Accepted Manuscript

Large deflection geometrically nonlinear analysis of functionally graded mul-

tilayer graphene platelet-reinforced polymer composite rectangular plates

Raheb Gholami, Reza Ansari

PII: S0263-8223(17)31578-7
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2017.08.053
Reference: COST 8811

To appear in: Composite Structures

Received Date: 17 May 2017

Revised Date: 3 August 2017
Accepted Date: 10 August 2017

Please cite this article as: Gholami, R., Ansari, R., Large deflection geometrically nonlinear analysis of functionally
graded multilayer graphene platelet-reinforced polymer composite rectangular plates, Composite Structures (2017),
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2017.08.053

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 Large deflection geometrically nonlinear analysis of functionally graded multilayer
graphene platelet-reinforced polymer composite rectangular plates

Raheb Gholami*,a and Reza Ansarib

a
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lahijan Branch, Islamic Azad University, P.O. Box 1616, Lahijan, Iran
b
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Guilan, P.O. Box 3756, Rasht, Iran

Abstract
A large deflection geometrically nonlinear analysis of functionally graded (FG) multilayer graphene
platelet-reinforced polymer composite (GPL-RPC) rectangular plates subjected to uniform and
sinusoidal transverse mechanical loadings is performed in this article. Based on the sinusoidal shear
deformation plate theory and von Kármán nonlinear strain-displacement relations, the nonlinear
governing equilibrium equations and boundary conditions are developed by using the principle of
virtual work. It is assumed that the weight fraction of GPL nanofillers layer-wisely changes across the
thickness of plate. The effective Young’s modulus of FG-GPL-RPCs is approximately calculated via
the modified Halpin-Tsai model. Also, the effective Poisson’s ratio and mass density are determined
by employing the rule of mixture. The investigation is performed by using a numerical solution
approach. To evaluate the nonlinear bending stiffness of FG multilayer GPL-RPC plate, the
discretization of governing equations and boundary conditions is carried out using the generalized
differential quadrature (GDQ) method, and the pseudo arc-length continuation technique is employed
to solve the set of nonlinear algebraic discretized equations to obtain the load-deflection curve.
Numerical problems are given to reveal the influences of GPL distribution pattern, weight fraction,
geometry of GPL nanofillers, length-to-thickness and edge conditions on nonlinear bending responses
of the GPL-RPC plates.
Keywords: Graphene nanoplatelet; Functionally graded nanocomposite; Sinusoidal shear deformable
rectangular plate; Nonlinear bending; GDQ method.

1. Introduction
Since 1985, with the introduction of fullerene by Kroto et al. [1] and consequently carbon nanotubes
(CNTs) by Iijima [2], graphene by Novoselov et al. [3] and its associated allotropes [4], the carbon
nanostructures have received much attention from researchers and industrial fields. Recently, the
attention of both scientific and industrial communities has been attracted to the polymer matrices
reinforced by the CNTs and graphenes. This is due to the remarkable and unique mechanical,
electrical and physical properties of CNTs and graphenes [5-9] as well as their widespread
applications in nano- and micro-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS and MEMS) such as the next
generation of nanoelectronics and many others. Although CNTs can be regarded as good candidates
for the polymer matrix reinforcement to improve their mechanical properties, their uniform dispersion

*
Corresponding Author. Tel. /fax: +98 1342222906, E-mail address: gholami_r@liau.ac.ir (R. Gholami).

