• Design & Manufacturing
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 2019

This paper presents the design strategy for the optimal RTM molds of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) by carbon fiber draping and resin flow simulation. First, the mold shape and molding condition were determined considering the undercut and die face of the product in the draping simulation, which made the preliminary shape of the product by compressing the carbon fiber. After that, the diffusion behavior during the injection of resin in the mold was predicted by the resin flow simulation. Finally, the optimal mold shape was designed by selecting the locations of resin injection port and vent based on total results of simulations. In this paper, the mold of automotive side mirror case was selected as the representative product. Also, the actual mold was manufactured based on the simulation design to confirm the practicality of it. This study is expected to contribute to the industry as a technology to improve the reliability and productivity of CFRP producted by RTM process.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.299-321
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• 2018

A layerwise shear deformation theory is applied in this paper for buckling analysis of piezoelectric truncated conical shell. The core is a multiphase nanocomposite reinforced by carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon fibers. The top and bottom face sheets are piezoelectric subjected to 3D electric field and external voltage. The Halpin-Tsai model is used for obtaining the effective moisture and temperature dependent material properties of the core. The proposed layerwise theory is based on Mindlin's first-order shear deformation theory in each layer and results for a laminated truncated conical shell with three layers considering the continuity boundary condition. Applying energy method, the coupled motion equations are derived and analyzed using differential quadrature method (DQM) for different boundary conditions. The influences of some parameters such as boundary conditions, CNTs weight percent, cone semi vertex angle, geometrical parameters, moisture and temperature changes and external voltage are investigated on the buckling load of the smart structure. The results show that enhancing the CNTs weight percent, the buckling load increases. Furthermore, increasing the moisture and temperature changes decreases the buckling load.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.175-189
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• 2023

The under-evaluation structure includes a functionally graded porous (FGP) core which is confined by two piezoelectric carbon nanotubes reinforced composite (CNTRC) layers. The whole structure rests on the Pasternak foundation. Using quasi-3D hyperbolic shear deformation theory, governing equations of a sandwich plate are driven. Moreover, face sheets are subjected to the electric field and the whole model is under thermal loading. The properties of all layers alter continuously along with thickness direction due to the CNTs and pores distributions. By conducting the current study, the results emerged in detail to assess the effects of different parameters on buckling of structure. As instance, it is revealed that highest and lowest critical buckling load and consequently stiffness, is due to the V-A and A-V CNTs dispersion type, respectively. Furthermore, it is revealed that by porosity coefficient enhancement, critical buckling load and consequently, stiffness reduces dramatically. Current paper results can be used in various high-tech industries as aerospace factories.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.439-454
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• 2023

In this article, the surface stress effects on the buckling analysis of the annular sandwich plate is developed. The proposed plate is composed of two face layers made of carbon nanotubes (CNT) reinforced composite with assuming of fully bonded to functionally graded porous core. The generalized rule of the mixture is employed to predict the mechanical properties of the microcomposite sandwich plate. The derived potentials energy based on higher order shear deformation theory (HSDT) and modified couple stress theory (MCST) is solved by employing the Ritz method. An exact analytical solution is presented to calculate the critical buckling loads of the annular sandwich plate. The predicted results are validated by carrying out the comparison studies for the buckling analysis of annular plates with those obtained by other analytical and finite element methods. The effects of various parameters such as material length scale parameter, core thickness to total thickness ratio (hc/h), surface elastic constants based on surface stress effect, various boundary condition and porosity distributions, size of the internal pores (e0), Skempton coefficient and elastic foundation on the critical buckling load have been studied. The results can be served as benchmark data for future works and also in the design of materials science, injunction high-pressure micropipe connections, nanotechnology, and smart systems.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.329-342
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• 2017

