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The nonlinear buckling response of laminated composite cylindrical shells reinforced with graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) is studied in this paper. The functionally graded (FG) shell reinforced by GNPs is analytically studied under external pressure and uniform temperature rise loadings. It is also assumed that the GNP-reinforced laminated composite shell is in contact with an elastic foundation. Various types of profiles are employed for the GNP distribution patterns in the shell thickness including 10 nanocomposite layers. The nonlinear strain-displacement relations of the shallow cylindrical panel are established utilizing the third-order shear deformation shell theory. Governing equilibrium equations of the laminated GNP-reinforced composite shell are formulated employing the principle of virtual displacement. The coupled system of nonlinear differential equations is solved analytically for the hinged–hinged and fixed–fixed boundaries of the shell using a perturbation-based technique. Correctness of presented formulations and obtained solutions is proved by comparisons with results from previous studies for an isotropic cylindrical shell. Novel numerical results reveal that the material properties, geometrical characteristics and load parameters significantly affect on the buckling behavior of laminated composite cylindrical shells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper researches the free vibrations and corresponding material parameters of a functional gradient graphene platelets-reinforced composite (FG-GPLRC) cantilever torsional plates with both pore and graphene variations in the transverse direction. Utilizing the feature of closed-cell cellular solids, the mixture rule, and the modified Halpin–Tsai model, the material parameters of the composite are determined for different volume fractions of component materials. Then, using the classical plate theory (CLPT), the Rayleigh–Ritz technique and polynomials, the dynamic equation that can be used to obtain the free vibration mode shapes and frequencies of the rotating cantilever torsional plate is given. Comparison studies with the previous calculation results from available literature and the finite element (FE) models of cantilever plates are conducted, and the correctness of the present theoretical formulation and numerical calculation is verified. Finally, the effects of graphene platelet (GPL) distribution, porosity distribution (PD), GPL content, rotational speed, and average geometric size of GPL on free vibrations of the system are studied in depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper elaborates on the wave propagation characteristics of a smart sandwich plate consisting of smart piezo composite layers on a plate's upper and lower borders via an auxetic core. This study's equation of motion was derived using a refined version of the Shear-deformation theory at a higher order, or HSDT. Additionally, detecting the properties of the auxetic core and piezoelectric composite layers employs a micromechanical model. The fundamental equations of the smart sandwich plates were formulated utilizing the Hamiltonian principle and Maxwell's law. Then, the governing equations of a sandwich plate are solved using an exponential form and an analytical method. Furthermore, the phase velocity of the intelligent sandwich plate is provided based on the layer thicknesses of the auxetic core and thicknesses of intelligent piezoelectric composite layers. In addition, each figure calculates and presents the weight of the Winkler–Pasternak coefficient, the viscoelastic substances factor, the source of the outside electricity, and the volume percent of reinforcement in the matrix on the phase velocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on dynamic buckling of composite structures subjected to impulse loads. Using the Lyapunov exponent, the Budiansky–Hutchinson criterion is improved and its algorithm is constructed. Based on it, the nonlinear dynamic buckling loads are evaluated for typical composite structures such as a fiber-reinforced composite plate, composite laminated cylindrical shells and a laminated plate with delaminations and matrix cracks that are all subjected to impulse loads. The improved criterion of dynamic buckling is validated through comparisons with the results in the published literatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, dynamic instability of functionally graded carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-reinforced composite joined conical-cylindrical shell in supersonic flow is analyzed numerically. The higher-order shear deformation theory is applied to describe the stress–strain state of thin-walled structure. The assumed-mode method is used to derive the finite degrees-of-freedom dynamical system, which describes the structure motions. The structure motions are expanded by using the eigenmodes, which are obtained by the Rayleigh–Ritz method. The trial functions, which satisfy the continuity conditions at the cylindrical-cone junction, are used to obtain the eigenmodes. The properties of free vibrations of thin-walled structure are analyzed numerically. The dynamic instability of the joined conical-cylindrical shell in supersonic flow is analyzed using the characteristic exponents. As follows from the numerical study, the dynamic instability is arisen due to the Hopf bifurcation. The dependences of the supersonic flow critical pressure on the Mach number and the type of CNTs distribution are analyzed numerically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acoustic black hole (ABH) with the power-law profile has the advantages of strong designability and vibration suppression. This study provides a novel virtual spring energy method (VEM) to solve the vibration