Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering (2021) 43:61

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40430-020-02792-7

TECHNICAL PAPER

Computational analysis of the effects of carbon nanotubes

on the bending, buckling, and vibration characteristics of carbon
fabric/polymer hybrid nanocomposite plates
A. Bakamal1 · R. Ansari1 · M. K. Hassanzadeh‑Aghdam2

Received: 31 August 2020 / Accepted: 22 December 2020 / Published online: 15 January 2021
© The Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering 2021

Abstract
In this paper, the effects of adding carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the bending, buckling and free vibration characteristics of
carbon fabric/polymer hybrid nanocomposite plates (HNCPs) are investigated using a computational approach. First, a hier-
archical finite element micromechanics approach is proposed to estimate the hybrid composite properties. The formation of
interfacial region due to the non-bonded van der Waals interactions among the CNTs and polymer is considered. Then, finite
element analysis is carried out to compute the mechanical responses of the CNT/carbon fabric hybrid composite structures.
It is found that incorporating the CNTs into the carbon fabric-reinforced polymer materials results in an enhancement of
buckling capacity and natural frequencies of the HNCPs. The maximum deflection of the traditional carbon fabric/polymer
composite plates is decreased by adding the CNTs. A parametric study is accomplished to evaluate the influences of amount
and aspect ratio of CNTs, material properties and thickness of interfacial region as well as the thickness and various shapes
of plate on the flexural deformation, buckling and vibration characteristics of the HNCPs. The predictions are compared
with those available in the literature to verify the validity of the presented computational model.

Keywords Hybrid composite structure · Carbon fabric · Carbon nanotube · Buckling and vibration · Computational
modeling

1 Introduction low. Since the through-thickness properties are significantly

Carbon fabric-reinforced polymer composites continue to
be used increasingly in aerospace, automotive, defense and
wind power industries owing to their high strength/stiffness-
to-weight ratio, high fatigue resistance, and good resistance
to corrosion [1–3]. Most of the carbon fabric/polymer com-
posites are laminated plate structures whose mechanical
properties in the through-thickness direction are relatively
Technical Editor: Aurelio Araujo.
* R. Ansari
r_ansari@guilan.ac.ir
* M. K. Hassanzadeh‑Aghdam
MK.hassanzadeh@gmail.com
1 excellent candidates in creating polymer matrix hybrid com-
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Guilan,
Rasht, Iran
2 in carbon fabric-reinforced composite mechanical prop-
Department of Engineering Science, Faculty of Technology
and Engineering, East of Guilan, University of Guilan,
Rudsar‑Vajargah, Iran
dominated by the matrix properties, this may limit the appli-
cation of these advanced materials. Further enhancement of
the mechanical properties of carbon fabric/polymer compos-
ites using novel routes is constantly sought. Incorporating
the nanoscale fillers as the second reinforcing phase into
the polymer resins has been widely proposed as an efficient
method for enhancing the mechanical and multifunctional
properties of the polymer matrix composites [4–6].
Among the nanofillers, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have
been the subject of intensive research [7]. The perfect com-
bination of the great aspect ratio (> 1000), low density
(~ 1.6 g/cm3), high elastic modulus (~ 1 TPa), very high
tensile strength (~ 50–200 GPa), high thermal conductiv-
ity (~ 2–6 K­ Wm−1 K−1), and high electrical conductivity
(~ 102–106 S/cm) [8–10] can make the CNTs undoubtedly
posites. Numerous studies have reported good improvements
erties when the CNTs are added into the polymer matrix
[11–14]. For instance, An et al. [15] observed significant

