Nonlinear bending and thermal postbuckling of thermoplastic composite laminated plates under temperature variation

Abstract

Carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites (CFRTPCs) have received growing attentions in various engineering sectors. This paper proposes a physical model to report new features of CFRTPC laminated plates undergoing thermo-mechanical loads. The experiment-based approach is applied to determine the temperature-dependent and strain-dependent stress–strain relations of CFRTPC and further to predict the nonlinear bending responses and thermal postbuckling behaviors of CFRTPC laminated plates. Two cases, the nonlinear bending of CFRTPC laminated plates bearing a uniform pressure under temperature variation and the thermal postbuckling of CFRTPC laminated plates caused by an ambient temperature rise, are analyzed. The numerical investigations are carried out on [45/−45]s CFRTPC laminated plates. The influences of temperature variation, geometric parameters and boundary conditions of the CFRTPC laminated plates on nonlinear bending deflection and moment together with on the thermal postbuckling behaviors are compared in detail.