characteristics of a plate embedded or attached with acoustic black hole. Firstly, the virtual springs in this study can deal with boundary conditions, continuity conditions, and periodic conditions. After solving the kinetic and potential energy of a plate cell embedded with acoustic black hole, the periodic structure's kinetic and potential energy need not be calculated repeatedly. The method is verified by the finite element method. Secondly, to overcome the stiffness reduction owing to the varying thickness of ABH in the primary bearing structure, a composite ABH structure called "Plate–ABH" is proposed, in which a damping layer is designed with an ABH profile and attached to the primary plate structure. The two layers connect each other through the virtual springs. The vibration characteristics of the composite ABH plate are given by employing the VEM. The composite ABH structure shows strong damping ability and lighter weight compared with a plate attached with the uniform thickness damping layer. Plate–ABH can be effectively used in the engineering of vibration reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the axisymmetric postbuckling of functionally graded graphene platelets reinforced composite (FG-GPLRC) annular plates resting on nonlinear elastic medium in thermal environment. Five kinds of graphene platelets (GPLs) distribution patterns including U -pattern, X -pattern, O -pattern, A -pattern, and V -pattern have been considered. The nonlinear equilibrium equations and associated boundary conditions are obtained based upon the Mindlin plate theory. The governing equations are solved via the generalized differential quadrature method (GDQM). Afterwards, the direct iterative method is implemented to accomplish postbuckling loads using the buckling mode deflection. In order to confirm the accuracy of the present model, comparisons between our data with those published in the available literature are put forth. Eventually, this paper emphasizes the impact of diverse parameters such as geometrical parameters of the structure, GPLs patterns and their geometric, GPLs weight fraction, boundary conditions, elastic medium's parameters and temperature change on the buckling and postbuckling response of nanocomposite annular plates. It can be found that elastic medium overshadows the applicability of distribution patterns and weight fraction of GPLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a new homogenization method for free vibration problems of periodic composite plates. In this new method, three-dimensional (3D) periodic plates are equivalent to Reissner–Mindlin plates with both effective stiffnesses and effective inertia coefficients. The effective stiffnesses for the dynamic problems are the same as those for the static problems, and they can be achieved by the equivalence principle of macro- and microscopic internal virtual work. To fully take the inertia effects into account, the effective inertia coefficients including the effective translational, translational–rotational and rotational inertias are determined by the two-scale equivalence principle of kinetic energies under three rigid modes. In addition, cell size effects in the thickness direction of composite plates are investigated by using the proposed method and the asymptotic homogenization method (AHM). Numerical experiments validate the effectiveness of the proposed equivalent method for different scale factors, and show that the rotational inertia cannot be ignored for out-of-plane deformations, especially for higher-order modes. Besides, numerical comparisons show that the cell size effects are not negligible when using the AHM to analyze the out-of-plane deformations, and three or more repeated unit cells in the thickness direction are required to ensure accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports for the first time the experimental investigation on the free vibration characteristics of angle-ply laminated composite stiffened plates along with the numerical investigation. The natural frequencies of these plates are computed experimentally using an FFT analyzer and numerically by employing the finite element method with combination of isoparametric nine nodded plate and three nodded beam elements. Angle-ply laminated stiffened plates are fabricated using woven glass fiber fabrics and epoxy by hand layup technique. The effects of various support conditions; number, orientation and types of stiffeners; aspect ratios of plates and different fiber orientations on the fundamental frequencies of the angle-ply laminated stiffened plates are investigated. These parameters significantly influence the natural frequencies. It is found that there is a very good agreement observed between the fundamental frequencies obtained from both experimental and numerical investigation. Mode shapes are also presented for angle-ply laminated square stiffened plates with three different support conditions to justify the trend of increasing/decreasing of the modal frequency with the addition of stiffeners. It is observed that the enhancement of the frequencies of the angle-ply plates due to addition of stiffeners is influenced significantly by the position of stiffeners and consequently mode shapes. As the research on the free vibration behavior of angle-ply stiffened plates with experimental analysis is very rare, this study can be considered as the benchmark for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perforated composite laminates are frequently encountered in multiple engineering applications as sub-components of complicated structures. In many of these applications, the primary objective of using the panel is to resist buckling under diverse environmental and loading conditions. This paper is mainly focused on the vibration and buckling responses of composite laminates with elliptical cutouts subjected