Damage-induced buckling characteristics of thermally loaded variable angle tow laminated plates under uncertain environment

The prime focus of the current study is to shed light on the deterioration in thermal buckling performance of variable angle tow laminated (VATL) plates induced by the existence of damages (internal flaws) amid uncertainties in various composite and damage characteristics. In a finite element (FE) framework, the work is carried out using improved first-order shear deformation theory (IFSDT), which has accountability for the shear stress distribution pattern. Parametric examination with various fiber orientation angles considering two types of VATL plates is performed to observe the damage effect. The presence of damage is made over two different locations, namely mid and corner, with three distinct damage ratios. To circumvent the enormous sample and time requirements of Monte-Carlo simulations (MCS) for stochastic investigation, a highly efficient RBFN-based surrogate model is used. The uncertainty in the analysis is introduced first with composite properties. The investigation disclosed that the presence of damage reduces the sensitivity of composite properties to the buckling response. The probabilistic failure estimation is then carried out as a crucial step in thorough stochastic observation. Later, the potential of variability in damage parameters is considered, revealing a distinctive pattern of buckling response to the uncertain composite properties.

Automated summary

The current study focuses on the deterioration in thermal buckling performance of variable angle tow laminated (VATL) plates caused by damages in various composite and damage characteristics. Through numerical simulations and surrogate models, it was found that damages reduce the sensitivity of composite properties to buckling response, and a distinctive pattern of buckling response was observed when composite properties vary.