In this paper, the dispersion characteristics of elastic waves propagation in sandwich nano-beams with functionally graded (FG) face-sheets reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is investigated based on various high order shear deformation beam theories (HOSDBTs) as well as nonlocal strain gradient theory (NSGT). In order to align CNTs as symmetric and asymmetric in top and bottom face-sheets with respect to neutral geometric axis of the sandwich nano-beam, various patterns are employed in this analysis. The sandwich nano-beam resting on Pasternak foundation is subjected to thermal, magnetic and electrical fields. In order to involve small scale parameter in governing equations, the NSGT is employed for this analysis. The governing equations of motion are derived using Hamilton's principle based on various HSDBTs. Then the governing equations are solved using analytical method. A detailed parametric study is conducted to study the effects of length scale parameter, different HSDBTs, the nonlocal parameter, various aligning of CNTs in thickness direction of face-sheets, different volume fraction of CNTs, foundation stiffness, applied voltage, magnetic intensity field and temperature change on the wave propagation characteristics of sandwich nano-beam. Also cut-off frequency and phase velocity are investigated in detail. According to results obtained, UU and VA patterns have the same cut-off frequency value but AV pattern has the lower value with respect to them.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.559-576
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• 2014

A new mathematical model and its finite element formulation for the non-linear stress-strain analysis of a planar beam strengthened with plates bolted or adhesively bonded to its lateral sides is presented. The connection between the layers is considered to be flexible in both the longitudinal and the transversal direction. The following assumptions are also adopted in the model: for each layer (i.e., the beam and the side plates) the geometrically linear and materially non-linear Bernoulli's beam theory is assumed, all of the layers are made of different homogeneous non-linear materials, the debonding of the beam from the side-plates due to, for example, a local buckling of the side plate, is prevented. The suitability of the theory is verified by the comparison of the present numerical results with experimental and numerical results from literature. The mechanical response arising from the theoretical model and its numerical formulation has been found realistic and the numerical model has been proven to be reliable and computationally effective. Finally, the present formulation is employed in the analysis of the effects of two different realizations of strengthening of a characteristic simply supported flexural beam (plates on the sides of the beam versus the tension-face plates). The analysis reveals that side plates efficiently enhance the bearing capacity of the flexural beam and can, in some cases, outperform the tensile-face plates in a lower loss of ductility, especially, if the connection between the beam and the side plates is sufficiently stiff.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.157-171
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• 2019

In this research, the dynamic instability region (DIR) of the sandwich nano-beams are investigated based on nonlocal strain gradient elasticity theory (NSGET) and various higher order shear deformation beam theories (HSDBTs). The sandwich piezoelectric nano-beam is including a homogenous core and face-sheets reinforced with functionally graded (FG) carbon nanotubes (CNTs). In present study, three patterns of CNTs are employed in order to reinforce the top and bottom face-sheets of the beam. In addition, different higher-order shear deformation beam theories such as trigonometric shear deformation beam theory (TSDBT), exponential shear deformation beam theory (ESDBT), hyperbolic shear deformation beam theory (HSDBT), and Aydogdu shear deformation beam theory (ASDBT) are considered to extract the governing equations for different boundary conditions. The beam is subjected to thermal and electrical loads while is resting on Visco-Pasternak foundation. Hamilton principle is used to derive the governing equations of motion based on various shear deformation theories. In order to analysis of the dynamic instability behaviors, the linear governing equations of motion are solved using differential quadrature method (DQM). After verification with validated reference, comprehensive numerical results are presented to investigate the influence of important parameters such as various shear deformation theories, nonlocal parameter, strain gradient parameter, the volume fraction of the CNTs, various distributions of the CNTs, different boundary conditions, dimensionless geometric parameters, Visco-Pasternak foundation parameters, applied voltage and temperature change on the dynamic instability characteristics of sandwich piezoelectric nano-beam.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.65-79
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• 2022