to localized edge loads under different hygrothermal environments. Toward this, a nine-noded heterosis plate element has been utilized to discretize the plate by adopting a refined meshing pattern around the elliptical cutout. The geometric nonlinearity has been incorporated to predict free vibrations under the hygrothermal environment. Considering the plethora of applications of composite laminates in hygrothermal conditions, a new temperature/moisture-dependent model is presented by taking into consideration various mechanical loadings. For a given environmental and loading condition, the stress distribution within the perforated panel is highly non-uniform in nature and hence, a novel dynamic approach has been proposed to solve buckling problems by adopting two sets of boundary conditions. A MATLAB program has been developed to investigate the effect of various parameters such as elliptical cutout size, elliptical orientation, elliptical cutout eccentricity, thickness and boundary conditions of the laminated composite plate under diverse hygrothermomechanical loading conditions. A notable difference in the critical buckling load is observed when the locally prestressed perforated panels are subjected to complex hygrothermal environments, especially at larger elliptical cutouts and hence the importance of localized edge loads under hygrothermal environment is emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, nonlinear thermal buckling and post-buckling behaviors of composite plate with the circular/elliptical cut-out are investigated using particle semi-energy (PSE) method. The semi-energy method is based on the solution of compatibility equation via an Airy force function and out-of-plane displacement function. The unknown parameters of these functions are determined by minimizing the potential energy. The integral of potential energy are replaced with summation of particles energy at perforated plate. The cut-out is modeled easily using these particles. The advantages of this method are easily cut-out modeling by particles and proposing just one of the displacement fields (i.e. out-of-plane). Based on the results, there is a good agreement (1.25%) between the post-buckling loads derived from PSE of this paper and experimental test of other literature. The accuracy of the finite element method (FEM) is 7.5% with respect to experimental test. The influences of temperature distribution, the cut-out size and elliptical cut-out rotating on post-buckling load and deflection of perforated plate are investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the buckling response of laminated functionally-graded CNT-reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) plate structure is predicted under various types of non-uniform edge compression loading. For the finite element (FE) discretization of the plate, a nine degree of freedom (DOFs)-type polynomial-based higher-order shear deformation theory (HSDT) is considered. The application of non-uniform edge load causes the in-plane stress distribution to be non-uniform. Hence, the in-plane stresses need to be evaluated prior to the buckling analysis. These in-plane stresses are calculated using the in-plane stress analysis method by FE approach or the in-plane elasticity approach. The differential equations are obtained by employing the Lagrange equation of motion and solved as a general eigenvalue problem, after the differential equations are converted into homogeneous equations by means of FE procedure. The accuracy and adaptability of the present model are validated by comparing the present result with the available literature. Further, the impact on the buckling response of the laminated FG-CNTRC plate is investigated by various parameters such as span thickness ratio, aspect ratio, various edge constraints, and different types of non-uniform edge load, CNT fiber gradation and temperature dependency material properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an investigation on the nonlinear dynamic behavior of three-phase rectangular composite plates made of cross-ply macro fiber composites (MFC) in the polymer with graphene (GP) skins, which are uniformly dispersed at the top and bottom surfaces of the plates. According to the mixture rules for multi-components of composite materials, the constitutive laws for MFC-GP composite materials can be obtained. A simply-supported rectangular plate model subjected to a transversal excitation in thermal environments is considered. The governing equations are formulated by using the first-order shear deformation theory, von Kármán geometrical kinematics and Hamilton's principle. The Galerkin approach is used to discretize the governing equations for analysis. The vibration frequencies of MFC-GP composite plates with different modes are presented and the case of 1:2 internal resonance is selected to be investigated here. Three different coupled forms (i.e. uncoupled, weakly coupled and strongly coupled cases) of two vibration modes are presented. In addition, the influences of various parameters, including volume fraction of graphene, applied voltage, temperature effect and external excitation, on the nonlinear dynamic characteristics of MFC-GP composite plates are also examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel closed-form analytical approximate solution for the local buckling behavior of composite laminated beams under uniform axial compression. The laminates that constitute the segments of the beam cross-sections (i.e. webs and flanges) are assumed to be moderately thick so that the current analysis approach is based on Reddy's third-order shear deformation theory? (TSDT). The idealization relies on the discrete plate approach, meaning that the individual segments are separated from the beam cross-section, and the local buckling behavior is analyzed by performing