Composite Structure Analysis and Optimization

Composite structure analysis and optimization examines how materials with spatially varying properties—such as functionally graded materials reinforced with carbon nanotubes—deform, vibrate, and fail under mechanical and thermal loading. By tailoring composition gradually across a structure's thickness rather than stacking discrete layers, engineers can suppress stress concentrations at interfaces and improve performance in high-temperature aerospace, automotive, and biomedical applications. Numerical methods like the finite element method are central to predicting buckling thresholds and natural frequencies in these multilayered plates, where classical assumptions about shear deformation often break down and require higher-order theories. Active research is pushing toward more accurate homogenization models for nanotube-reinforced matrices, and toward optimization frameworks that can identify grading profiles capable of meeting competing thermal, structural, and weight constraints simultaneously.

Works

88,439

Total citations

1,374,626

Keywords

Functionally Graded MaterialsFinite Element MethodComposite PlatesCarbon Nanotube ReinforcementVibration AnalysisBuckling Behavior