• Advances in nano research
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.449-460
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• 2021

Flexoelectricity is an interesting materials' property that is more touchable in small scales. This property beside the sandwich structures placed in the center of scientists' attention due to their extraordinary effects on the mechanical properties. Furthermore, in the passage of decades, more elaborated sandwich structures took into consideration results from using honeycomb core. This kind of structure, inspiring from honeycomb core, provides more stiffness to weight ratio, which plays a crucial role in different industries. In this paper, based on the Love-Kirchhoff's hypothesis, Hamilton's principle, modified couple stress theory and Fourier series analytical method, equations of motion for a sandwich plate containing a honeycomb core integrated by two face-sheets have derived and solved analytically. The equations of both face sheets have derived by flexoelectricity consideration. Moreover, it should be noticed that the whole structure rests on the visco-Pasternak foundation. Conducting current research provided an acceptable and throughout study based on flexoelectricity to address the effect of materials' characteristics, length-scale parameter, aspect, and thickness ratios and boundary conditions on the natural frequency of honeycomb sandwich plates. Also, based on the presented figures and tables, there is a close agreement between previous studies and recent work. Due to the high ratio of strength to weight, current model analyzing is capable of taking into account for different vehicles' manufacturing in a high range of industries.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.711-731
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• 2020

This paper deals with free vibration of FG sandwich annular sector plates on Pasternak elastic foundation with different boundary conditions, based on the three-dimensional theory of elasticity. The plates with simply supported radial edges and arbitrary boundary conditions on their circular edges are considered. The influence of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) waviness, aspect ratio, internal pores and graphene platelets (GPLs) on the vibrational behavior of functionally graded nanocomposite sandwich plates is investigated in this research work. The distributions of CNTs are considered functionally graded (FG) or uniform along the thickness of upper and bottom layers of the sandwich sectorial plates and their mechanical properties are estimated by an extended rule of mixture. In this study, the classical theory concerning the mechanical efficiency of a matrix embedding finite length fibers has been modified by introducing the tube-to-tube random contact, which explicitly accounts for the progressive reduction of the tubes' effective aspect ratio as the filler content increases. The core of structure is porous and the internal pores and graphene platelets (GPLs) are distributed in the matrix of core either uniformly or non-uniformly according to three different patterns. The elastic properties of the nanocomposite are obtained by employing Halpin-Tsai micromechanics model. A semi-analytic approach composed of 2D-Generalized Differential Quadrature Method (2D-GDQM) and series solution is adopted to solve the equations of motion. The fast rate of convergence and accuracy of the method are investigated through the different solved examples. Some new results for the natural frequencies of the plate are prepared, which include the effects of elastic coefficients of foundation, boundary conditions, material and geometrical parameters. The new results can be used as benchmark solutions for future researches.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.84 no.5
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• pp.685-697
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• 2022

Nanotechnology has become one of the interesting technique used in material science and engineering. However, it is low used in civil engineering structures. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the static behavior of concrete plates reinforced with silica-nanoparticles. Due to agglomeration effect of silica-nanoparticles in concrete, Voigt's model is used for obtaining the equivalent nano-composite properties. Furthermore, the plate is simulated mathematically with higher order shear deformation theory. For a large use of this study, the concrete plate is assumed resting on a Pasternak elastic foundation, including a shear layer, and Winkler spring interconnected with a Kerr foundation. Using the principle of virtual work, the equilibrium equations are derived and by the mean of Hamilton's principle the energy equations are obtained. Finally, based on Navier's technique, closed-form solutions of simply supported plates have been obtained. Numerical results are presented considering the effect of different parameters such as volume percent of SiO₂ nanoparticles, mechanical loads, geometrical parameters, soil medium, on the static behavior of the plate. The most findings of this work indicate that the use of an optimum amount of SiO₂ nanoparticles on concretes increases better mechanical behavior. In addition, the elastic foundation has a significant impact on the bending of concrete slabs.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.86 no.2
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• pp.167-180
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• 2023

This work applies a four-known quasi-3D shear deformation theory to investigate the bending behavior of a functionally graded plate resting on a viscoelastic foundation and subjected to hygro-thermo-mechanical loading. The theory utilizes a hyperbolic shape function to predict the transverse shear stress, and the transverse stretching effect of the plate is considered. The principle of virtual displacement is applied to obtain the governing differential equations, and the Navier method, which comprises an exponential term, is used to obtain the solution. Novel to the current study, the impact of the viscoelastic foundation model, which includes a time-dependent viscosity parameter in addition to Winkler's and Pasternak parameters, is carefully investigated. Numerical examples are presented to validate the theory. A parametric study is conducted to study the effect of the damping coefficient, the linear and nonlinear loadings, the power-law index, and the plate width-tothickness ratio on the plate bending response. The results show that the presence of the viscoelastic foundation causes an 18% decrease in the plate deflection and about a 10% increase in transverse shear stresses under both linear and nonlinear loading conditions. Additionally, nonlinear loading causes a one-and-a-half times increase in horizontal stresses and a nearly two-times increase in normal transverse stresses compared to linear loading. Based on the article's findings, it can be concluded that the viscosity effect plays a significant role in the bending response of plates in hygrothermal environments. Hence it shall be considered in the design.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.361-380
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• 2023

