LAUSR

Abstract The nonlinear bending behavior of nanocomposite laminated plates with negative Poisson’s ratios (NPR) is reported. Each ply of the plate is made of carbon nanotube-reinforced composites (CNTRCs) and may have different CNT volume fractions and the CNTRC plies are arranged in the thickness direction in a piece-wise functionally graded pattern. The plate is supposed to be rested on a two-parameter elastic foundation and is exposed in a thermal environment. The temperature-dependent material properties of the CNTRCs are evaluated using an extended Voigt (rule of mixture) model. The governing equations for the nonlinear bending of FG-CNTRC laminated plates are based on Reddy’s third order shear deformation plate theory and solved by using a two-step perturbation approach. Analytical solutions are obtained which include the geometrical nonlinearity in the von Kármán sense, the thermal effects and the plate-foundation interaction. The effect of NPR on the nonlinear bending responses of FG-CNTRC laminated plates under different loading conditions are investigated comparatively according to the graphical results. It is explicitly shown that NPR has a significant effect on the nonlinear bending responses of CNTRC laminated plates.