, fibre and graphene contents and aspect ratio on the buckling load. In particular, the effectiveness of the graphene reinforcement on improving buckling load is illustrated by means of contour plots.

Automated summary

The present study investigates the buckling behavior of a hybrid laminate consisting of woven glass fibers and graphene platelets in a polymer matrix. The use of multiscale composites offers the advantage of improved stiffness and reduced weight, making them the preferred materials in various applications. The elastic properties of the 3-phase materials are determined using micromechanical relations. The objective is to enhance the buckling capacity of the woven fabric laminates by incorporating high stiffness and lightweight graphene reinforcement. Analytical and numerical results demonstrate the influence of design parameters on the buckling load, with contour plots highlighting the effectiveness of graphene reinforcement.