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enhancements in the shear strength and fracture toughness
of the carbon fabric/epoxy hybrid composites by adding the
CNTs. Moreover, Lee et al. [16] fabricated some specimens
of CNT/woven carbon fiber/epoxy hybrid composites by
means of a low-temperature chemical vapor deposition and
resin transfer molding. The hybrid composites containing
CNTs indicated higher tensile strength (~ 32%) in compari-
son with the woven carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy compos-
ites. Also, it was stated that both electrical and mechanical
properties can be improved due to the addition of CNTs
in the carbon fabric-reinforced epoxy composites [17]. In
another study, Shin et al. [18] evaluated the influence of
CNTs on the mode II interlaminar fracture toughness of the
carbon fabric–epoxy hybrid composite laminates. Ultrasoni-
cation and three-roll milling were utilized to disperse the
CNTs into the epoxy resin. The experimental results showed
that the mode II interlaminar fracture toughness of the
hybrid composites containing 5 wt% CNTs notably enhances
as compared to the traditional carbon fabric–epoxy compos-
ites. Tarfaoui et al. [19] investigated the role of CNTs in the
damage behavior of laminate composites made of 5HS car-
bon fabric-reinforced epoxy materials by the experimental
test and the finite element method (FEM). It was deduced
that the CNTs tend to postpone the damage propagation and
increase the resistance and fracture toughness of the hybrid
composites [19].
In real structural applications, the predictions of the static
and dynamic behaviors of beams, plates and shells formed
by the CNT-reinforced polymer hybrid composites are much
significant for design engineers. Pan et al. [2] proposed a
framework to evaluate the geometrically nonlinear large
deformation behaviors of matrix cracked hybrid composite
double-curved deep shell containing CNT-reinforced layers.
The influences of length-to-thickness ratio, radius-to-length
ratio, aspect ratio, boundary condition, fiber ply-angle, the
CNT dispersion, matrix crack density, and load type on the
large deformation characteristics of the hybrid composite
shells were explored. In another research work, Pan and
Liew [8] studied the vibration responses of rotating hybrid
composite blades comprising functionally graded CNT-rein-
forced composite laminae and damaged fibrous composite
laminae. A literature review about the mechanical investiga-
tion of the CNT-reinforced nanocomposites and functionally
graded CNT-reinforced composite structures was provided
by Liew et al. [9]. El Moumen et al. [20] experimentally and
numerically studied the mechanical behavior of the CNT/
carbon fabric–epoxy hybrid composite beams under bending
loading. Zhang and Xiao [21] investigated the mechanical
response of CNT-reinforced composite plates under a trans-
verse sudden dynamic load. The influences of skew angles,
width-to-thickness ratio, and boundary conditions as well as
the content, and dispersion of CNTs along the layer thickness
on the dynamic behavior of composite plates were studied.
13
Zhang [22] examined the influences of in-plane forces on
the vibration characteristics of CNT-reinforced composite
skew plates via implementing the first-order shear deforma-
tion theory with the element-free/mesh-free IMLS-Ritz tech-
nique. Zhang e al. [23] analyzed the elastodynamic behavior
of quadrilateral CNT-reinforced functionally graded com-
posite plates under a transverse sudden dynamic load. The
element-free IMLS-Ritz technique was employed to per-
form a numerical simulation on the basis of the first-order
shear deformation theory. Also, a first-known investigation
of the optimal shape control of CNT-reinforced function-
ally graded composite plates is represented in Ref. [24]. To
determine the plate displacement fields, the higher-order
shear deformation theory was used. The impact response of
the CNT/carbon fabric-reinforced epoxy hybrid composite
plates was experimentally evaluated by considering energy
profile diagrams and associated force–time curves [25].
The results indicated that the capacity to absorb the impact
energy of the hybrid composite plates can be enhanced by
introduction of 1 wt% CNTs to the epoxy resin [25]. Also,
Siegfried et al. [26] examined the influence of CNTs on the
impact and after impact performance of the woven carbon
fiber/epoxy hybrid composite plates. The results confirmed
the better mechanical performance of the hybrid compos-
ite plates containing CNTs as compared to the traditional
composite plates without CNTs [26]. Too, El Moumen et al.
[27] experimentally concluded that the impact resistance of
carbon fabric/epoxy hybrid composite plates containing
1 wt% CNTs can be increased up to 15.6% at high-strain
rate in comparison with that of carbon fabric-reinforced
epoxy composite plates without CNTs. Although there are
numerous studies for evaluating the mechanical behaviors
of CNT-reinforced composite structures, to the best of our
knowledge, no research works were found addressing the
bending, buckling and vibration responses of CNT/carbon
fabric-reinforced polymer HNCPs with various shapes. The
mechanical responses of carbon fabric hybrid composite
structures containing CNTs need further investigations.
In this paper, we employ the FEM to examine the flexural
deflections, buckling loads and natural frequencies of the
CNT/carbon fabric-reinforced polymer HNCPs. Both circular
and square composite plates are numerically analyzed. The
finite element micromechanics method is proposed in hierar-
chy to estimate the hybrid composite properties. It is assumed
that the CNTs are uniformly dispersed within the matrix.
Also, the interfacial region created due to the non-bonded
van der Waals (vdW) interactions among the CNTs and poly-
mer matrix is considered in the micromechanical analysis.
Detailed parametric investigations are performed to explore
the influences of amount and aspect ratio of CNTs, interfacial
region characteristics, and geometrical features of plates on
the mechanical responses of the HNCPs. Also, the present
predictions are compared to the numerical results existing
Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering (2021) 43:61 Page 3 of 14 61

in the open literatures. The current modeling approach and

evaluating the flexural deformation, buckling and vibration Interphase
characteristics of the CNT/carbon fabric-reinforced HNCPs
can provide helpful results for designers and researchers.