1
in the matrix is difficult due to their bundling caused by wall-to-wall van der Waals interactions.
Therefore, the reinforcement of polymer matrices by using two-dimensional allotropes of carbon such
as graphene has become interesting subjects of research.
The graphene and its derivatives possess some unique superior characteristics which result in the use
of them instead of CNTs for reinforcing the polymer matrices. In addition to the high strength and
stiffness and low density, among the unparalleled properties of nanocomposites reinforced by
graphene can be mentioned their relatively low fabrication cost, abundance of graphene in nature and
excellent dispersion [7, 10, 11]. Furthermore, because of the superior mechanical properties and large
surface area of graphenes, stronger bonding can be seen between the polymer matrices and graphene
nanofillers. Therefore, due to the aforementioned outstanding characteristics, the polymer
nanocomposites reinforced by graphene hold a great promise for a wide spectrum of engineering and
industrial applications such as the aeronautical and space equipment. A wide range of studies on the
mechanical behaviors of nanocomposite structures reinforced by CNTs have contributed to the field
by the researchers [12-19]. For example, Gholami et al.[20] examined the imperfection sensitivity on
the nonlinear resonant dynamics of initially-imperfect functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced
composite beams by proposing a unified nonlinear higher-order shear deformable beam model and
using a multistep numerical solution approach. Fan et al.[21] studied the nonlinear bending and
postbuckling of matrix cracked hybrid laminated rectangular plates reinforced by CNTs using a
higher-order shear deformation theory and two-step perturbation technique. On the basis of the
Kirchhoff plate theory, Thang et al. [22] presented an analytical solution approach to examine the
static postbuckling of initially imperfect functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite
(FG-CNTRC) rectangular plates subjected to the in-plane compressive loading. However,
investigations on the mechanical behaviors of nanocomposite structures such as beam, plate and shells
reinforced by the graphene are very limited and most of the existing researches are carried out on the
mechanical, thermal and electrical properties and also the performance of nanocomposites composed
of the graphenes [23-26].
In the category of studies on the mechanical behaviors of graphene platelet-reinforced polymer
composite (GPL-RPC) engineering structures, Yang et al.[27] examined the buckling and
postbuckling of functionally graded (FG) multilayer GPL-RPC Timoshenko beams with various
boundary conditions. Using the Ritz method, the effect of various porosity distributions on the free
vibration and elastic buckling of FG porous beams reinforced by GPLs was investigated by
Kitipornchai et al. [28]. By developing Timoshenko beam model and using the generalized
differential quadrature (GDQ) method, Wu et al.[29] investigated the dynamic stability of FG
multilayer GPL-RPC beams in thermal environment. Moreover, the nonlinear free vibration and
postbuckling of first-order shear deformable FG GPL-RPC porous beams were examined by Chen et
al.[30] to show the effect of porosity coefficients, GPL weight fraction, dispersion pattern, geometry
and boundary conditions on the frequency curve and postbuckling equilibrium path. The nonlinear

2
bending analysis of FG multilayer GPL-RPC beams was carried out by Feng et al. [31]. Furthermore,
Song et al.[32] contributed to the field by modeling and investigating the free and forced vibration of
FG multilayer GPL-RPC rectangular plates. To this end, based on the first-order shear deformation
plate theory, the linear governing equations and corresponding boundary conditions were obtained.
Then, Navier solution technique was employed to achieve the fundamental frequencies and dynamic
response of fully simply-supported FG multilayer GPL-RPC rectangular plates. Recently, using an
analytical solution procedure based upon the two-step perturbation technique, Shen et al.[33, 34]
investigated the nonlinear free vibration and postbuckling of higher-order shear deformable FG
graphene-reinforced composite laminated plates with fully simply-supported edges in thermal
environments.
To date, no work can be found in the open literature about the nonlinear analysis of large deflection of
FG multilayer GPL-RPC rectangular plates under static transverse loading. Hence, this study attempts
to numerically perform a large deflection geometrically nonlinear analysis of FG multilayer GPL-
RPC rectangular plates with various boundary conditions subjected to uniform and sinusoidal
transverse mechanical loadings. Based on the sinusoidal shear deformation plate theory and von
Kármán-type of kinematic nonlinearity, the principle of virtual work is employed to derive the
geometrically nonlinear governing equilibrium equations as well as corresponding boundary
conditions. The developed plate model is capable of considering the shear transverse deformation
effect, which is neglected in the Kirchhoff plate theory and removing the necessity for any shear
correction factors, as needed in the first-order shear deformation theory. Also, the presented plate
model is suitable to study the large deflection of FG multilayer GPL-RPC rectangular plates with all
thickness categories: thin, moderately thick and thick rectangular plates. To obtain the effective
material properties, it is considered that each individual layer is composed of a mixture of polymer
matrix and uniformly dispersed GPL nanofillers. Then, the effective Young’s modulus of FG-
GPLRPC is approximately calculated via the modified Halpin-Tsai model. Furthermore, the effective
Poisson’s ratio and mass density are computed by employing the rule of mixture. The nonlinear
investigation of deflection is performed by using a numerical solution approach, in which the
discretization of equilibrium equations and boundary conditions are carried out using the GDQ
method. Afterwards, in order to obtain the nonlinear load-deflection curve of system, the pseudo arc-
length continuation technique is employed to solve the set of nonlinear algebraic discretized
equations. Selected numerical results are presented to study the effects of GPL distribution pattern,
weight fraction, geometry of GPL nanofillers, length-to-thickness and edge conditions on nonlinear
bending responses of the FG multilayer GPL-RPC rectangular plates.

