LAUSR

Abstract This study presents nonlinear bending analyses of functionally graded (FG) carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (CNTRC) plates using the modified mesh-free radial point interpolation method (RPIM). The nonlinear bending formulations of the FG-CNTRC plates are derived from the modified RPIM which employs a new radial basis function able to construct the shape functions without the need for introducing supporting fixing coefficients based on the higher-order shear deformation plate theory. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are selected as the reinforcement and the effective material properties of the FG-CNTRC plates are evaluated by an equivalent continuum model based on the rule of mixture. The simulated results by the modified RPIM are compared with the other numerical solutions to verify the effectiveness and the accuracy of the developed mesh-free method. Detailed parametric studies are then performed to explore the effects that the plate width-to-thickness ratio, aspect ratio, load type, boundary condition and initial deflection have on the nonlinear flexural responses of the CNTRC plates, and the results for uniformly distributed (UD) CNTRC plate are provided for comparison. Results demonstrate that the modified mesh-free RPIM can effectively predict the nonlinear bending behavior of the CNTRC plates.