Properties Of Composite Materials Research Articles

Integration of inter-ply electrical percolation phenomena in the multiphysics modelling of laminated composite materials

Purpose This study aims to introduce a predictive homogenization model incorporating electrical percolation considerations to forecast the electrical characteristics of unidirectional carbon-epoxy laminate composites. Design/methodology/approach This study presents a method for calculating the electrical conductivity tensor for various ply arrangement patterns to elucidate phenomena occurring around the interfaces between plies. These interface models are then integrated into a three-dimensional (3D) magneto-thermal model using the finite element method. A comparative study is conducted between different approaches, emphasizing the advantages of the new model through experimental measurements. Findings This research facilitates the innovative integration of electrical percolation considerations, resulting in substantial improvement in the prediction of electrical properties of composites. The validity of this improvement is established through comprehensive validation against existing approaches and experimentation. Research limitations/implications The study primarily focuses on unidirectional carbon-epoxy laminate composites. Further research is needed to extend the model's applicability to other composite materials and configurations. Originality/value The proposed model offers a significant improvement in predicting the electrical properties of composite materials by incorporating electrical percolation considerations at inter-ply interfaces, which have not been addressed in previous studies. This research provides valuable information to improve the accuracy of predictions of the electrical properties of composites and offers a methodology for accounting for these properties in 3D magneto-thermal simulations.

Effect of antibacterial masterbatches selection on the crystal structure and properties of nanosilver composite materials

AbstractThe distribution of nanosilver in composite materials with two different matrices is related to the selection of antibacterial masterbatches, which has a profound impact on the antibacterial effectiveness of the composite materials. This study utilized ethylene‐vinyl acetate (EVA) and polypropylene (PP) as base materials to fabricate two types of nanosilver composite materials (C1‐EVA/PP and C2‐EVA/PPP) employing varying methods of antimicrobial masterbatches incorporation. Additionally, EVA‐Ag and PP‐Ag nanosilver composite materials were fabricated via melt blending, along with corresponding neat materials and blends (EVA, PP, and C0‐EVA/PP) for comparison. The study results indicate that the addition of nanosilver did not affect the functional groups of either the neat materials and the EVA/PP blends. SEM analysis revealed that nanosilver was dispersed unevenly in the C1‐EVA/PP substrate, while it was more uniformly distributed in the C2‐EVA/PP substrate. In the antibacterial test, the antibacterial rate of C2‐EVA/PP was higher than that of C1‐EVA/PP (56.0% vs. 40.0%). However, all silver‐containing composite materials did not exhibit antibacterial properties in the agar diffusion test. Additionally, nanosilver exhibited an induced crystallization effect on the PP phase of the C2‐EVA/PP composite material, increasing its Tc2 by 0.8°C. Compared with pure PP, the long period of PP‐Ag increased by 0.7 nm, and its impact resistance improved by 13.8%. By comparison, the long period of EVA‐Ag composite materials increased by only 0.2 nm compared to pure EVA. Both C1‐EVA/PP and C2‐EVA/PP composite materials showed 0.3 nm increase in long period compared to C0‐EVA/PP, with their impact resistance improving by 3.1% and 10.3%, respectively, compared to C0‐EVA/PP. The introduction of nanosilver increased the storage modulus, loss modulus, and apparent viscosity of EVA/PP blends. Optical performance analysis shows that nanosilver increases the internal haze of C1‐EVA/PPP by 60% while reducing the transmittance by 0.3%. The effect of nanosilver on the optical properties of C2‐EVA/PPP composites is relatively small. Therefore, this study provides theoretical guidance for the selection of processing methods for dual‐phase antibacterial materials.Highlights Different antibacterial masterbatch impacts silver distribution in composites. The addition of nanosilver can improve the impact performance of materials. Two process methods were used to prepare low‐silver content composite materials. The antibacterial rate of C2‐EVA/PP is higher than C1‐EVA/PP (56% vs. 40%). This study guides the processing methods for dual‐phase antibacterial materials.

Alginate composite films incorporated with Zn-based inorganic antimicrobials for food packaging: Effects of morphology.