a TSDT-based plate buckling analysis by assuming adequate boundary conditions for webs and flanges. At those edges where the segment under consideration has been separated from the cross-section, elastic restraints are applied to the stiffness values of which depend on the geometric and material properties of the adjacent segments. The analysis approach uses the principle of minimum elastic potential of the considered discrete plate in the buckled state and relies on rather simple shape functions for the buckling modes, thus eventually enabling a closed-form analytical approximate solution that does not necessitate any numerical means of evaluation. Results are generated for a number of I-beam configurations and are compared to results generated in the framework of classical laminated plate theory (CLPT) and first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT). It is shown that the present new approach delivers reliable results without any significant computational effort and thus can be recommended for all engineering analysis tasks where computational time and effort are deciding factors in day-to-day engineering work, such as systematic optimizations or extensive parametric studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the compressive local buckling behavior of an infinitely long laminated composite plate resting on a tensionless elastic foundation (Winkler foundation). The analytical solution to the contact buckling coefficient of a laminated composite plate is derived using a one-dimensional analytical method. Numerical examples are considered to investigate the influence of the ply angle and foundation stiffness on the contact buckling coefficients of laminated composite plates under uniaxial compression. The lateral boundary conditions including clamped and simply-supported edges are treated. Finally, finite element (FE) analysis is conducted to provide an independent check on the analytical solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the analysis of flutter and nonlinear dynamics of an orthotropic composite laminated rectangular plate subjected to aerodynamic pressures and transverse excitation. The first-order linear piston theory is employed to model the air pressures. Based on Reddy's third-order shear deformation plate theory and von Karman-type equation for the geometric nonlinearity, the nonlinear governing equations of motion are derived for the composite laminated rectangular plate by applying the Hamilton's principle. The Galerkin method is utilized to discretize the partial differential governing equations to a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The critical Mach number for occurrence of the flutter of the composite laminated plate is investigated by solving the eigenvalues problem. The relationship between the limit cycle oscillation and the critical Mach number is analyzed based on the nonlinear equations. The numerical simulation is conducted to study the influences of the transverse excitation on the nonlinear dynamics of the composited laminated plate. The numerical results, which include bifurcation diagram, phase plots and waveforms, demonstrate that there exist the bifurcation and chaotic motions of the composited laminated plate subjected to the aerodynamic pressures and the transverse excitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is concerned with ultimate load behavior of steel-concrete composite plate girders subjected to combined action of shear and bending. An analytical method is presented to predict the interactive response of the girder. The method considers the tension field action in the plate girder web panel and shear failure of concrete slab. The method is approximate and can be applied to composite plate girders at the preliminary stages of design. Strength of composite plate girders is investigated by varying the moment/shear ratio. It is shown that ultimate load capacity of composite plate girder is influenced by moment/shear ratio. The predicted results are compared with the corresponding finite-element values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive vibration has always been a serious problem for conical shell structures, while the application of the graphene-based free-constrained layer (GFCL) based on carbon fiber-reinforced composite (CFRC) structure is a novel way to improve structural performance. An analytical model for vibration and dynamic characteristics of the GFCL-CFRC conical shell resting on the Winkler–Pasternak elastic foundation with arbitrary boundary conditions is constructed, and four types of GFCL porosity distribution and GFCL dispersion pattern are considered in this model. The multi-segment technique and virtual spring technique are utilized to simulate arbitrary boundary conditions. Then, the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) and Hamilton's principle are employed to obtain the motion equation of the GFCL-CFRC conical shell, and the motion equation of the GFCL-CFRC conical shell is solved by the Ritz method. In conclusion, the dispersion mode of GFCL, thickness ratio of GFCL, and fiber angle have influence on the dynamic performance. With a reasonable design, the dynamic performance of the GFCL-CFRC conical shell can be further improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tapered composite plates have various engineering applications such as helicopter yoke, robot arms and turbine blades in which the structure needs to be stiff at one end and flexible at another end. No closed form analytical solution of tapered composite plates using Ritz method based on first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) is available at present. In the present paper, the buckling analysis of different types of composite plates with longitudinal-internal-ply-drop-off configuration is investigated using Ritz method. The buckling