Flexural strength

Timoshenko beam theory

Materials science

Physics

Nonlinear system

Structural engineering

Bending

Beam (structure)

Graphene

Quantum mechanics

Nanotechnology

Modulus

Polymer

Flexural modulus

Micromechanics

Composite number

Engineering

Composite material

Composites Part B Engineering

This paper studies the nonlinear bending behavior of a novel class of multi-layer polymer nanocomposite beams reinforced with graphene platelets (GPLs) that are non-uniformly distributed along the thickness direction. Nonlinear governing equation is established based on Timoshenko beam theory and von Kármán nonlinear strain-displacement relationship. The effective Young's modulus of the nanocomposites is determined by modified Halpin-Tsai micromechanics model. Ritz method is employed to reduce the governing differential equation into an algebraic system from which the static bending solutions can be obtained. A comprehensive parametric study is then conducted, with a particular focus on the influences of distribution pattern, weight fraction, geometry and size of GPLs together with the total number of layers on the linear and nonlinear bending performances of the beams. Numerical results demonstrate the significantly improved bending performance through the addition of a very small amount of GPLs into polymer...

Nonlinear bending of polymer nanocomposite beams reinforced with non-uniformly distributed graphene platelets (GPLs)