• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.649-661
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• 2017

This paper is motivated by the lack of studies in the technical literature concerning to the influence of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) waviness and aspect ratio on the vibrational behavior of functionally graded nanocomposite annular sector plates resting on two-parameter elastic foundations. The carbon nanotube-reinforced (CNTR) plate has smooth variation of CNT fraction based on the power-law distribution in the thickness direction, and the material properties are also estimated by the extended rule of mixture. In this study, the classical theory concerning the mechanical efficiency of a matrix embedding finite length fibers has been modified by introducing the tube-to-tube random contact, which explicitly accounts for the progressive reduction of the tubes' effective aspect ratio as the filler content increases. Parametric studies are carried out to highlight the influence of CNTs volume fraction, waviness and aspect ratio, boundary conditions and elastic foundation on vibrational behavior of FG-CNT thick sectorial plates. The study is carried out based on three-dimensional theory of elasticity and in contrary to two-dimensional theories, such as classical, the first- and the higher-order shear deformation plate theories, this approach does not neglect transverse normal deformations. The annular sector plate is assumed to be simply supported in the radial edges while any arbitrary boundary conditions are applied to the other two circular edges including simply supported, clamped and free. For an overall comprehension on 3-D vibration of annular sector plates, some mode shape contour plots are reported in this research work.

• Coupled systems mechanics
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2017

Despite the exceptional mechanical properties of individual carbon nanotubes (CNTs), the effective properties of CNT-reinforced composites remain below expectations. The composite's microstructure has been identified as a key factor in explaining this discrepancy. In this contribution, a method for generating representative volume elements of aligned CNT sheets is presented. The model captures material characteristics such as random waviness and entanglement of individual nanotubes. Thus it allows studying microstructural effects on the composite's effective properties. Simulations investigating the strengthening effect of the application of a pre-stretch on the CNTs are carried out and found to be in very good agreement with experimental values. They highlight the importance of the nanotube's waviness and entanglement for the mechanical behavior of the composite. The presented representative volume elements are the first to accurately capture the waviness and entanglement of CNT sheets for realistically high volume fractions.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.541-557
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• 2018

This paper presents the influence of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) waviness and aspect ratio on the vibrational behavior of functionally graded nanocomposite sandwich annular sector plates resting on two-parameter elastic foundations. The carbon nanotube-reinforced (CNTR) sandwich plate has smooth variation of CNT fraction along the thickness direction. The distributions of CNTs are considered functionally graded (FG) or uniform along the thickness and their mechanical properties are estimated by an extended rule of mixture. In this study, the classical theory concerning the mechanical efficiency of a matrix embedding finite length fibers has been modified by introducing the tube-to-tube random contact, which explicitly accounts for the progressive reduction of the tubes' effective aspect ratio as the filler content increases. Effects of CNT distribution, volume fraction, aspect ratio and waviness, and also effects of Pasternak's elastic foundation coefficients, sandwich plate thickness, face sheets thickness and plate aspect ratio are investigated on the free vibration of the sandwich plates with wavy CNT-reinforced face sheets. The study is carried out based on three-dimensional theory of elasticity and in contrary to two-dimensional theories, such as classical, the first- and the higher-order shear deformation plate theories, this approach does not neglect transverse normal deformations. The sandwich annular sector plate is assumed to be simply supported in the radial edges while any arbitrary boundary conditions are applied to the other two circular edges including simply supported, clamped and free.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.711-731
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• 2020