Biopolymers-based food packaging materials have drawn attention as potential candidates for substitution of petroleum-based materials. In this study, composite alginate films were developed by incorporating Zn-based antimicrobials to overcome the intrinsic disadvantages of alginates that hinder their wide applications. Antimicrobials with different morphologies (nanoplatelets, nanorods, and nanospheres) were employed to investigate the effects of antimicrobials' morphology on antibacterial, thermal, mechanical, and barrier performance of composite alginate films. Meanwhile, morphological and structural characterizations were carried out to explore the interactions between antimicrobials and alginate matrix. Results indicated that films with nanospheres exhibited superior antibacterial property, while those with one-dimensional nanorods possessed better mechanical and barrier performance. Besides, preliminary test on fresh-cut potatoes and chicken breasts indicated that the composite films showed potential in extending shelf life of foods. By incorporating antimicrobials with three different morphologies, this study provides particular insights into improving properties of composite packaging materials.

The Quick Determination of a Fibrous Composite’s Axial Young’s Modulus via the FEM

Knowing the mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced composite materials, which are currently widely used in various industrial branches, represents a major objective for designers. This happens when new materials are used that are not yet in production or for which the manufacturer cannot give values. Given the practical importance of this problem, several methods of determining these properties have been proposed, but most of them are laborious and require a long calculation time. And, some of the proposed calculation methods are very approximate, providing only upper and lower limits for these values. Experimental measurements are obviously the optimal solution for solving this problem, but it must be taken into account that this type of method consumes time and material resources. This paper proposes a sufficiently accurate and fast estimation method for determining Young’s modulus for a homogenized fibrous material. Thus, the FEM is used to determine the natural frequencies of a standard bar, for which there are sufficiently precise classical methods to express the engineering constants according to the mechanical properties of the component phases of the homogenized material. In this paper, Young’s modulus is determined for such a material using the relationships that provide the eigenfrequencies for the longitudinal vibrations. With the adopted model, transverse and torsional vibrations are eliminated by blocking the nodes on the surfaces of the bars. In this way, more longitudinal eigenfrequencies can be obtained, so the precision in calculating Young’s modulus is increased.

Circular Economy of Construction and Demolition Waste for Nanocomposite Cement: XRD, NMR, Vickers, Voltammetric and EIS Characterization

In this paper, we present the structural, mechanical and electrical properties of composite cement materials that can be widely used as substituent for cement. We start with the characterization of a composite cement sample using an analysis of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. The measurements of the Vickers hardness, cyclic and sweep linear voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) of composite cement materials were also recorded. This study compared the effect of the different nanocomposites added to cement on the mitigation of the alkali–silica reaction, which is responsible for the swelling, cracking and deleterious behavior of the material. The enhancement in Vickers hardness was more pronounced for composite cement materials. In contrast, the values of Vickers hardness decreased for the composite cement containing mortar and the control sample, suggesting that the long-term performance of cement was compromised. In order to obtain information about the bulk resistance of the composite cement material, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) data were employed. The results suggest that for composite cement materials, there is an improvement in bulk electrical resistance, which can be attributed to the lower amounts of cracks and swelling due to lower expansion. In the control sample, a reduction in the bulk resistance suggests the formation of microcracks, which cause the aging and degradation of the material. The intersection of arcs in the EIS spectrum of the mixed composite cement sample gradually increased by an alkaline exposure of up to 21 days and finally shifted towards a low value of high frequency with an increase in alkaline exposure of up to 28 days.

Effects of different admixtures on the working performance and mechanical properties of phosphogypsum slag-based composite cementitious materials

Phosphogypsum slag-based composite cementitious materials were prepared by using phosphogypsum and slag powder as the main raw materials, adding quicklime, lithium slag, steel slag and other admixtures, and adding NaOH, NaHCO3 and triethanolamine (TEA). The effects of different admixtures on the fluidity, setting time and compressive strength of the composite cementitious materials were studied. Finally, XRD, MIP, TG-DTG, and SEM microscopic tests were used to analyze the reasons for the performance changes caused by the admixture from the aspects of phase composition, pore distribution, and hydration product morphology. The results show that the addition of NaOH, NaHCO3 and TEA reduces the fluidity and strength of the material and improves the setting time. The paste with 1% NaOH and 0.03% TEA can balance the working performance and mechanical properties.