The main goal of this paper is to study the vibration of damaged core laminated annular plates with FG face sheets based on a three-dimensional theory of elasticity. The structures are made of a damaged isotropic core and two external face sheets. These skins are strengthened at the nanoscale level by randomly oriented Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and are reinforced at the microscale stage by oriented straight fibers. These reinforcing phases are included in a polymer matrix and a three-phase approach based on the Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka scheme and on the Halpin-Tsai approach, which is developed to compute the overall mechanical properties of the composite material. In this study the effect of microcracks on the vibrational characteristic of the sandwich plate is considered. In particular, the structures are made by an isotropic core that undergoes a progressive uniform damage, which is modeled as a decay of the mechanical properties expressed in terms of engineering constants. These defects are uniformly distributed and affect the central layer of the plates independently from the direction, this phenomenon is known as "isotropic damage" and it is fully described by a scalar parameter. Three complicated equations of motion for the sectorial plates under consideration are semi-analytically solved by using 2-D differential quadrature method. Using the 2-D differential quadrature method in the r- and z-directions, allows one to deal with sandwich annular plate with arbitrary thickness distribution of material properties and also to implement the effects of different boundary conditions of the structure efficiently and in an exact manner. The fast rate of convergence and accuracy of the method are investigated through the different solved examples. The sandwich annular plate is assumed to have any arbitrary boundary conditions at the circular edges including simply supported, clamped and, free. Several parametric analyses are carried out to investigate the mechanical behavior of these multi-layered structures depending on the damage features, through-the-thickness distribution, and boundary conditions.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.81-99
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• 2022

The aim of current work is to evaluate thermo-electrical characteristics of graphene nanoplatelets Reinforced Composite (GNPRC) coupled with magneto-electro-elastic (MEE) face sheet. In this regard, a cylindrical smart nanocomposite made of GNPRC with an external MEE layer is considered. The bonding between the layers are assumed to be perfect. Because of the layer nature of the structure, the material characteristics of the whole structure is regarded as graded. Both mechanical and thermal boundary conditions are applied to this structure. The main objective of this work is to determine critical temperature and critical voltage as a function of thermal condition, support type, GNP weight fraction, and MEE thickness. The governing equation of the multilayer nanocomposites cylindrical shell is derived. The generalized differential quadrature method (GDQM) is employed to numerically solve the differential equations. This method is integrated with Deep Learning Network (DNN) with ADADELTA optimizer to determine the critical conditions of the current sandwich structure. This the first time that effects of several conditions including surrounding temperature, MEE layer thickness, and pattern of the layers of the GNPRC is investigated on two main parameters critical temperature and critical voltage of the nanostructure. Furthermore, Maxwell equation is derived for modeling of the MEE. The outcome reveals that MEE layer, temperature change, GNP weight function, and GNP distribution patterns GNP weight function have significant influence on the critical temperature and voltage of cylindrical shell made from GNP nanocomposites core with MEE face sheet on outer of the shell.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.85 no.5
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• pp.635-644
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• 2023

The design of honeycomb sandwich structures is often challenging because these structures can be tailored from a variety of possible cores and face sheets configurations, therefore, the design of sandwich structures is characterized as a time-consuming and complex task. A data-driven computational approach that integrates the analytical method and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is developed by the authors to rapidly predict the design of sandwich structures for a targeted maximum structural deflection. The elaborated ANN reverse design approach is applied to obtain the thickness of the sandwich core, the thickness of the laminated face sheets, and safety factors for composite sandwich structure. The required data for building ANN model were obtained using the governing equations of sandwich components in conjunction with the Monte Carlo Method. Then, the functional relationship between the input and output features was created using the neural network Backpropagation (BP) algorithm. The input variables were the dimensions of the sandwich structure, the applied load, the core density, and the maximum deflection, which was the reverse input given by the designer. The outstanding performance of reverse ANN model revealed through a low value of mean square error (MSE) together with the coefficient of determination (R2) close to the unity. Furthermore, the output of the model was in good agreement with the analytical solution with a maximum error 4.7%. The combination of reverse concept and ANN may provide a potentially novel approach in designing of sandwich structures. The main added value of this study is the elaboration of a reverse ANN model, which provides a low computational technique as well as savestime in the design or redesign of sandwich structures compared to analytical and finite element approaches.