Nonlinear Dynamic Response of CNT‐Reinforced Composite Sandwich Plates With Elastically Restrained Edges Under Thermomechanical Loads

ABSTRACT

The dynamic behavior of advanced sandwich plates (SP) under dynamic loads is of evident importance, but has not been addressed. As a first attempt, this work focuses to study the nonlinear dynamic response of SPs with carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced composite core layer subjected to suddenly applied uniform transverse load and explosive blast loading. Unlike previous studies, the present work examines the combined influences of geometric imperfection and tangential elastic constraints of boundary edges, which are frequently encountered in practical applications, on the nonlinear transient response of advanced SPs. The reinforcement of CNTs into the polymer matrix is carried out via uniform and graded types of distributions. The temperature dependence of the properties of constituent materials is incorporated, and the effective properties of nanocomposite are evaluated by means of an extended linear rule of mixture. Basic equations are derived within the context of first‐order shear deformation theory (FSDT), including geometric imperfection and nonlinearity in the von Kármán sense. The derived basic equations are treated by means of analytical solutions to lead to a nonlinear ordinary differential equation, which is numerically solved by means of Runge–Kutta method to trace transient displacement–time paths. Parametric studies find that the in‐plane restraints of edges decrease and increase the dynamical deflection of the SPs placed at reference and high temperatures, respectively. The numerical assessment also detects that geometric imperfection decreases and increases the dynamic deflection of SPs exposed to ambient and elevated temperatures, respectively. Furthermore, the results manifest that the increase in the thickness of homogeneous skins renders the dynamic deflection smaller.