CNT
2 Effective properties of the hybrid
composites

A hierarchical finite element micromechanics-based mod-

eling approach is developed for the hybrid composite system
which is made of 5 Harness Satin (HS) T300 6 k carbon
fabrics, multi-walled CNTs and Epon 862 epoxy resin. The
average length and diameter of CNTs are 1.5 μm and 10 nm,
respectively [20]. The effective properties of the CNT, car-
bon fabric, and epoxy are given in Table 1 [20]. The numeri-
Fig. 1  RVE of the CNT–polymer nanocomposites
cal process to predict the material properties of the hybrid
composite begins with the determination of the material
properties of the CNT–polymer nanocomposites. Then, in the y-direction, while the opposite edge free to move but
taking the nanocomposite as the new matrix and the carbon remains planar to its original position during the deforma-
fabric as the reinforcing phase, the material properties of tion. Also, the edge of the nano-scale RVE in X = 0 is fixed
the CNT/carbon fabric-reinforced epoxy hybrid composite in the x-direction, while the opposite edge is subjected to the
are obtained. constant displacement u0 . By determining the fixed bound-
It is important to consider the non-bonded vdW inter- ary reaction force and computing the corresponding stress
action among the CNTs and the polymer to determine the value (𝜎x ), the effective Young’s modulus of CNT–polymer
material properties of the CNT–polymer nanocompos- nanocomposite can be calculated by the Hooke’s law as
ites [28–30]. To reflect the non-bonded vdW interaction, 𝜎x
an interphase resembling a solid continuum is taken into ENC = (1)
𝜀x
account in the micromechanical simulation [30–32]. The
nanoscale representative volume element (RVE) of the where 𝜀x is the corresponding strain in the x-direction. Also,
nanocomposite material in which the CNTs are surrounded Poisson’s ratio is determined as
by the interphase is shown in Fig. 1. In the selected RVE,
CNTs as the equivalent solid nanofibers are uniformly dis-
tributed within the polymer matrix. The uniaxial tensile tests y
are carried out on the nanoscale RVE to calculate the effec-
tive properties of the CNT-filled polymer nanocomposites.
Figure 2 illustrates the boundary and loading conditions
imposed on the nanoscale RVE in evaluating the elastic
properties. The edge of the nano-scale RVE in Y = 0 is fixed

Table 1  Material properties of the CNT, carbon fabric and epoxy [20]
Property Epoxy CNT Carbon fabric

Elastic modulus (GPa) 2.72 500 –

Poisson’s ratio 0.3 0.26 –
Axial elastic modulus (GPa) – – 230
Transverse elastic modulus (GPa) – – 15
Axial Poisson’s ratio – – 0.2 x
Transverse Poisson’s ratio – – 0.2
Axial shear modulus (GPa) – – 15
Transverse shear modulus (GPa) – – 15
Density (kg/m3) 1200 1680 1900 Fig. 2  Boundary and loading conditions imposed on the nanocom-
posite RVE