analysis of these plates is also conducted using ANSYS®. The efficiency and accuracy of the developed formulation are established in comparison with available solutions, where applicable. A detailed parametric study has been conducted on various taper and lay-up configurations, all made of NCT/301 graphite-epoxy, in order to investigate the effects of taper angle, length-to-height ratio, length-to-width ratio, boundary conditions, and taper and lay-up configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the dynamic stability characteristics of laminated composite plates with piezoelectric layers subjected to periodic in-plane load are studied. The finite element method is employed using a modified first-order shear deformation plate theory (MFSDT). The formulation includes the effects of transverse shear, in-plane, and rotary inertia. The boundaries of dynamic instability regions are obtained using Bolotin's approach. The structural system is considered to be undamped. The correctness of the formulation is established by comparing the authors' results with those available in the published literature. The effects of control voltage, static buckling load parameter, number of stacking layers, and thickness of plate on the principal and second instability regions are investigated for cross-ply laminated composite plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article studies parametric vibration and dynamic instability of a rectangular and symmetric magnetostrictive sandwich composite plate (MSCP) on a visco-Pasternak medium. The MSCP consists of three layers; a magnetostrictive layer considers the core and composites as its upper and lower faces. The MSCP subjected to temperature change, parametrically exciting force, and magnetic load is studied with consideration to geometrical von Karman nonlinearity. Based on the energy method and first shear deformation theory (FSDT), Hamilton's principle is used to achieve the system's governing equations and boundary conditions. In the next step, the partial differential equation is transformed into ordinary differential equations by applying the Galerkin technique. Then the equation of motion is solved using the multiple-scale method. Numerical results illustrate the stability of the sandwich plate is significantly related to the magnetostrictive parameters. In addition, the effects of significant parameters, such as the effect of amplitude response and parametric excitation or detuning parameter, coupled with the effect of foundation, thickness ratio, aspect ratio, and temperature increment on vibration characteristics, bifurcation points behavior and stability of the systems are charted, plotted and discussed. The innovation of this article is the use of magnetostrictive material in sandwich plates and the development of its mathematical relationships. It is anticipated that the results of this research can contribute to the development of future smart structural applications subjected to in-plane axial forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The frequency-domain vibration model of the vehicle-track structure is established based on the symplectic-spectral element method (S-SEM). To this end, the vehicle is considered as 10-degree-of-freedom, and the rail is modeled by an infinite Timoshenko beam supported by discrete sprung fasteners. Further, the track slab and base plate are regarded as two-dimensional Timoshenko beams supported by uniformly distributed sprung elements. Using the pseudo excitation method (PEM), the track irregularity is viewed as the pseudo load. The vibration response and the internal force of the single-layer or multi-layer beam models are obtained by solving the corresponding S-SEM-based equations. The spectral forces are also applied in frequency bands to the finite element (FE) and statistical energy analysis (SEA) acoustic models. The steel-concrete composite bridge deck is simulated with composite plate materials. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by comparing the predicted results with those obtained from the field test. The achieved results reveal that multi-layer beam structures effectively consume energy, and elastic fasteners and steel springs are capable of effectively reducing bridge noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eccentrically stiffened plates are widely used as a structural component in many engineering applications. However, these structures are exposed to complex loading conditions, resulting in strength reduction leading to failure. This research aims to examine the stability performance of the perforated stiffened laminated composite plate subjected to non-uniform edge load under the influence of environmental conditions. Towards this, a robust and computationally efficient finite element (FE) formulation has been developed, where the plate is modeled using a 9-noded heterosis element to avoid the shear locking of the plate element and a 3-noded isoparametric beam element is adopted to model the stiffener by applying a displacement compatibility condition at the skin-stringer interface. A torsion correction factor is introduced in the beam formulation to account for the twisting of the stiffener. A unique dynamic technique is utilized to obtain the buckling load by employing two types of boundary conditions due to the non-uniform stress distribution in the perforated plate under environmental and operational loading conditions. An analysis is performed on the unstiffened plate to determine a suitable cutout shape, loading pattern and lamina scheme based on its improved stability performance. Unlike previous studies, several stiffener configurations are considered to comprehend the influence of temperature and moisture on the stability behavior of centrally placed cutout plates and obtain a stiffener configuration with improved performance. It