2. Mathematical modeling
To provide the nonlinear governing equilibrium equations of FG multilayer GPL-RPC rectangular
plates, as illustrated in Fig. 1, a plate with length a , width b and thickness h exposed to the

3
transverse mechanical loadings f 0 is considered. The FG multilayer GPL-RPC plates is composed of

N L layers with same thickness hL = h / N L . The considered plate composes of the polymer matrix
and GPLs. In each individual layer, the GPLs can be uniformly of randomly dispersed in the polymer
matrix. The GPL weight fraction is assumed to layer-wisely vary to provide a functionally graded
distribution. Moreover, each individual layer of GPL-RPC is assumed to be the isotropic
homogeneous.

2.1. Effective material properties of the GPL-RPCs

To consider the influence of the GPL distribution on the mechanical behaviors of FG multilayer GPL-
RPC rectangular plates, four distribution patterns of GPL nanofillers across the plate thickness
namely, U-GPLRC, X-GPLRC, O-GPLRC and A-GPLRC are pronounced. In the case of U-GPLRCs,
the GPL content in all layers is same, while the X-GPLRCs includes the highest amount of GPL
weight fraction on the both top and bottom surfaces of the rectangular plate and the lowest GPL
contents in the middle-plane. Moreover, in the case of the A-GPLRCs, the GPL weight fraction
gradually intensifies form the top surface and attains the highest in the bottom surface. Also, the O-
GPLRCs contain the minimum GPL contents on both top and bottom planes and highest GPL weight
fraction in the middle-plane of rectangular plate. The schematic of four distribution patterns of GPL
nanofillers is provided in Fig. 2.
Without the loss of generality, an even number is considered for the FG multilayer GPL-RPC
rectangular plate. The volume fractions of GPLs of the kth layer corresponding to four considered
GPL distribution patterns can be calculated as
( )k *
U − GPLRC : VGPL = VGPL , (1a)
(k ) *
X − GPLRC : VGPL = 2VGPL 2k − N L − 1 / N L , (1b)
( )
O − GPLRC :
k
VGPL *
= 2VGPL (1 − 2k − N L − 1 / N L ) , (1b)
(k)
A − GPLRC : VGPL *
= VGPL ( 2k − 1) / NL , (1b)
*
in which k = 1, 2,…, N L . Moreover, VGPL stands for the total volume fraction of GPLs and is

determined as follows

* wGPL
VGPL = , (2)
wGPL + (1 − wGPL )( ρGPL / ρ m )

where the mass densities of matrix and GPLs and GPL weight fraction are denoted by ρm , ρGPL and

wGPL , respectively.
The effective Young’s modulus of GPL-RPCs can be approximately calculated by employing the
Halpin–Tsai micromechanics approach as follows [35-37]

4
 3 5
E eff = E L + E T , (3)
8 8
where the longitudinal and transverse moduli for a unidirectional lamina are respectively signified by
EL and ET which can be estimated by the Halpin-Tsai model as follows [35]
1 + ξ Lη LVGPL 1 + ξTηTVGPL
EL = Em , E T = Em , (4)
1 − ηLVGPL 1 − ηTVGPL
Moreover, the parameters ηL and ηT are obtained by using the following relations

E GPL / E m − 1 E / E −1
ηL = , ηT = GPL m , (5)
E GPL / E m + ξ L EGPL / E m + ξT
In above relations, Em and EGPL denote the Young’s moduli of the polymer matrix and GPLs,

respectively. Furthermore, ξL and ξT signify the parameters indicating both the geometry and size of

