Tangential Edge Constraint Sensitivity of Nonlinear Stability of CNT-Reinforced Composite Plates under Compressive and Thermomechanical Loadings

Abstract

This paper analytically investigates the buckling and postbuckling of functionally graded composite plates reinforced by single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), supported by elastic foundations and loaded by edge-compressive and thermomechanical loadings. The effective properties of a functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) plate were assumed to be graded in the thickness direction and were determined by the extended mixture rule. The basic equations for a geometrically imperfect plate were established according to the classical plate theory (CPT) incorporating nonlinear terms, a two-parameter elastic foundation, and elastic constraints of the in-plane boundary condition. The deflection and stress functions were assumed to satisfy the simply supported condition of the boundary edges, and the Galerkin procedure was adopted to obtain the explicit form results of the critical buckling loads and nonlinear relations of load and deflection. The important effects played by the tangential edge restraints on the nonlinear stability response of the FG-CNTRC plates were highlighted. In addition, the separate and combined influences of the volume percentage and the distribution patterns of the carbon nanotubes, aspect ratios, stiffness of foundations, thermal environments, and imperfection size on the buckling resistance capacity and postbuckling strength of FG-CNTRC plates were analyzed through a variety of numerical examples.