is noticed that when the perforated stiffened plate is exposed to thermal or hygroscopic load close to a critical temperature or moisture, the buckling capacity drops suddenly in the plate attached to a stiffener of greater depth. Moreover, it is observed that when the stiffened plate is exposed to higher intensity of hygrothermal load, the plate's buckling capacity drops significantly as the thickness of the plate reduces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New accurate buckling analysis for rectangular orthotropic thin plates with complicated non-classical boundary restraints are conducted through adopting the finite Fourier integral transform approach. Non-classical boundaries such as rotationally restrained edges increase the mathematical difficulty in processing problems of plates, which leads to rare analytical results for benchmark use. The proposed approach is implemented in the framework of integral transform theory, in which trial function for the deflection is not necessary, and offers uniform solution procedures for problems of plates with various boundaries via adopting different integral kernels. The main merits of the approach employed is to enable one to change the complicated title problem into dealing with linear algebraic equations easily solved. Via altering the rotational spring factors introduced, buckling behaviors of plates with Levy-type boundaries and non-Levy-type boundaries can also be studied. Finally, all the given results including critical load factor and mode shape match the FEM analysis exactly, which illustrate the accuracy and validity of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work is to investigate the free vibration and buckling characteristics of sigmoid functionally graded (FG) nanoplate with the influence of porosity. The modified rule of the mixture is utilized to calculate the effective material properties of porous sigmoid functionally graded (P-SFGM) nanoplate. Three schemes of porosity distribution, including uniform, symmetric and nonsymmetric are investigated. The first-order shear deformation theory is utilized to simulate the displacement fields of P-SFGM nanoplate. Eringen's nonlocal elastic theory and isogeometric analysis (IGA) are used to establish the governing equations for free vibration and buckling analysis of nanoplate structure with small size effect. By using NURBS as a basic function, IGA can fulfill the higher-order derivative requirement of governing equations. The accuracy of the presented solution is verified. By taking the nonlocal parameter into account, the stiffness of the plate is softened. Also, the effects of porosity distribution across the plate's thickness, porosity parameter, material power index, boundary conditions (BCs) and aspect ratio on the frequency response of P-SFGM nanoplate are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sound radiation and transmission loss characteristics of variable stiffness composite plate reinforced with the curvilinear fibers are investigated numerically. The formulation is developed using higher-order shear flexible finite element model combined with Helmholtz wave equation. The governing equations obtained using Hamilton's approach are further solved through the modal super position method to analyze the vibration response under steady state excitation. The inherent material damping of the laminate is accounted through the modal damping calculated using the modal strain energy approach. The acoustic pressure of the variable stiffness laminates is estimated using the Raleigh integral. Subsequently, acoustic response characteristics such as acoustic power level, radiation efficiency, directivity pattern, and transmission loss from the laminates are predicted using the estimated sound pressure for various forcing frequencies. A parametric study covering a wide range of design variables including center and edge fiber angles, lamination scheme, thickness ratio, and boundary conditions on the acoustic sound behavior arising from the vibration of curvilinear fiber composite plate is detailed. This study reveals that the acoustic response of the curvilinear fiber composite plate is significantly influenced by the curvilinear fiber angles at the center/edge fiber angle of the layers. It is hoped that the results obtained here will be useful for designers in developing structures with desired acoustic response characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small-caliber steel core projectiles fired by light weapons pose a great threat to metal structures. Coating with polyurea (PU) is a potential option to improve the anti-penetration performance of metal structures. In this work, we carried out numerical simulations to clarify the dynamic characteristics of PU-coated ASTM1045 steel plates subjected to oblique penetration by 5.8-mm small-caliber steel core projectiles. The failure modes, dynamic response process, energy absorption characteristics, and comprehensive protection effects of target plates with different coating positions and thicknesses during the penetration process were compared and analyzed. The result showed that coating with a certain thickness of PU could enhance the protection ability of the steel plate against the oblique penetration of projectiles. In contrast to the results obtained from experiments in which the projectile penetrated the composite plate normally, when the PU coated both sides, the effect of improving the oblique penetration resistance of the steel plate was the best. The effect was lowest with a PU layer only on the back face. This study provides a reference for strengthening the bulletproof performance of various systems, including steel structures, weapons, and vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A semi-analytical approach for the buckling analysis of symmetrically laminated rectangular