This paper deals with free vibration of FG sandwich annular sector plates on Pasternak elastic foundation with different boundary conditions, based on the three-dimensional theory of elasticity. The plates with simply supported radial edges and arbitrary boundary conditions on their circular edges are considered. The influence of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) waviness, aspect ratio, internal pores and graphene platelets (GPLs) on the vibrational behavior of functionally graded nanocomposite sandwich plates is investigated in this research work. The distributions of CNTs are considered functionally graded (FG) or uniform along the thickness of upper and bottom layers of the sandwich sectorial plates and their mechanical properties are estimated by an extended rule of mixture. In this study, the classical theory concerning the mechanical efficiency of a matrix embedding finite length fibers has been modified by introducing the tube-to-tube random contact, which explicitly accounts for the progressive reduction of the tubes' effective aspect ratio as the filler content increases. The core of structure is porous and the internal pores and graphene platelets (GPLs) are distributed in the matrix of core either uniformly or non-uniformly according to three different patterns. The elastic properties of the nanocomposite are obtained by employing Halpin-Tsai micromechanics model. A semi-analytic approach composed of 2D-Generalized Differential Quadrature Method (2D-GDQM) and series solution is adopted to solve the equations of motion. The fast rate of convergence and accuracy of the method are investigated through the different solved examples. Some new results for the natural frequencies of the plate are prepared, which include the effects of elastic coefficients of foundation, boundary conditions, material and geometrical parameters. The new results can be used as benchmark solutions for future researches.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.73-91
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• 2024

This paper has focused on presenting vibration analysis of trapezoidal sandwich plates with a damaged core and FG wavy CNT-reinforced face sheets. A damage model is introduced to provide an analytical description of an irreversible rheological process that causes the decay of the mechanical properties, in terms of engineering constants. An isotropic damage is considered for the core of the sandwich structure. The classical theory concerning the mechanical efficiency of a matrix embedding finite length fibers has been modified by introducing the tube-to-tube random contact, which explicitly accounts for the progressive reduction of the tubes' effective aspect ratio as the filler content increases. The First-order shear deformation theory of plate is utilized to establish governing partial differential equations and boundary conditions for the trapezoidal plate. The governing equations together with related boundary conditions are discretized using a mapping-generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method in spatial domain. Then natural frequencies of the trapezoidal sandwich plates are obtained using GDQ method. Validity of the current study is evaluated by comparing its numerical results with those available in the literature. After demonstrating the convergence and accuracy of the method, different parametric studies for laminated trapezoidal structure including carbon nanotubes waviness (0≤w≤1), CNT aspect ratio (0≤AR≤4000), face sheet to core thickness ratio (0.1 ≤ ${\frac{h_f}{h_c}}$ ≤ 0.5), trapezoidal side angles (30° ≤ α, β ≤ 90°) and damaged parameter (0 ≤ D < 1) are carried out. It is explicated that the damaged core and weight fraction, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) waviness and CNT aspect ratio can significantly affect the vibrational behavior of the sandwich structure. Results show that by increasing the values of waviness index (w), normalized natural frequency of the structure decreases, and the straight CNT (w=0) gives the highest frequency. For an overall comprehension on vibration of laminated trapezoidal plates, some selected vibration mode shapes were graphically represented in this study.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.277-299
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• 2016

In this paper, free vibration, forced vibration, resonance and stress wave propagation behavior in nanocomposite plates reinforced by wavy carbon nanotube (CNT) are studied by a mesh-free method based on first order shear deformation theory (FSDT). The plates are resting on Winkler-Pasternak elastic foundation and subjected to periodic or impact loading. The distributions of CNTs are considered functionally graded (FG) or uniform along the thickness and their mechanical properties are estimated by an extended rule of mixture. In the mesh-free analysis, moving least squares (MLS) shape functions are used for approximation of displacement field in the weak form of motion equation and the transformation method is used for imposition of essential boundary conditions. Effects of CNT distribution, volume fraction, aspect ratio and waviness, and also effects of elastic foundation coefficients, plate thickness and time depended loading are examined on the vibrational and stresses wave propagation responses of the nanocomposite plates reinforced by wavy CNT.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.275-291
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• 2023