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Fig. 3  Meshed RVE of the CNT–polymer nanocomposites
Fig. 4  Geometrical variables of the RVE for the textile composite
systems
𝜀y
vNC = − . (2)
𝜀x
This process is performed via average values of three
analyses with various random microstructures so as to
decrease the effect of chance as a result of CNT random dis-
tribution on the predictions of nanocomposite elastic proper-
ties. Figure 3 shows the meshed RVE of the CNT–polymer
nanocomposites. The eight-node brick element with reduced
integration (C3D8R) is used to mesh the nano-scale RVE.
In the next step of the hybrid composite modeling, the
homogenized material properties of the CNT–polymer
nanocomposites are utilized as input data. In this step, the
nanocomposite plays the role of matrix phase which is rein-
forced by the carbon fabric as the reinforcing phase. Figure 4
shows the geometrical parameters for the RVE of the textile
13
Table 2  Numerical value of variables (mm) for the RVE of the textile
composite
XRVE YRVE ZRVE dWelf dWarp dspacing
8.9 8.9 0.32 1.5 5 1.6
Fig. 5  Simulated RVE for 5 HS weave fabric-reinforced textile com-
posite systems similar to Ref. [20]
composite systems similar to Ref. [20]. The magnitude of
each variable for the selected textile RVE is given in Table 2
[20]. The TexGen software [33] is employed to model the
geometric weave textile using the geometrical information
given in Table 2. A sample of simulated RVE by the Tex-
Gen for the 5 HS carbon fabric-reinforced textile composite
systems on the basis of experimental observation [20] is dis-
played in Fig. 5. After meshing the RVEs by the TexGen, the
models are exported to the finite element package for apply-
ing the boundary and loading conditions and finally calculat-
ing the equivalent elastic properties of CNT/carbon fabric/
epoxy hybrid composites. The element type of C3D8R has
been utilized to mesh the RVEs [20, 34]. An example of the
meshed RVE together with the meshed carbon fabric and
matrix is shown in Fig. 6.
The density of the multi-phase composite is determined
as
(3)
( )
𝜌HC = 𝜌CF VCF + 𝜌CNT VCNT + 𝜌M 1 − VCF − VCNT
where 𝜌CF , 𝜌CNT and 𝜌M denote the densities of carbon fab-
ric, CNT and matrix, respectively. Also, VCNT and VCF are
the volume fractions of CNT and carbon fabric, respectively.
In all calculations, the value of the carbon fabric volume
fraction in the hybrid composite is kept constant to 50%,
while different volume fractions are selected for CNTs into
the polymer nanocomposites. The whole homogenization
process of the CNT/carbon fabric-reinforced polymer hybrid
composites is indicated in Fig. 7.
Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering (2021) 43:61 Page 5 of 14 61

Carbon fabric

Textile composite

Matrix

Fig. 6  Meshes of the carbon fabric, matrix and textile composite RVE

square, are considered as depicted in Fig. 8. The length of

Polymer matrix CNT square plate is 50 mm, and the diameter of circular plate is
considered to be 50 mm. Also, the thickness of both plates
is chosen to be 10 mm. In order to mesh the models in the
structural analysis, the 20-node quadratic brick elements
Nanocomposite matrix Carbon fabric have been utilized. Figure 9 shows the meshed configura-
tions. Also, to remove the influence of element dimension on
the structural behaviors, the size of elements will be selected
small enough.
Hybrid composite

4 Results and discussion

Fig. 7  Schematic illustration of methodology for the micromechani-
cal prediction of the hybrid composite properties
3 Mechanical responses of CNT/carbon
fabric hybrid composite plates
In this section, 3D finite element simulation is carried out
to evaluate the flexural deflection, buckling and vibration
behaviors of the CNT/carbon fabric-reinforced polymer
HNCPs under the fully clamped boundary condition. Two
types of thick composite plates, including circular and
To prove the validity of the micromechanical approach
described in Sect. 2, the elastic moduli of the CNT–epoxy
nanocomposite determined by the present FEM are com-
pared with those of the nanocomposite calculated by El
Moumen [20]. Figure 10 shows this comparison. It can be
found that two sets of results are in good agreement. The
increase in CNTs into the epoxy matrix improves the elastic
modulus of the nanocomposites.
Now, the accuracy of the present hierarchical finite
element micromechanics method to predict the mechani-
cal properties of the CNT/carbon fabric/polymer hybrid

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Fig. 8  Composite plates with a

square and b circular shapes

Fig. 9  Meshed composite plates

with a square and b circular
shapes

shear moduli (G12 , G13, G23) of the carbon fabric-reinforced

Present model epoxy hybrid composites containing different volume frac-
3.3
tions of CNTs are tabulated inTables 3, 4 and 5, respectively.
Elastic modulus (GPa)

Results of Ref. [20] It is seen that the effective elastic properties predicted by the
3.1 present FEM agree with those predicted by the numerical
method of Ref. [20]. One of the main sources of the dis-
crepancy between the two sets of results may be the number
2.9
of elements used in the computational process. The results
show that the Young’s modulus and shear modulus of the
2.7 hybrid composites can be improved by the increase in CNT
content. It is attributed to the fact that the CNTs increase
the stiffness of the matrix of the carbon fabric composites.
2.5 It is important to prove the validity of the FEM used in
0 0.8 1.6 2.4 3.2 4 this work in predicting the mechanical behaviors of struc-
CNT volume fraction (%) tures. The first comparison is performed for the nanocom-
posite plates to verify the accuracy of the present model
Fig. 10  Comparison study of elastic modulus of the CNT–epoxy in the calculation of the critical buckling loads. Accord-
nanocomposites ing to Refs. [35, 36], a simply supported nanocomposite
plate under a uniaxial compressive pressure is simulated.
The thickness ( h)-to-length ( a ) ratio of the square plate is
composites is verified. The comparisons between the ortho- h∕a = 0.01 [35, 36]. The nanocomposite system consists of
tropic elastic properties of the hybrid composites obtained PmPV matrix reinforced by aligned single-walled CNTs.
from the present FEM and the numerical method of Ref. The effective properties of the CNT–PmPV nanocom-
[20] are given in Tables 3, 4 and 5. The values of elastic posites are determined by the rule of mixture method as
moduli ( E11, E22 , E33), Poisson’s ratios ( v12 , v13, v23) and mentioned in Refs. [35, 36]. The results are presented in