plates under arbitrary constrains is presented. In the proposed method, the out-of-plane dis-placement field is assumed to be of a multiplicative form containing two vectors of functions, one being prescribed and the other to be determined, depend on separate variables. As a consequence, one may solve the equilibrium equation analytically, and obtain exact buckling loads for the biaxial compression and different boundary constrains. Several cases of plate buckling under different load combinations are studied, in order to demonstrate the applic-ability of the proposed approach. The results obtained are compared with the existing ones, where available in analytical form, and approximate results obtained by other numerical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the instability regions of a honeycomb sandwich plate are investigated for different end conditions under periodic in-plane loading. The core layer of the sandwich plate is made of carbon nanotube (CNT)/glass fiber-reinforced honeycomb and the face layers of CNT/glass fiber- reinforced laminated composite. The governing equations are derived using classical laminated plate theory (CLPT) and solved numerically by using finite element formulation. The effectiveness of the developed finite element formulation is demonstrated by comparing the results in terms of natural frequencies with those available in the literature. The effects of CNT wt.% on the core material, CNT wt.% on the skin material, ply orientation and various end conditions on the variation of natural frequencies, loss factors and instability regions are studied. Finally, some inferences for the effects of CNT reinforcement on the honeycomb sandwich plate subjected to the periodic in-plane loads are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Trigonometric Zigzag theory is utilized in this research for analytically evaluating the forced vibration responses of smart multilayered laminated composite plates with piezoelectric actuators and sensors. This theory, as the name suggests, incorporates a trigonometric function, namely the secant function for describing the nonlinear behavior of transverse shear stresses through the thickness of the smart composite plates. The kinematics for the in-plane displacement components are obtained by superposing a globally varying nonlinear field through the thickness of the plate structure on a piecewise linearly varying zigzag field with slope discontinuities at the layer interfaces. The model also satisfies the inter-laminar continuity conditions of tractions at the interfaces of the multilayered plate. The equations of motion are derived using Hamilton's principle, and the separation of the variables technique is extended to assume the solutions for the primary variables in space and time and solved analytically using Navier's solution technique along with Newmark's time integration scheme. A detailed analytical investigation of the dynamic behavior of the smart laminated plate coupled with piezoelectric materials like PVDF and piezoelectric fiber-reinforced composite (PFRC) is carried out by considering several forms of the time-dependent electromechanical excitations and also covering different geometrical and material features of the smart plate structure. The responses are found to be in close agreement with the elasticity solutions and some new results are also presented to show the dynamic controlling capacity of the piezoelectric layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the framework of a variational mixed formation and higher-order shear deformation theory (HSDT), a numerical approach is developed in this research to investigate the buckling and post buckling behaviors of variously-shaped plates made of functionally graded graphene platelet-reinforced composites (FG-GPLRCs) taking the effect of porosity into account. By the proposed approach, which can be named as VDQ-FEM, thick and moderately thick plate-type structures with different shapes (e.g. rectangular, skew, or quadrilateral) with arbitrary-shaped cutout (e.g. circular or rectangular) can be studied. Various types for porosity distribution scheme and GPL dispersion pattern including uniform and different functionally graded patterns are considered along the thickness of plate. In the computation of material properties, the closed-cell Gaussian Random field scheme and Halpin–Tsai micromechanical model are utilized. One of the key novelties of proposed approach is developing an efficient way according to the mixed formulation to accommodate the continuity of first-order derivatives on the common boundaries of elements for the used HSDT model. Several numerical examples are given to analyze the influences of porosity coefficient/distribution pattern, GPL weight fraction/dispersion pattern, cutout and boundary conditions on the buckling and postbuckling characteristics of FG-GPLR porous composite plates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the thermal buckling and postbuckling of functionally graded (FG) nanocomposite annular sector plates reinforced by carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are numerically analyzed. The effective material properties of FG nanocomposite are temperature-dependent (TD) and evaluated via the modified micromechanical method and rule of mixture. Based on the higher-order shear deformation theory (HSDT) and using the principle of virtual work and variational differential quadrature (VDQ) approach, the unified weak form of discretized nonlinear governing equilibrium equations is derived. Then, by using the linear part of equations and solving the derived eigenvalue problem, the critical temperature rise and associated mode shapes are obtained, which are used as the initial guess in solving the nonlinear thermal postbuckling problem. The pseudo-arc-length method and an iterative