Effect of temperature and porosity on free vibration characteristics of a doubly-curved skew laminated sandwich composite structures with 3D printed PLA core

Abstract

This paper deals with the investigation of the influence of temperature and porosity on the vibration response of the doubly-curved skew laminated sandwich composite (DSLSC) shells. The temperature-reliant properties of the graphite–epoxy face sheet and the 3D printed polylactic acid (PLA) core are considered for the numerical analysis. The coupled thermo-elastic finite element (FE) model is developed using the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) to study the influence of uniform temperature rise on the modal behavior of the DSLSC shells. The stiffness generated due to thermal exposure is accounted to introduce the initial stress stiffness matrix. Further, the initial stress stiffness matrix is developed using nonlinear strain–displacement relations, while the mechanical stiffness matrices are characterized using linear strain–displacement relations. A comprehensive parametric study has been performed to appreciate the effect of temperature, geometric restraints, and material constraints of a laminated composite sandwich spherical, hyperbolic, ellipsoidal, cylindrical shells, and flat plates. Series of experiments are performed to understand the influence of temperature on the natural frequency of glass–epoxy laminated composite sandwich plates with 3D printed PLA core. Further exploration is dedicated to comprehending the experimental challenges involved in studying the vibration performance of sandwich structures with 3D printed PLA core in the thermal environment.