13
Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering (2021) 43:61 Page 7 of 14 61

Table 3  Comparison study of VCNT = 0% VCNT = 1% VCNT = 4%

Young’s moduli of CNT/carbon
fabric–epoxy hybrid composites Ref. [20] Present model Ref. [20] Present model Ref. [20] Present model

E11(GPa) 59.11 59.67 59.16 59.85 59.33 60.75

E22(GPa) 59 59.66 59 59.82 58.55 59.97
E33(GPa) 7.6 8.52 7.6 8.59 7.81 86

Table 4  Comparison study of VCNT = 0% VCNT = 1% VCNT = 4%

Poisson’s ratios of CNT/carbon
fabric–epoxy hybrid composites Ref. [20] Present model Ref. [20] Present model Ref. [20] Present model

v12 0.089 0.137 0.0892 0.137 0.0892 0.138

v13 0.27 0.225 0.27 0.225 0.275 0.2255
v23 0.28 0.334 0.277 0.335 0.28 0.3353

Table 5  Comparison study of VCNT = 0% VCNT = 1% VCNT = 4%

shear moduli of CNT/carbon
fabric–epoxy hybrid composites Ref. [20] Present model Ref. [20] Present model Ref. [20] Present model

G12(GPa) 8.25 7.65 8.27 7.66 8.316 7.72

G13(GPa) 0.27 0.258 0.27 0.27 0.275 0.35
G23(GPa) 3.97 3.45 4.017 3.51 4.105 3.68

Table 6  Comparison study of the non-dimensional critical buckling Table 7  Comparison study of the frequency parameter Ω of the CNT-
load Pcr a2 ∕EM h3 of the CNT-reinforced nanocomposite square plates reinforced nanocomposite circular plates
VCNT (%) Ref. [36] Ref. [35] Present FEM VCNT (%) Ref. [37] Present FEM

11 37.85 39.45 39.05 11 9.9912 9.3248

14 49.14 49.52 49.17 14 10.6012 10.431
17 57.54 60.62 60.52 17 12.4097 12.096

terms of non-dimensional critical buckling load parameter
Pcr a2 ∕EM h3 and they are compared to those available in the
literature [35, 36]. Table 6 shows the comparative study for
three different volume fractions of CNTs. Zghal et al. [35]
used the double directors finite shell method to obtain the
critical buckling loads of unidirectional CNT-reinforced
nanocomposite square plates, while Zhang et al. [36] exam-
ined the buckling behavior of the nanocomposite plates by
means of element-free IMLS-Ritz method. Table 6 shows
that there is a good agreement among the presented pre-
dictions and those reported by Zghal et al. [35] and Zhang
et al. [36]. This exhibits the capability of the present FEM
to regenerate the critical buckling loads with good accuracy.
Another comparison study is related to the free vibration
of the unidirectional (10,10) single-walled CNT-reinforced
PmPV nanocomposite plates. In this validation, a nano-
composite circular plate with clamped boundary condi-
tion is analyzed, as mentioned in Ref. [37]. The radius and
thickness of the circular plate are R = 1 m and h = 0.1 m
[37], respectively. Table 7 displays the comparison between
the results of the present FEM and numerical method of
Ref. [37] for √ the non-dimensional frequency parameter
Ω = 𝜔R2 ∕h 𝜌M ∕EM of the nanocomposite circular plates.
It can be seen that the results have very good agreement.
Herein, the maximum flexural deformation, critical buck-
ling loads and natural frequencies of the CNT/carbon fab-
ric-reinforced epoxy HNCPs have been estimated using the
computational method developed in Sects. 2 and 3. Unless
otherwise stated, the values in Sects. 2 and 3 related to mate-
rial properties of the hybrid composite and geometrical fea-
tures of the plates are used. Also, the value of CNT volume
fraction within the polymer nanocomposites is 3%.
First, the effect of CNT volume fraction on the mechani-
cal characteristics of the carbon fabric-reinforced epoxy
HNCPs is investigated. Table 8 summarizes the maximum
deflections of the HNCP for various values of VCNT . The
results depict that the flexural deflections of the HNCPs
decrease by the addition of CNTs into the epoxy resin over
those of the traditional composite plates without CNTs
(VCNT = 0). It is due to the fact that the CNTs increase the

