Nonlinear analysis of sandwich plate with FG porous core and RD-CNTCFRC face sheets under transverse patch loading

Abstract

Nonlinear bending analysis of a sandwich plate with randomly distributed carbon nanotube and carbon fiber-reinforced composite (RD-CNTCFRC) face sheets and functionally graded (FG) porous core subjected to transverse patch loading is performed in the present work. The mechanical properties of the hybrid matrix, which is formed after mixing of single-walled carbon nanotubes and polymer epoxy, are estimated using Eshelby–Mori–Tanaka techniques. Subsequently, the rule of mixture technique is employed to compute the mechanical properties of RD-CNTCFRC face sheets. The mechanical properties of a functionally graded porous core are determined considering both the open-cell and closed-cell metal foam. Utilizing the mechanical properties of RD-CNTCFRC face sheets and FG porous core, the effective properties of RD-CNTCFRC porous sandwich plate are estimated. The sandwich plate is modeled based on higher-order shear deformation theory in conjunction with von Kármán geometric nonlinearity, and subsequently minimization of potential energy is employed to obtain the partial differential equations (PDEs). PDEs are solved using Galerkin’s method and reduced to nonlinear algebraic equations (NAEs). Later, these NAEs are solved via Newton–Raphson method to analyze the nonlinear bending behavior of the RD-CNTCFRC porous sandwich plate using various parameters which can help in suitable design of sandwich plates.