Motion limiting nonlinear dynamics and frequency characteristics of pipes reinforced with carbon nanotube agglomerations coupled with piezoelectric actuator

Abstract

In the current work, for the first time, the motion limiting nonlinear dynamics and frequency analysis of a nanopipe reinforced with carbon nanotube agglomerations (CNTAs) is presented. The current composite structure is coupled with a piezoelectric actuator for electrical purposes. The first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) is presented for displacement fields of two layers (composite and piezoelectric). Nonlocal strain gradient theory (NSGT) is used to consider the size effects. For mathematical modeling of the nanocomposite layer, the effective Poisson’s ratio, Young’s modulus, thermal expansion in addition to carbon nanotubes (CNTs) clusters/polymer density are presented. The deflection of the pipe is described through Cartesian and cylindrical coordinates. The nonlinear problem equations are extracted as two different 1-D models which are perpendicular to each other. Generalized differential quadrature method (GDQM) and Multiple scales solution procedure (MSSP) were used for solving the nonlinear equations in displacement and time domains, respectively. Finally, the outcomes of the current report demonstrate that the area ratio of piezoelectric layer, CNTs’ volume fraction, boundary conditions, and size-dependent parameter have an important role in the nonlinear dynamics of the composite nanopipes coupled with the piezoelectric layer.