GPL nanofillers, which can be calculated as follows

 aGPL   bGPL 
ξL = 2   , ξT = 2  , (6)
 hGPL   hGPL 
in which the average length, width and thickness of GPLs are signified by aGPL , bGPL and hGPL ,

respectively.
Furthermore, the effective mass density ρeff and effective Poisson’s ratio ν eff are calculated by

employing the rule of mixture as follows

ρeff = ρmVm + ρGPLVGPL , (7a)

ν eff = ν mVm +ν GPLVGPL , (7b)

where the mass density and Poisson's ratio corresponding to the polymer matrix and GPLs are
respectively signified by ρm , ν m , ρGPL and ν GPL . It is noted that in present study, the subscripts “m”

and “GPL” are referred to the matrix and GPLs, respectively.

2.2. Geometrically nonlinear governing equations

According to the sinusoidal shear deformation plate theory [38] and using the Cartesian coordinate

system ( 0 ≤ x1 ≤ a, 0 ≤ x2 ≤ b, −h / 2 ≤ x3 ≤ h / 2 ) , the displacement vector associated with a given

point placed on the FG multilayer GPL-RPC rectangular plate is written as follows

( )
u ( t , x1 , x2 , x3 ) = u
i ei = uα − x3 w,α + h / π sin (π x3 / h ) (ψ α + w,α ) eα + we3 . (8)

where u
i ; ( i = 1, 2,3) are the components of an arbitrary point through the axes xi ; ( i = 1, 2,3) ,

respectively. By indicating this point that in the present study, i, j = 1, 2,3 and α , β = 1, 2 , uα and

5
w represent the in-plane and out-of-displacements located on the natural plane of multilayer GPL-
RPC plate, respectively and ψ α denotes the rotations of the cross-section about xi axes. It is noticed

that various common two-dimensional plate theories such as the Kirchhoff plate theory, first-order
shear deformation theory [39], Reddy’s third-order shear deformation theory [40] and parabolic shear
deformation plate theory [41] can be utilized to formulate the governing equations of plates. These
theories are on the basis of the Taylor polynomials expansions through the thickness direction and
vary in the order of employed expansion. In addition to aforementioned theories, another type of two-
dimensional theory namely, the sinusoidal shear deformation plate theory, was proposed according to
the sinus-based shear deformations along with the thickness direction. The advantages of this theory
are as follows: (1) in contrast to the Taylor polynomials expansion, the sine function includes an
infinite radius of convergence; (2) the derivative of displacement variables does not decrease the order
of assumed functions along with the thickness direction; (3) since the sine function can be written as
polynomials using the Taylor expansion, making use of the sine function is more convenient as
compared to the polynomials; (4) using the sine function can be regarded as an approximation of the
exact three-dimensional solution [42].
By applying the von Kármán nonlinear hypothesis and using Eq. (8), the nonzero components of
strain tensor are written as
0 1 2
εαβ = ε αβ + χ1εαβ + χ 2εαβ ,
(9)
γ α 3 = 2ε α 3 = χ 3γ α0 3
where
1
0
ε αβ =
2
( uα ,β + uβ ,α + w,α w,β ) , εαβ1 = w,αβ ,
1
2
ε αβ =
2
(ψ α ,β + ψ β ,α ) , γ α0 3 = ψ α + w,α , (10)

χ1 = h / π sin (π x3 / h ) − x3 , χ 2 = h / π sin (π x3 / h ) , χ 3 = cos (π x3 / h ) .

where the partial differentiation with respect to the geometric coordinates is denoted by the symbol
comma.
By implementing the linear elastic stress-strain constitutive relationship, nonzero components stress
tensor associated with the kth layer are given by following relation
(k ) (k ) (k )
σ 11   Q11 Q12 0 0 0  ε11 
σ  Q Q 0 0 0  ε 
 22   12 22  22 
σ 12  = 0 0 Q66 0 0  γ 12  (11)
σ    γ 
 13   0 0 0 Q55 0 
 13 
σ 23   0 0 0 0 Q44  γ 23 
where γ 12 = 2ε12 and the nonzero elastic components corresponding to the kth layer are given by