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Table 8  Maximum deflections (mm) of the hybrid composite plates of the carbon fabric/epoxy HNCPs. It can be attributed to
for different CNT volume fractions the enhancement of the elastic properties of hybrid compos-
V CNT(%) Rectangular plate Circular plate ite materials by the increase in nano-scale reinforcement in
the polymer matrix. The HNCP vibration mode shapes are
0 1.305 1.188
indicated in Fig. 12.
1 1.299 1.179
A parametric study is conducted to explore the influence
2 1.284 1.156
of CNT aspect ratio on the mechanical performances of the
3 1.272 1.137
carbon fabric/epoxy HNCPs. Figure 13 clearly reveals that
4 1.270 1.135
increasing the CNT aspect ratio can decrease the HNCP
bending deflections. Figure 14 clearly shows that the criti-
cal buckling loads of HNCP with a larger aspect ratio of
Table 9  Critical buckling loads (GPa) of the hybrid composite plates CNTs can be enhanced compared to those of HNCP with a
for different CNT volume fractions smaller aspect ratio of CNTs. Also, the values of the first five
VCNT (%) Rectangular plate Circular plate natural frequencies of the HNCPs are provided in Table 11
for various CNT aspect ratios. It is shown that by increas-
0 0.5169 0.5137
ing the CNT aspect ratio, the values of natural frequency of
1 0.5404 0.5328
the HNCPs increase. It is noticed that the stiffening effect
2 0.6179 0.5956
of CNTs significantly improves as the aspect ratio of CNT
3 0.6929 0.6579
increases. In other words, the applied load can be better
4 0.6952 0.6599
transferred to the CNTs as the length of CNT increases.
This leads to an improvement in the mechanical behaviors
of the HNCPs.
stiffness of the matrix of carbon fabric composites and a The interphase region between the polymer matrix and
stiffer plate is obtained. By the increase in the HNCP stiff- CNTs may significantly contribute to the performance of
ness, the flexural deflection decreases. The values of critical composite systems containing CNTs [38–40]. Since the size
buckling loads of the HNCPs are presented in Table 9 for of interphase region is very small, it is difficult to study its
various volume fractions of CNTs. The results show that effect on the composite mechanical behaviors by experimen-
adding the CNTs significantly improves the stability of the tal measurements. Thus, the role of interphase characteris-
HNCPs and increases the buckling capacity. It is noticed that tics in the bending, buckling and vibration characteristics of
the HNCPs with the higher CNT concentration are stiffer. the CNT/carbon fabric/epoxy HNCPs is investigated using
The rise of CNT content leads to a higher critical buckling the present computational modeling. Figures 15 and 16 and
load of the HNCPs considering different shapes. The buck- Table 12 demonstrate the influence of interphase Young’s
led structures are presented in Fig. 11. Table 10 gives the modulus ( Ei ) on the hybrid composite plate mechanical
values of the first five natural frequencies of the HNCPs behaviors. Three different values, including 2.72 GPa (cor-
obtained by the developed computational approach corre- responding to without interphase state), 27.2 GPa, and 272
sponding to different CNT volume fractions. The increase GPa, are considered for Ei . In this analysis, the thickness of
in CNT volume fraction results in a higher natural frequency the interphase is 5 nm. The HNCP mechanical behaviors

Fig. 11  Buckled hybrid com-

posite plates

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Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering (2021) 43:61 Page 9 of 14 61

