Hygrothermal Effects on the Nonlinear Bending of Shear Deformable Laminated Plates

Abstract

The influence of hygrothermal effects on the nonlinear bending of shear deformable laminated plates subjected to a uniform or sinusoidal load is investigated using a micro-to-micromechanical analytical model. The material properties of the composite are affected by the variation of temperature and mositure, and are based on a micromechanical model of a laminate. The governing equations of a laminated plate are based on Reddy’s higher-order shear deformation plate theory with von Kármán-type kinematic nonlinearity, and including hygrothermal effects. A perturbation technique is employed to determine the load-deflection and load-bending moment curves. The numerical illustrations concern nonlinear bending behavior of antisymmetric angle-ply and symmetric cross-ply laminated plates under different sets of environmental conditions. The results presented show the effects of temperature rise, the degree of moisture concentration, and fiber volume fraction on the nonlinear bending behavior of the plate.