Oil-Loaded Mesoporous Silica to Enhance the Lubrication of Polypropylene Resin Composite Materials

Polymer self-lubricating materials have advantages such as low friction coefficient, good wear resistance, and high work efficiency, giving them wide application potential in friction and wear. This work fabricated polymer-based self-lubricating materials by incorporating oil-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs + YR1800) in the polypropylene resin (PP). The effects of different content of MSNs + YR1800 on the tribological and mechanical properties of the obtained self-lubricating composite materials were studied. The results indicate that the content of MSNs + YR1800 in composite materials significantly impacts their tribological properties. When the content of MSNs + YR1800 was 10 wt%, the coefficient of friction reduced to 0.09,which was 84.5% lower than for PP and 78.6% lower than for composite materials containing 5 wt% mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSNs). Compared with pure PP, the wear rate decreases from 4.93 × 10−11 m3∙Nm−1 to 4.43 × 10−13 m3∙Nm−1, which is reduced by two orders of magnitude. The excellent tribological properties of composite materials are attributed to the high specific surface area, large pore volume, strong adsorption capacity, and high oil loading capacity of mesoporous silica nanoparticle as nanofillers. The MSNs + YR1800 release lubricants to form a lubricating oil film during the friction process under load conditions, preventing direct contact between the friction pair and the surface of the composite material. Compared with polymer-silica hybrid oil-loaded microcapsules, MSNs + YR1800 can effectively reduce lubricant leakage, prolong operation life, improve lubrication efficiency, and ensure the continuous and stable existence of lubricating oil films.

Preparation of short carbon fiber reinforced photosensitive resin and composite material properties study

AbstractLight‐curing rapid prototyping (SLA) has become an emerging technology in the manufacturing industry because of its high precision, rapid prototyping, and the ability to mold complex parts. To enhance the mechanical properties and thermal stability of its raw material photosensitive resin (PR), carbon fiber (CF) was surface modified by chemical oxidation and grafting of amino silane (KH550) to obtain KH550‐modified carbon fiber (ACF). Then, ACF was composited with photosensitive resin to obtain modified carbon fiber/photosensitive resin (ACF/PR) composites. The viscosities of ACF/PR composites, including the viscosity, curing shrinkage, mechanical properties, and thermal stability of the ACF/PR composites, were characterized. The results showed that KH550 was successfully grafted onto CF. When the addition of ACF in the composites was 0.6%, the tensile strength, elongation at break, and impact strength of ACF/PR reached 39.48 MPa, 20.32%, and 13.62 kJ/m2, which were 120%, 27.15%, and 154% higher than that of the pure resin; the thermal decomposition temperatures and the maximum thermal decomposition temperatures at 50% mass loss of ACF/PR increased to 457.66°C and 442.44°C at 50% mass loss, which is 3.95% and 3.63% higher than that of the pure resin. Currently, the composites have excellent strength, toughness, and thermal stability. This paper gives a cost‐efficient method for improving the functioning of PR.Highlights Mixed acid oxidation and amino silane modification of CFs. Preparation of modified CF/photosensitive resin composites. Composites with excellent mechanical properties and thermal stability.

Investigation on thermal conductivities of plain-woven carbon/phenolic and silica/phenolic composites at high temperature: Theoretical prediction and experiment

Phenolic resin-based ablation materials have found widespread applications in the aerospace industry. The prediction of their thermal conductivity is of paramount importance for the optimization and evaluation for thermal protection systems. However, there is rarely reported thermal conductivity performance of phenolic composites during ablation processes. Therefore, this investigation theoretically predicts the dynamic response of thermal conductivity at high temperatures for plain-woven carbon/phenolic and high silica/phenolic composites. By combining the progressive cubic ablation model with existing composite material property formulas, a multiscale prediction model for effective thermal conductivity is developed. The thermal performance of the resin matrix, reinforcing fibers, yarns, and overall fabric composites is calculated. Additionally, mesoscale representative volume elements are implemented to investigate the overall heat transfer characteristics of carbon/phenolic and high-silica/phenolic composites, including temperature and heat flux distributions. Moreover, both composites thermal conductivities are measured in the range from 298 K to 473 K. The proposed prediction model demonstrates good reliability, with average deviations of 3.76 % and 7.36 % compared to finite element analysis results and experimental data, respectively.

