Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka approach for vibrational behavior of continuously graded carbon nanotube-reinforced cylindrical panels

In this paper, natural frequencies characteristics of a continuously graded carbon nanotube-reinforced (CGCNTR) cylindrical panels based on the Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka approach is considered. The volume fractions of oriented, straight single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction. In this research work, an equivalent continuum model based on the Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka approach is employed to estimate the effective constitutive law of the elastic isotropic medium (matrix) with oriented, straight carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The CGCNTR shell is assumed to be simply supported at one pair of opposite edges and arbitrary boundary conditions at the other edges such that trigonometric functions expansion can be used to satisfy the boundary conditions precisely at simply supported edges. The 2-D generalized differential quadrature method (GDQM) as an efficient and accurate numerical tool is used to discretize the governing equations and to implement the boundary conditions. The novelty of the present work is to exploit Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka approach in order to reveal the impacts of the volume fractions of oriented CNTs, different CNTs distributions, various mid radius-to-thickness ratio, shell angle, length-to-mean radius ratio and different combinations of free, simply supported and clamped boundary conditions on the vibrational characteristics of CGCNTR cylindrical panels. The interesting and new results show that continuously graded oriented CNTs volume fractions can be utilized for the management of vibrational behavior of structures so that the frequency parameters of structures made of such material can be considerably improved than that of the nanocomposites reinforced with uniformly distributed CNTs. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.