Table 10  Natural frequencies (Hz) of the hybrid composite plates for Moreover, Figs. 17 and 18 and Table 13 illustrate the effects
different CNT volume fractions of interphase thickness on the bending, buckling and vibra-
V CNT(%) Mode Rectangular plate Circular plate tion characteristics of the CNT/carbon fabric/epoxy HNCPs.
The interphase elastic modulus is considered to be equal to
0 1 6941.5 8015.6
27.2 GPa. The results show that the increase in interphase
2 8901.7 11,916
thickness causes a reduction in the maximum flexural defor-
3 12,236 16,935
mation and an increase in the critical buckling load and natu-
4 16,906 23,020
ral frequency of the HNCPs. Since the elastic modulus of
5 22,901 29,643
interphase is higher than that of the polymer, the increase in
1 1 6978.3 8072.9
interphase thickness leads to an enhancement in the stiffness
2 9023.3 12,093
of the polymer nanocomposite which serves as the matrix
3 12,503 17,286
of HNCPs.
4 17,378 23,596
In order to study the effect of element size in calculat-
5 23,636 29,818
ing the elastic properties of CNT-reinforced polymer nano-
2 1 7101 8256
composites on the mechanical behaviors, a mesh sensitivity
2 9425.8 12,658
analysis is carried out. The numerical results are presented
3 13,391 18,418
in Tables 14 and 15. When the number of elements is higher
4 18,950 25,472
than 14,608, further decrease in the element size insignifi-
5 26,094 30,307
cantly affects the mechanical characteristics of the hybrid
3 1 7202.3 8405.6
composite structures. In all simulations, the size of element
2 9791.1 13,154
is so small such that further decrease in the element size
3 14,218 19,440
does not affect the mechanical responses of the hybrid com-
4 20,433 27,195
posite structures.
5 27,632 30,639
Figures 19 and 20 and Table 16 present the influence of
4 1 7204.4 8409
thickness of the plate on the flexural deflection, buckling,
2 9797.8 13,164
and vibration characteristics of the HNCPs, respectively. It
3 14,232 19,459
is seen that higher values of plate thickness lead to the lower
4 20,456 27,224
maximum deflections, higher buckling load, and higher
5 27,644 30,655
natural frequency of the CNT/carbon fabric/epoxy HNCPs.

are affected by the formation of interfacial area. Figure 15 5 Conclusions

indicates that the maximum deflections of the HNCPs are
decreased by the increase in interphase Young’s modulus.
It is attributed to the fact that the rise of interphase Young’s
modulus can enhance the effective stiffness of the polymer
nanocomposite which serves as the matrix of HNCPs. As
expected, the flexural deflection decreases by the increase
in the HNCP stiffness. Also, the results of Fig. 16 show
that the increase in interphase Young’s modulus leads to an
enhancement in the HNCP buckling loads. It can be found
from Table 12 that the natural frequencies of the HNCPs
are increased by rising the interphase elastic modulus.
A computational approach was developed to investigate
the influences of CNTs on the mechanical characteristics
of the carbon fabric-reinforced HNCPs. The accuracy of
the present method was verified with the other numerical
results given in the literature. The effects of volume fraction
and aspect ratio of CNTs, thickness, and elastic modulus
of interphase region, thickness, and shape of plates on the
mechanical characteristics of the HNCPs were examined.
The following main findings are drawn from this research:

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61 Page 10 of 14 Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering (2021) 43:61

Fig. 12  Vibration mode shapes of hybrid composite plates

1.35 1
Maximum deflections (mm)

Critical buckling loads (GPa)

1.25 0.8
Rectangular plate

1.15 Circular plate 0.6 Rectangular plate

Circular plate
1.05 0.4
0 70 140 210 280 350 0 70 140 210 280 350
CNT aspect ratio CNT aspect ratio

Fig. 13  Maximum deflections of the hybrid composite plates for dif- Fig. 14  Critical buckling loads of the hybrid composite plates for dif-
ferent CNT aspect ratios ferent CNT aspect ratios

13
Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering (2021) 43:61 Page 11 of 14 61

Table 11  Natural frequencies (Hz) of the hybrid composite plates for 1.4
different CNT aspect ratios

Critical buckling loads (GPa)

CNT aspect Mode Rectangular plate Circular plate
ratio 1.2

10 1 6884.3 7939.1
2 8788.1 11,749 1
3 12,026 16,646
4 16,564 22,576 Rectangular plate
5 22,391 29,350 0.8
25 1 6910.2 7979.4 Circular plate
2 8861.2 11,861
0.6
3 12,180 16,858 0 60 120 180 240 300
4 16,828 22,914
Interphase elastic modulus (GPa)
5 22,795 29,509
50 1 6975.6 8061.1
Fig. 16  Critical buckling loads of the hybrid composite plates for dif-
2 8976.8 12,022
ferent interphase elastic moduli
3 12,382 17,129
4 17,153 23,327
5 23,277 29,791
100 1 7083.1 8208.3 Table 12  Natural frequencies (Hz) of the hybrid composite plates for
different interphase elastic moduli
2 9214.7 12,394
3 12,917 17,828 Ei (GPa) Mode Rectangular plate Circular plate
4 18,070 24,450
2.72 1 7503.5 8819.4
5 24,689 30,249
2 10,693 14,364
300 1 7690.7 9069.9
3 16,179 21,864
2 11,238 15,081
4 23,892 31,233
3 17,357 23,304
5 28,436 31,755
4 25,969 32,439
27.2 1 7983.1 9459.1
5 28,942 33,637
2 12,121 16,231
3 19,296 25,648
4 29,408 33,483
1.3 5 29,709 37,583
Rectangular plate
Maximum deflections (mm)

