Thermomechanical bending of functionally graded carbon nanotubes reinforced composite plate by meshless method

Abstract Functionally graded (FG) carbon nanotubes (CNTs) reinforced composite possessing continuously varied material properties have received extensive concern in the area of aviation, automotive, military, and spaceflight. The nonlinear bending of FG CNT composite is performed by developing a novel meshless model on the base of Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method. The equivalent temperature relative material properties of composite is established in the light of the extended rule of mixture model. Different gradient dispersions of CNTs are taken into account and modeled. The governing equations are explored using the Mindlin theory and discretized though a symmetric SPH method with high prediction ability. The developed model is verified by analyzed several examples and compared to the solution obtained in literature. Influences of CNT dispersion, content, plate aspect ratio, boundary conditions and lamination angle on the bending response are elaborated. The present study provides an alternative potential method to solve the mechanical performances of FG CNT composites based on the meshless SPH formulation. Highlights Thermo‐mechanics of FG‐CNTRC is firstly solved by SPH method. The model is verified by solving the benchmarks in literature. Nonlinear bending behaviors of FG‐CNTRC are demonstrated. The minimum deflection take place in FG‐X type composite. For laminate plate, the smallest deformation occurs in 0° CNTRC.