Study on bending characteristics of CNT-reinforced metal Timoshenko composite porous beam exposed to transverse patch loading

Abstract

Bending characteristics of porous composite beams reinforced by carbon nanotubes (CNTs) under localized transverse loading is examined in the current study. Initially, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SW-CNTs) are utilized as nanofillers within a metal matrix to enhance the beam’s mechanical properties. The effective mechanical properties of the beam are assessed using the Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka method. Next, the porosity of the beam is modeled as being distributed layer-by-layer through the beam’s thickness, either uniformly or in a non-uniform manner, with three distinct distribution types considered: uniform, symmetric non-uniform, and asymmetric non-uniform. The beam is mathematically modeled using theory of Timoshenko beam combining nonlinearity of von-Kármán. The governing nonlinear algebraic equations are derived from the principle of minimizing total potential energy. These equations are then simplified using the Galerkin method and solved implementing Newton-Raphson technique to determine the load-deformation path. Finally, the study is performed using different parameters to analyze their impact on the bending behavior of CNT-metal reinforced porous composite beams. This includes the mass fraction of SW-CNTs, porosity distribution types, agglomeration effects of CNTs, porosity coefficients, aspect ratio, types of transverse loading, and different metal matrices.