Vibration, buckling and bending behavior of functionally graded multi-walled carbon nanotube reinforced polymer composite plates using the layer-wise formulation

Polymer matrix nanocomposites reinforced with uniformly dispersed and randomly oriented multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are identified as excellent candidates for functionally graded structural members. This paper presents static and dynamic behavior of functionally graded polymer composite plates reinforced by randomly oriented multi-walled carbon nanotubes using novel layer-wise formulation concept. The weight fraction of MWCNTs in functional graded plate is represented by layer-wise variation along the thickness and MWCNTs are considered as uniformly dispersed in each layer. The effective elastic modulus of nanocomposite plate is predicted with modified Halpin-Tsai model, while the Poisson's ratio and density are determined by rule of mixtures. System of governing equations are derived based on generalized higher order shear deformation (HSDT) plate theory and Navier technique is employed to obtain the solution for free-vibration, buckling and static bending problems of simply supported plates under axial and transverse loading conditions at various aspect-ratios. In order to understand the effect of important reinforcement and plate parameters on the natural frequencies, critical buckling loads and bending deflections, different parametric studies are conducted. Results reveal that different types of weight distributions have significant influence on structural characteristics.