solver are employed to obtain the nonlinear thermal postbuckling equilibrium path of the FG nanocomposite annular sector plates. The influences of geometrical parameters, boundary conditions (BCs), CNT volume fraction, and CNT distribution pattern on the critical temperature rise and thermal postbuckling behavior of the FG nanocomposite annular sector plates are evaluated and discussed. Also, comparisons are made between the results considering the TD and temperature-independent (TID) properties. It is demonstrated that for higher values of sector angle, the effect of sector angle on the critical temperature rise and thermal postbuckling path is negligible. Moreover, by increasing the sector angle, the effect of BCs of straight edges vanishes, and the critical temperature rise and thermal postbuckling curves of for BCs of CSCS and SCSC approach those for CCCC and SSSS ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of selected equivalent single-layer (ESL) models is evaluated within several classical benchmark tests for small amplitude free vibration analysis of multi-layered plates. The authors elaborated their own Finite Element software based on the first-order shear deformation (FOSD) theory with some modifications incorporated including a correction of the transverse shear stiffness and an application of zigzag type functions. Seven different ESL models were considered in the study; beside the classical FOSD model, there were three FOSD models with various transverse shear corrections and three ESL models enhanced by the application of zigzag functions and based on Reissner's Mixed Variational Theorem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, a new analytical solution is used for finding the buckling loads of rectangular plates with vertically and rotationally restrained edges. The solution method in this study is based on the development of a static solution for a plate. The solution is obtained in series form, and the coefficients are solved to match the edge conditions. The solution fits all the combinations of possible boundary conditions, of the deflection, slope, shear force and bending moment along the edges of the plate. In the case of springs, the edge force and moment boundary conditions are modified to include these effects. Any number of edges, from one to four, with both types of stiffening springs can be solved. Using this new method, the exact buckling loads and modes are found. The results are verified with published data, and many new cases are presented for uni-axially and bi-axially loaded isotropic, orthotropic, and composite plates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vibration and acoustic behaviors of both glass fiber laminated plates and carbon/glass fiber hybrid laminated plates are investigated by numerical simulation. The free vibration, forced vibration and acoustic radiation of laminated plates including glass fiber laminates and carbon/glass fiber hybrid laminates in air and water are calculated by the coupled finite element and boundary element method and compared with the corresponding test results. It was demonstrated that results obtained by the coupled finite element and boundary element method are in good agreement with the experimental ones. The effects of dispersion, outer fiber types and fiber hybrid ratio on the vibration and sound radiation of the laminates plates are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study deals with numerical and experimental investigations on the vibration behavior of fiber-metal-laminated (FML) plates, a new aircraft material. A finite element (FE)-based formulation is established for the plate using the first-order Reissner–Mindlin theory, including both fibers and metals of different material properties in alternate layers. A four-node isoparametric quadratic element with five degrees of freedom per node is adopted in the analysis. Convergence studies and comparison with previous studies are made to validate the present FE formulation. A set of experiments was conducted to get natural frequencies of vibration for glass FML (GFML) plates using Bruel and Kjaer (B&K) Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analyzer with PULSE platform. The effects of different parameters such as aspect ratio, side-to-thickness ratio, ply orientation, and boundary conditions on the dynamic behavior of the FMLs are studied. Good agreement is achieved between the numerical and experimental results. Both results indicate that increasing the aspect ratio can increase the natural frequency of the FML plate, while the increase in the side-to-thickness ratio decreases the natural frequency of vibration. The boundary conditions can significantly affect the natural frequency of the FML plates due to the restraint effect at the edges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic characteristics of hybrid composite plates under an arbitrary periodic load in hygrothermal environments are investigated. The material properties of the plate are assumed to be dependent on the temperature and moisture. The governing equations of motion of the Mathieu-type are established based on the Galerkin method with reduced eigenfunction transforms. The periodic stress is taken to be a combination of the pulsating axial and bending stress in the example problems. Based on Bolotin's method, the dynamic instability behaviors of hybrid composite plates are determined. The effects of layer thickness ratio, fiber volume fraction, temperature rise, moisture concentration and dynamic load on the instability regions of hybrid composite plates are studied, along with the dynamic instability index discussed. The results reveal that the layer thickness ratio and hygrothermal conditions have a significant impact on the dynamic instability of hybrid composite plates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]