6
 E eff ν E E eff
Q11( k ) = Q22
(k)
= (k )
, Q12 = eff 2eff , Q44 = Q55( k ) = Q66
(k )
= . (12)
2
1 − ν eff 1 − ν eff 2 (1 +ν eff )

by defining the in-plane force resultants ( N ) , bending moment resultants ( M ) , higher-order

αβ αβ

bending moments Pαβ ( ) and transverse forces (Q ) due to the stress components σ α αβ and σ α 3 , as

following form
N L x3l +1

{ Nαβ , M αβ , Pαβ , Qα } = ∑ ∫ {σ αβ , γ σ αβ , γ σ αβ , γ σ α } dx
(l ) (l ) (l ) (l )
1 2 3 3 3 (13)
l =1 x3l

the variation of the potential strain energy of functionally graded multilayer GPL-RPC rectangular
plate is expressed as follows
h
2 NL x3l +1

δΠ s = ∫ ∫ σ ij δε ij dx3 dA = ∑ ∫ ∫σ
(l )
ij δε ij dx3
A h l =1 A x3l
− (14)
2

{
= ∫ Nαβ δεαβ
0 1
+ M αβ δε αβ 2
+ Pαβ δεαβ + Qα δγ α0 3 dA, }
A

where

 N11   A11 A12 0 B11 B12 0 C11 C12 0   ε110 

N  A A22 0 B12 B22 0 C12 C22 0  ε 22
0 

 22   12
 N12   0 0 A66 0 0 B12 0 0 C66  γ 120 
    1 
 M 11   B11 B12 0 D11 D12 0 F11 F12 0   ε11 
    
 M 22  = B12 B22 0 D12 D22 0 F12 F22 0  ε 122  , (15a)
M    1
F66  γ 12
 12  
0 0 B66 0 0 D66 0 0
 

 P11  C11 C 12 0 F11 F12 0 H11 H12 0   ε113 
P    3 
 22  C12 C22 0 F12 F22 0 H12 H 22 0  ε 22 

 P12  0  3 
0 C66 0 0 F66 0 0 H 66  γ 12 

 Q1   A55 0  γ 130 
 =   0
A44  γ 23
(15b)
Q2   0 
i
in which γ 12 = 2ε12i ; ( i = 1, 2,3) . Moreover, the stiffness elements appeared in relation (15) are
calculated as
N L x3l +1

{ AIJ , BIJ , CIJ , DIJ , FIJ , H IJ } = ∑ ∫ QIJ( k ) {1, Υ1 , Υ 2 , Υ12 , Υ1Υ 2 , Υ 22 } dx3 ; ( I , J = 1, 2, 6 ) ,
l =1 x3l
(16)
N L x3l +1
Aij = ∑ ∫Q
(k )
IJ Υ32 dx3 ; ( I , J = 4,5 ) .
l =1 x3l

Furthermore, the variation of work done due to the transverse load f 0 is achieved as follows

7
δΠ w = ∫ f 0δ wdA, (17)
A

in which the uniform and sinusoidal loadings are considered as f 0 = q0 and

f 0 = q0 sin (π x1 a ) sin (π x2 b ) , respectively. The parameter q0 indicates the forcing amplitude.

By inserting the elements defined in Eq. (10) into Eq. (14) and making the simultaneous usage of the
chain rule and divergence theorem, the variation of potential strain energy of FG multilayer GPL-RPC
rectangular plates is converted to the following relation

A
{
δΠ s = ∫ − Nαβ ,α δu β +  −Qα ,α + M αβ ,αβ − ( Nαβ w,β )  δw + ( − Pαβ ,α + Qβ ) δψβ dA
 ,α  }
(18)
 ∂w 
+ ∮  N nn δg n + N ns δgs + ( Q n − Vn ) δw + Pnn δθ n + Pns δθs + M nn δ  dS
S 
∂n 
in which
g n = n αuα , g s = −n 2 u1 + n1u 2 ,

