Vibration and Buckling Characteristics of Functionally Graded Graphene Nanoplatelets Reinforced Composite Beams with Open Edge Cracks

This paper investigates the free vibration and compressive buckling characteristics of functionally graded graphene nanoplatelets reinforced composite (FG-GPLRC) beams containing open edge cracks by using the finite element method. The beam is a multilayer structure where the weight fraction of graphene nanoplatelets (GPLs) remains constant in each layer but varies along the thickness direction. The effective Young’s modulus of each GPLRC layer is determined by the modified Halpin-Tsai micromechanics model while its Poisson’s ratio and mass density are predicted according to the rule of mixture. The effects of GPLs distribution pattern, weight fraction, geometry, crack depth ratio (CDR), slenderness ratio as well as boundary conditions on the fundamental frequency and critical buckling load of the FG-GPLRC beam are studied in detail. It was found that distributing more GPLs on the top and bottom surfaces of the cracked FG-GPLRC beam provides the best reinforcing effect for improved vibrational and buckling performance. The fundamental frequency and critical buckling load are also considerably affected by the geometry and dimension of GPL nanofillers