272 1 8939 10,689

1.2 2 14,910 19,782
Circular plate
3 25,422 32,944
1.1 4 32,213 36,779
5 39,012 49,924
1

0.9 • Addition of CNTs into the carbon fabric-reinforced com-

posites improves the mechanical behaviors of the result-
0.8 ing HNCPs.
0 60 120 180 240 300 • Increasing the CNT aspect ratio results in lesser deflec-
Interphase elastic modulus (GPa) tion, greater buckling load and higher natural frequency.
• The formation of CNT/polymer interphase region can
Fig. 15  Maximum deflections of the hybrid composite plates for dif- enhance the HNCP mechanical performances. The stiffer
ferent interphase elastic moduli interphase results in a lower deflection, a higher buck-
ling load and a higher natural frequency. The increase

13
61 Page 12 of 14 Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering (2021) 43:61

1.3 Table 13  Natural frequencies (Hz) of the hybrid composite plates for
different interphase thicknesses
Rectangular plate
Maximum deflections (mm)

Interphase thick- Mode Rectangular plate Circular plate

1.2 Circular plate ness (nm)

2.5 1 7462.7 8765.8

2 10,585 14,220
1.1 3 15,951 21,582
4 23,494 30,768
5 28,318 31,602
1 5 1 7983.1 9459.1
2 12,121 16,231
3 19,296 25,648
0.9 4 29,408 33,483
0 3 6 9 12 15
5 29,709 37,583
Interphase thickness (nm) 10 1 8611.8 10,270
2 13,932 18,549
Fig. 17  Maximum deflections of the hybrid composite plates for dif- 3 23,251 30,380
ferent interphase thicknesses 4 33,771 35,676
5 36,417 45,561

1.4
Critical buckling loads (GPa)

1.2
Table 14  Effect of number of elements on the maximum deflections
(mm) of the hybrid composite plates
1
Number of elements Rectangular plate Circular plate

Rectangular plate 10,062 4.406 3.470

0.8 12,544 4.481 3.59
Circular plate 14,608 4.517 3.794
15,940 4.522 3.811
0.6
0 3 6 9 12 15 18,430 4.524 3.832

Interphase thickness (nm)

Fig. 18  Critical buckling loads of the hybrid composite plates for dif-
ferent interphase thicknesses
Table 15  Effect of number of elements on the critical buckling loads
(GPa) of the hybrid composite plates
Number of elements Rectangular plate Circular plate

10,062 0.4369 0.3981

12,544 0.4354 0.3945
14,608 0.4343 0.3933
15,940 0.4341 0.3932
18,430 0.4340 0.3929

13
Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering (2021) 43:61 Page 13 of 14 61

5 Table 16  Natural frequencies (Hz) of the hybrid composite plates

with various shapes for different plate thicknesses (mm)
Rectangular plate
Maximum deflections (mm)

Plate thickness Mode Rectangular plate Circular plate

4
Circular plate
5 1 4343.1 5297.5
3 2 6775.8 9490.5
3 11,085 15,415
4 17,200 21,515
2 5 18,928 22,903
7.5 1 6096.6 7228.7
1 2 8650.6 11,820
3 13,061 18,018
4 19,268 25,709
0
5 24,409 27,270
3 6 9 12 15
12.5 1 7909.1 9146.6
Plate thickness (mm)
2 10,511 13,975
3 14,938 20,300
Fig. 19  Maximum deflections of the hybrid composite plates for dif- 4 21,148 28,086
ferent plate thicknesses
5 29,135 32,863

0.8
Funding The author(s) received no financial support for the research,
Critical buckling loads (GPa)

authorship, and/or publication of this article.

0.7
Compliance with ethical standards
0.6
Conflict of interest The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of in-
0.5 terest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of
this article.
Rectangular plate
0.4
Circular plate
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