Modeling and stress analysis of smart CNTs/fiber/polymer multiscale composite plates

Modeling and nonlinear stress analysis of piezolaminated CNTs/fiber/polymer composite (CNTFPC) plates under a combined mechanical and electrical loading are investigated in this study. The governing equations of the piezoelectric CNTFPC plates are derived based on first-order shear deformation plate theory (FSDT) and von Kármán geometric nonlinearity. Halpin-Tsai equations and fiber micromechanics are used in hierarchy to predict the bulk material properties of the multiscale composite. The CNTs are assumed to be uniformly distributed and randomly oriented through the epoxy resin matrix. An analytical solution is employed to determine the large deflection response and stress analysis of the nanocomposite plates. Finally, by solving some numerical examples for simply supported plates, the effects of the applied constant voltage, plate geometry, volume fraction of fibers and weight percentage of SWCNTs and MWCNTs on the deflection and stress analyses of the piezoelectric CNTs/fiber/polymer multiscale composite plate are studied. It is shown that the deflections significantly decrease with a small percentage of CNTs. Also, it is found that the SWCNTs reinforcement produces more pronounced effect on the bending and stress of the nanocomposite plates in comparison with MWCNTs. © 2014 Imperial College Press.