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

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...