Hygrothermoelastic free vibration response of laminated composite plates resting on elastic foundations with random system properties

Abstract

This article presents the hygrothermal effects on the free vibration of laminated composite plates resting on a two-parameter Winkler and Pasternak elastic foundations with random system properties using micromechanical model. System properties such as material properties, hygroscopic expansion coefficients, thermal expansion coefficients and foundation stiffness parameters are modeled as independent basic random variables which are affected by the variation in temperature and moisture based on a micromechanical model of a laminate for accurate prediction of system behavior. A C0 finite element method based on higher-order shear deformation theory has been used for deriving the standard eigenvalue problem. A Taylor series-based mean-centered first-order perturbation technique is used to find mean and standard deviation of the natural frequency subjected to uniform moisture concentration and temperature rise, plate aspect ratio, total number of plies, fiber orientations and elastic foundation parameters with different boundary support under hygrothermal environmental conditions. Typical numerical results have been validated with those available in the literature and independent Monte Carlo simulation.