A size dependent bending behavior of piezoelectrical flexoelectric layered perforated functionally graded (FG) composite nanobeam rested on an elastic foundation is investigated analytically. The composite beam is composed of regularly cutout FG core and two piezoelectric face sheets. The material characteristics is graded through the core thickness by power law function. Regular squared cutout perforation pattern is considered and closed forms of the equivalent stiffness parameters are derived. The modified nonlocal strain gradient elasticity theory is employed to incorporate the microstructure as well as nonlocality effects into governing equations. The Winkler as well as the Pasternak elastic foundation models are employed to simulate the substrate medium. The Hamiltonian approach is adopted to derive the governing equilibrium equation including piezoelectric and flexoelectric effects. Analytical solution methodology is developed to derive closed forms for the size dependent electromechanical as well as mechanical bending profiles. The model is verified by comparing the obtained results with the available corresponding results in the literature. To demonstrate the applicability of the developed procedure, parametric studies are performed to explore influences of gradation index, elastic medium parameters, flexoelectric and piezoelectric parameters, geometrical and peroration parameters, and material parameters on the size dependent bending behavior of piezoelectrically layered PFG nanobeams. Results obtained revealed the significant effects both the flexoelectric and piezoelectric parameters on the bending behavior of the piezoelectric composite nanobeams. These parameters could be controlled to improve the size dependent electromechanical as well as mechanical behaviors. The obtained results and the developed procedure are helpful for design and manufacturing of MEMS and NEMS.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.563-581
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• 2024

This paper presents a novel finite element model for the free vibration analysis of variable-thickness functionally graded porous (FGP) microplates resting on Pasternak's medium in the hygro-thermal environment. The governing equations are established according to refined higher-order shear deformation plate theory (RPT) in construction with the modified couple stress theory. For the first time, three-node triangular elements with twelve degrees of freedom for each node are developed based on Hermitian interpolation functions to describe the in-plane displacements and transverse displacements of microplates. Two laws of variable thickness of FGP microplates, including the linear law and the nonlinear law in the x-direction are investigated. Effects of thermal and moisture changes on microplates are assumed to vary continuously from the bottom surface to the top surface and only cause tension loads in the plane, which does not change the material's mechanical properties. The numerical results of this work are compared with those of published data to verify the accuracy and reliability of the proposed method. In addition, the parameter study is conducted to explore the effects of geometrical and material properties such as the changing law of the thickness, length-scale parameter, and the parameters of the porosity, temperature, and humidity on the free vibration response of variable thickness FGP microplates. These results can be applied to design of microelectromechanical structures in practice.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.111-126
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• 2024

During the clinkering stages of cement production, the chemical composition of fine raw materials such as limestone and clay, which include iron oxide (Fe₂O₃), silicon dioxide (SiO₂) and aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), significantly influences the quality of the final product. Specifically, the chemical interaction of Fe₂O₃ with CaO, SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ during clinkerisation plays a key role in determining the chemical reactivity and overall quality of the final cement, shaping the properties of the concrete produced. As an extension, this study aims to investigate the physical effects of incorporating nanosized Fe₂O₃ particles as fillers in concrete matrices, and their impact on concrete structures, namely slabs. To accurately model the reinforced concrete (RC) slabs, a refined trigonometric shear deformation theory (RTSDT) is used. Additionally, the stochastic Eshelby's homogenization approach is employed to determine the thermoelastic properties of nano-Fe₂O₃ infused concrete slabs. To ensure comprehensive coverage in the study, the RC slabs undergo various mechanical loads and are exposed to temperature fields to assess their thermo-mechanical performance. Furthermore, the slabs are assumed to rest on a three-parameter viscoelastic foundation, comprising the Winkler elastic springs, Pasternak shear layer and a damping parameter. The equilibrium governing equations of the system are derived using the principle of virtual work and subsequently solved using Navier's technique. The findings indicate that while ferric oxide nanoparticles enhance the mechanical properties of concrete against mechanical loading, they have less favorable effects on its performance against thermal exposure. However, the viscoelastic foundation contributes to mitigating these effects, improving the concrete's overall performance in both scenarios. These results highlight the trade-offs between mechanical and thermal performance when using Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles in concrete and underscore the importance of optimizing nanoparticle content and loading conditions to improve the structural performance of concrete structures.