Optimizing mechanical performance and flow characteristics of alkaline fly ash/rice husk ash composite backfill: Insights from multi-factor analysis and engineering optimization

In order to effectively dispose of agricultural waste rice husk ash and improve the mechanical properties of backfill, the properties of fly ash/rice husk ash composite backfill material were studied in the laboratory. The effects of fly ash, rice husk ash, straw fiber and NaOH content on the properties of composite backfilling materials were studied, and the ratio parameters of composite backfilling materials were optimized based on engineering examples. Our findings reveal that fly ash content significantly impacts slump, with its addition enhancing the flow performance of composite backfilling materials. Conversely, straw fiber, rice husk ash, and NaOH content were found to have non-significant effects on slump. We observed that with the increase of fly ash content from 5 % to 20 %, the compressive strength of the backfill firstly increases and then decreases, and the optimal content range is about 10 %. Moreover, increased rice husk ash and NaOH content effectively enhance the UCS. However, higher fly ash and straw fiber content were found to impede the strengthening effect of NaOH on UCS. Nevertheless, higher NaOH content was observed to augment the strengthening effect of rice husk ash content. Furthermore, when the content of fly ash and rice husk ash is 5∼10 % and 3–12 % respectively, rice husk ash and fly ash effectively reduce the size range of internal void structures, enhancing the microstructure density and mechanical properties of the composite backfilling material. Based on engineering example, we determined the optimal ratio parameters of the composite backfilling material to be: 20 % fly ash content, 9 % rice husk ash content, 0.4 % straw fiber content, and 2.5 % NaOH content. This study is helpful to promote the application of waste rice husk ash and straw fiber in mine filling, and provides theoretical guidance for the parameter design of backfilling materials.

Examining the impact of anisotropic particle orientation in a polymer matrix on the electrical properties of composite materials

Examining the impact of anisotropic particle orientation in a polymer matrix on the electrical properties of composite materials

Thermal modeling of porous medium integrated in PCM and its application in passive thermal management of electric vehicle battery pack

The integration of a composite of porous medium with phase change material (PCM) offers significant advantages in thermal management systems, enhancing heat transfer efficiency and addressing various thermal regulation challenges. This approach utilizes the PCM's latent heat absorption and the enhanced thermal conductivity provided by the porous medium, resulting in optimized system performance. Its applicability spans across electronics cooling and building insulation systems. However, predicting the thermal behavior of this composite material is challenging, necessitating computational tools to anticipate its response under different conditions and evaluate its influence on cooling strategies. The objective of this study is to create a computational tool specifically tailored to evaluate constitutive parameters of this composite material, thereby providing a comprehensive description of its thermal behavior. To achieve this goal, the multiscale homogenization principle is employed to assess the composite's effective thermophysical material properties using the representative volume element approach. The repeating unit cell of the aluminum lattice is incorporated into the PCM to define a representative volume element. The finite element method (FEM) is utilized to solve the three-dimensional homogenization problem, yielding an orthotropic effective thermal conductivity due to the inherent symmetry of the repeating material cell. Moreover, the study leverages the apparent heat capacity method to effectively manage the phase transitions within the PCM domain, utilizing smooth and temperature-dependent functions to accurately describe the thermophysical properties of the PCM. Integrating the composite into battery pack thermal management, this study thoroughly examines thermal dynamics by comparing outcomes with and without PCM integration. The transient thermal problem is accurately tackled using the FEM, employing the evaluated effective constitutive parameters of the homogenized composite to minimize computational effort. The results indicate a notable decline in the highest temperatures of the battery pack, leading to a reduction of about 14 °C at the specific moment when the phase change material fully transitions into its liquid form. The obtained results emphasize the effectiveness and practical feasibility of the proposed thermal management strategy. The modeling approach presented provides a robust tool with significant efficiency in reducing computational time for analyzing the thermal behavior of large models, as the utilization of the homogenization technique notably decreases the computational time.

A Study on the Optimal Powder Metallurgy Process to Obtain Suitable Material Properties of Soft Magnetic Composite Materials for Electric Vehicles

This study systematically investigates the impact of the material properties of soft magnetic composites (SMCs) on the powder metallurgy forming process. It proposes a suitable material selection process for various motor types and shapes and determines the optimal forming conditions for each SMC material. This study employed the Taguchi design method to identify key control factors such as powder type, forming temperature, and forming speed, and analyzed their effects on relative density. Simulation results indicated that AncorLam HR exhibited superior properties compared with AncorLam and Fe-6.5wt.%Si. The optimal conditions determined through signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) calculations were AncorLam HR at 60 °C and five cycles per minute (CPMs). Validation through simulation and SEM analysis confirmed improved density uniformity and reduced defects in products formed under optimal conditions. Final prototype testing demonstrated that the selected conditions achieved the target density with minimal variance, enhancing the mechanical properties and performance of the motors. These results suggest that the appropriate application of SMC materials can significantly enhance motor efficiency and reliability.