This paper has focused on presenting vibration analysis of trapezoidal sandwich plates with 3D-graphene foam reinforced polymer matrix composites (GrF-PMC) core and FG wavy CNT-reinforced face sheets. The porous graphene foam possessing 3D scaffold structures has been introduced into polymers for enhancing the overall stiffness of the composite structure. Also, 3D graphene foams can distribute uniformly or non-uniformly in the plate thickness direction. The effective Young's modulus, mass density and Poisson's ratio are predicted by the rule of mixture. In this study, the classical theory concerning the mechanical efficiency of a matrix embedding finite length fibers has been modified by introducing the tube-to-tube random contact, which explicitly accounts for the progressive reduction of the tubes' effective aspect ratio as the filler content increases. The First-order shear deformation theory of plate is utilized to establish governing partial differential equations and boundary conditions for trapezoidal plate. The governing equations together with related boundary conditions are discretized using a mapping-generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method in spatial domain. Then natural frequencies of the trapezoidal sandwich plates are obtained using GDQ method. Validity of the current study is evaluated by comparing its numerical results with those available in the literature. It is explicated that 3D-GrF skeleton type and weight fraction, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) waviness and CNT aspect ratio can significantly affect the vibrational behavior of the sandwich structure. The plate's normalized natural frequency decreased and the straight carbon nanotube (w=0) reached the highest frequency by increasing the values of the waviness index (w).

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.533-545
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• 2021

What is desirable in engineering is to bring the engineering model as close to reality as possible while the simplicity of model is also considered. In recent years, several studies have been performed on nanocomposites but some of these studies are somewhat far from reality. For example, in many of these studies, the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are assumed completely straight, flawless and uniformly distributed throughout the matrix but by studying nanocomposites, we find that this is not the case. In this paper, three steps have been taken to bring the presented models for nanocomposites closer to reality. One is that assuming the straightness of nanotubes is removed and the waviness is considered. Also, the nanotubes are not considered to be pristine and the influence of defect is included in accordance with reality. In addition, the approximation of uniform distribution of nanotubes is ignored and according to experimental observations, the effect of nanotube aggregation is considered. As far as we know, this is the first study on these three topics together in an article. Moreover, we also include the size effects in our models for nanocomposites. To show the accuracy of our models, our results are calibrated with experimental results and compared with theoretical model. For numerical examples, we present the buckling behaviors of nanocomposites including the size effects using nonlocal theory and compare the results of our models with the results of models with above-mentioned approximations.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.315-326
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• 2017

In this work, thermoelastic dynamic behavior of functionally graded carbon nanotube reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) cylinders subjected to mechanical pressure loads, uniform temperature environment or thermal gradient loads is investigated by a mesh-free method. The material properties and thermal stress wave propagation of the nanocomposite cylinders are derived after solving of the transient thermal equation and obtaining of the time history of temperature field of the cylinders. The nanocomposite cylinders are made of a polymer matrix and wavy single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The volume fraction of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are assumed variable along the radial direction of the axisymmetric cylinder. Also, material properties of the polymer and CNT are assumed temperature-dependent and mechanical properties of the nanocomposite are estimated by a micro mechanical model in volume fraction form. In the mesh-free analysis, moving least squares shape functions are used to approximate temperature and displacement fields in the weak form of motion equation and transient thermal equation, respectively. Also, transformation method is used to impose their essential boundary conditions. Effects of waviness, volume fraction and distribution pattern of CNT, temperature of environment and direction of thermal gradient loads are investigated on the thermoelastic dynamic behavior of FG-CNTRC cylinders.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.487-499
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• 2024

The primary objective of this study is to analyze the free vibration behavior of a sandwich cylindrical shell with a defective core and wavy carbon nanotube (CNT)-enhanced face sheets, utilizing the three-dimensional theory of elasticity. The intricate equations of motion for the structure are solved semi-analytically using the generalized differential quadrature method. The shell structure consists of a damaged isotropic core and two external face sheets. The distributions of CNTs are either functionally graded (FG) or uniform across the thickness, with their mechanical properties determined through an extended rule of mixture. In this research, the conventional theory regarding the mechanical effectiveness of a matrix embedding finite-length fibers has been enhanced by introducing tube-to-tube random contact. This enhancement explicitly addresses the progressive reduction in the tubes' effective aspect ratio as the filler content increases. The study investigates the influence of a damaged matrix, CNT distribution, volume fraction, aspect ratio, and waviness on the free vibration characteristics of the sandwich cylindrical shell with wavy CNT-reinforced face sheets. Unlike two-dimensional theories such as classical and the first shear deformation plate theories, this inquiry is grounded in the three-dimensional theory of elasticity, which comprehensively accounts for transverse normal deformations.