The Effect of Elastic Foundations on the Buckling Behavior of Functionally Graded Carbon Nanotube-Reinforced Composite Plates in Thermal Environments Using a Meshfree Method

The buckling behavior of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) plates resting on Winkler-Pasternak elastic foundations under in-plane loads for various temperatures is investigated using element-free Galerkin (EFG) method based on first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT). The modified shear correction factor is used based on energy equivalence principle. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are embedded in polymer matrix and distributed in four types of arrangements. The temperature-dependent material properties of an FG-CNTRC plate are assumed to be graded along the thickness direction of the plate and estimated through a micromechanical model based on the extended rule of mixture. Full transformation approach is employed to enforce essential boundary conditions. The modified shear correction factor is utilized based  on  energy  equivalence  principle involving  the  actual  non-uniform  shear  stress  distribution  through  the  thickness  of  the  FG-CNTRC plate. The accuracy and convergency of the EFG method is established by comparing the obtained results with available literature. Moreover, the effects of elastic foundation parameters are investigated for various boundary conditions, temperatures, plate width-to-thickness and aspect ratios, and CNT distributions and volume fractions. Detailed parametric studies demonstrate that the elastic foundation parameters, CNT distributions along the thickness direction of the plate and the temperature change have noticeable effects on buckling behavior of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (CNTRC) plates.