CNN-based prediction of microstructure-derived random property fields of composite materials

The simulation of random spatial variation in the mechanical properties of composite materials using random fields derived from their microstructure can be computationally demanding, since it often requires numerical homogenization of a large number of stochastic volume elements (SVEs). These SVEs are usually extracted from an initial image of the composite microstructure by using a moving window technique and their homogenized properties constitute the discrete data points of the random field at the centroid of each SVE. By replacing the expensive and highly repetitive homogenization procedure with a convolutional neural network (CNN), it is possible to perform nearly instant computations of random property fields. In this work, a CNN is proposed, that takes as input an SVE image and returns its apparent mechanical properties, and can therefore be applied along with the moving window technique. Training is performed on randomly generated SVEs with varying volume fractions and inclusion positions, which are representative of the SVEs obtained during processing of the initial large composite image. It is shown that the proposed CNN can accurately predict the mechanical properties of SVEs and it is subsequently applied for the prediction of random property fields derived from computer simulated and real microstructure images. Results show that, with the proposed methodology, it is possible to make accurate predictions of random fields within a few seconds, a procedure which could potentially require hours of computation time with the finite element based approach.

Analytical and numerical evaluation of the effective properties of macro fiber composite (MFC)

The piezoelectric fibers of Macro Fiber Composite (MFC) have a rectangular cross-section with an aspect ratio of 2. This heterogeneity poses challenges for micromechanical modeling to predict the effective mechanical properties. The High-Fidelity Generalized Method of Cells (HFGMCs) is commonly used to calculate the properties of composite materials. In this paper, a Modified High-Fidelity Generalized Method of Cells (MHFGMC) is proposed to analyze MFC properties, in which the interaction between subcells is considered by defining the quadratic directional coupling term and the shear connection matrix. The accuracy of the proposed MHFGMC model is verified by using the finite element method and experimental tests. The results show that the MHFGMC can accurately predict the effective mechanical properties of MFC, and the relative error of tensile properties compared to experimental results is within 2.29%. The MHFGMC significantly improve the accuracy of the HFGMC, the relative error of its shear modulus is decreased from 105.13% to 0.71%.

Pseudo strain-hardening alkali-activated composites with up to 100 % rubber aggregate: Static mechanical properties analysis and constitutive model development

Strain-hardening alkali-activated materials (SHAAM) provide a sustainable alternative to conventional strain-hardening cementitious composites (SHCC), offering significant environmental and economic benefits. This study examines the effects of various rubber powder (RP) volume replacement ratios (0 %, 25 %, 50 %, 75 %, and 100 %) on the properties of Rubber Powder Modified Strain-Hardening Alkali-Activated Composite Material (R-SHAAM), assessing workability, uniaxial compressive behavior, and uniaxial tensile behavior. The findings reveal that R-SHAAM with 100 % RP aggregate significantly enhances durability, achieving a 50.7 % reduction in crack width. Optimal axial tensile performance is observed at a 25 % replacement ratio, where R-SHAAM shows an 8.1 % increase in tensile strength and a 4.1 % increase in ultimate tensile strain. The robust multi-dimensional performance of R-SHAAM across different RP replacement ratios suggests its potential for diverse applications including pavement, marine structures, and explosive engineering, thereby offering valuable insights into sustainable material design and the effective recycling of waste materials in construction.

Effects of Incorporating Ionic Crosslinking on 3D Printing of Biomass-Fungi Composite Materials.

Biomass-fungi composite materials primarily consist of biomass particles (sourced from agricultural residues) and a network of fungal hyphae that bind the biomass particles together. These materials have potential applications across diverse industries, such as packaging, furniture, and construction. 3D printing offers a new approach to manufacturing parts using biomass-fungi composite materials, as an alternative to traditional molding-based methods. However, there are challenges in producing parts with desired quality (for example, geometric accuracy after printing and height shrinkage several days after printing) by using 3D printing-based methods. This paper introduces an innovative approach to enhance part quality by incorporating ionic crosslinking into the 3D printing-based methods. While ionic crosslinking has been explored in hydrogel-based bioprinting, its application in biomass-fungi composite materials has not been reported. Using sodium alginate (SA) as the hydrogel and calcium chloride as the crosslinking agent, this paper investigates their effects on quality (geometric accuracy and height shrinkage) of 3D printed samples and physiochemical characteristics (rheological, chemical, and texture properties) of biomass-fungi composite materials. Results show that increasing SA concentration led to significant improvements in both geometric accuracy and height shrinkage of 3D printed samples. Moreover, crosslinking exposure significantly enhanced hardness of the biomass-fungi mixture samples prepared for texture profile analysis, while the inclusion of SA notably improved cohesiveness and springiness of the biomass-fungi mixture samples. Furthermore, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirms the occurrence of ionic crosslinking within 3D printed samples. Results from this study can be used as a reference for developing new biomass-fungi mixtures for 3D printing in the future.

The Effect of Expanded Graphite Content on the Thermal Properties of Fatty Acid Composite Materials for Thermal Energy Storage.

The mass content of expanded graphite (EG) in fatty acid/expanded graphite composite phase-change materials (CPCMs) affects their thermal properties. In this study, a series of capric-myristic acid/expanded graphite CPCMs with different EG mass content (1%, 3%, 5%, 8%, 12%, 16%, and 20%) were prepared. The adsorption performance effect of EG on the PCMs was observed and analyzed. The structure and thermal properties of the prepared CPCMs were characterized via scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermal conductivity measurements, and heat energy storage/release experiments. The results show that the minimum mass content of EG in the CPCMs is 7.6%. The phase-change temperature of the CPCMs is close to that of the PCMs, at around 19 °C. The latent heat of phase change is equivalent to that of the PCM at the corresponding mass content, and that of phase change with an EG mass content of 8% is 138.0 J/g. The CPCMs exhibit a large increase in thermal conductivity and a significant decrease in storage/release time as the expanded graphite mass content increases. The thermal conductivity of the CPCM with a mass content of 20% is 418.5% higher than that with a mass content of 5%. With an increase in the EG mass content in CPCMs, the heat transfer mainly transitions from phase-change heat transfer to thermal conductivity.

Microstructure, Texture, and Mechanical Properties of 0.4GNPs–Mg–8Al–1Sm Composites Prepared by Pulse Current‐Assisted Multidirectional Forging

The present study investigates the evolution of the microstructure and texture of a hot‐pressed sintered 0.4GNPs–Mg–8Al–1Sm (mass fraction, %) composite material during a pulsed current‐assisted multidirectional forging process. Additionally, this study explores the use of the pulse current‐assisted multidirectional forging mechanism for strengthening the mechanical properties of composite materials. The results indicate that as the cumulative strain (ΣΔε) increases, the amount of Mg17Al12 and Al2Sm gradually increases while their size decreases. Furthermore, the fraction of the recrystallization area increases. The recrystallization mechanism is dominated by continuous dynamic recrystallization and discontinuous dynamic recrystallization. The refinement of the alloy grain size is attributed to dynamic recrystallization. Specifically, at ΣΔε = 3.15, the compressive strength and fracture strain of the multidirectional forged 0.4GNPs–Mg–8Al–1Sm composite reach 461.5 MPa and 18.8%, respectively. By quantitatively analyzing the strengthening mechanism of the alloy, it is determined that fine‐grain strengthening is the most significant mechanism contributing to the strength of the 0.4GNPs–Mg–8Al–1Sm composite.

Thermomechanical bending of functionally graded carbon nanotubes reinforced composite plate by meshless method

AbstractFunctionally graded (FG) carbon nanotubes (CNTs) reinforced composite possessing continuously varied material properties have received extensive concern in the area of aviation, automotive, military, and spaceflight. The nonlinear bending of FG CNT composite is performed by developing a novel meshless model on the base of Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method. The equivalent temperature relative material properties of composite is established in the light of the extended rule of mixture model. Different gradient dispersions of CNTs are taken into account and modeled. The governing equations are explored using the Mindlin theory and discretized though a symmetric SPH method with high prediction ability. The developed model is verified by analyzed several examples and compared to the solution obtained in literature. Influences of CNT dispersion, content, plate aspect ratio, boundary conditions and lamination angle on the bending response are elaborated. The present study provides an alternative potential method to solve the mechanical performances of FG CNT composites based on the meshless SPH formulation.Highlights Thermo‐mechanics of FG‐CNTRC is firstly solved by SPH method. The model is verified by solving the benchmarks in literature. Nonlinear bending behaviors of FG‐CNTRC are demonstrated. The minimum deflection take place in FG‐X type composite. For laminate plate, the smallest deformation occurs in 0° CNTRC.