(
Nnn = Nαβ nα nβ , Nns = ( N22 − N11 ) n1n 2 + N12 n12 − n 22 , )
(
M nn = Mαβ nα nβ , M ns = ( M 22 − M11 ) n1n 2 + M12 n12 − n 22 , ) (19)

(
Pnn = Pαβ nα nβ , Pns = ( P22 − P11 ) n1n 2 + P12 n12 − n 22 , )
Qn = n α ( Nαβ w' β + Qα ) , Vn = n α ( M αβ ,β ) + Mns,s ,

Moreover, n α denotes the direction cosines of the outward unit normal to the boundary of the mid-

plane.
Now, considering Eqs. (17) and (18), using the principle of virtual work as well as applying the
fundamental lemma of calculus of variations, the geometrically nonlinear equilibrium equations of FG
multilayer GPL-RPC rectangular plates on the basis of sinusoidal shear deformation plate theory are
derived as follows
Nαβ ,α = 0, (20a)

Qα ,α − M αβ ,αβ + ( Nαβ w, β ) + q0 = 0, (20b)

,α

Pαβ ,α − Qβ = 0, (20c)

and the corresponding essential and natural boundary conditions are obtained as
δ gn = 0 or N nn = 0 (21a)

gs = 0 or Nns = 0 (21b)

δw= 0 or ( Qn − Vn ) = 0 (21c)

8
δθ n = 0 or Pnn = 0 (21d)

δθ s = 0 or Pns = 0 (21e)

∂w
δ = 0 or M nn = 0 (21f)
∂n
By considering x1 = x , x2 = y , u1 = u , u2 = v , ψ 1 = ψ x and ψ 2 = ψ y as well as substituting the

resultants defined in Eq. (15) into Eq. (20), one can expressed the nonlinear governing equations in
terms of displacements as follows
∂ 2u ∂ 2v ∂ 2u ∂3w ∂3w ∂ 2ψ x
A11 + ( A12 + A66 ) + A66 + B11 + ( B12 + 2 B66 ) + C11
∂x 2 ∂x∂y ∂y 2 ∂x3 ∂x∂y 2 ∂x 2
(22a)
∂ 2ψ y ∂ 2ψ x
+ ( C12 + C66 ) + C66 + Z1 = 0,
∂x∂y ∂y 2

∂ 2v ∂ 2u ∂ 2u ∂3 w ∂ 3w ∂ 2ψ x
A66 + ( A12 + A66 ) + A22 + ( B12 + 2 B66 ) + B22 + C12
∂x 2 ∂x∂y ∂y 2 ∂x 2∂y ∂y 3 ∂x∂y
(22b)
∂ 2ψ y  ∂ 2ψ x ∂ 2ψ y 
+ C22 + C66  +
 ∂x∂y ∂x 2  + Z2 = 0,
∂y 2  
 ∂ψ x ∂ 2 w   ∂ψ y ∂ 2 w  ∂ 3u ∂ 3v
A55  + 2  + A44  + 2  − B11 3 − ( B12 + 2 B66 ) 2
 ∂x ∂x   ∂y ∂y  ∂x ∂x ∂y
3 3 4
∂u ∂v ∂ w ∂4w ∂4w
− ( B12 + 2 B66 ) − B22 − D 11 − 2 ( 12
D + 2 D66 ) − D22 (22c)
∂x∂y 2 ∂y3 ∂x 4 ∂x 2∂y 2 ∂y 4
∂ 3ψ x  ∂3ψ y ∂3ψ x  ∂ 3ψ y
− F11 − ( 12
F + 2 F66 ) 
 ∂x 2∂y ∂x∂y 2  22 ∂y3
+ − F + Z3 + f 0 = 0,
∂x3  
∂ 2u ∂ 2v ∂ 2u ∂ 3w ∂ 3w ∂ 2ψ x
C11 + ( C12 + C66 ) + C66 + F11 + ( F12 + 2 F66 ) + H 11
∂x 2 ∂x∂y ∂y 2 ∂x3 ∂x∂y 2 ∂x 2
(22d)
∂ 2ψ y ∂ 2ψ x  ∂w 
+ ( H12 + H 66 ) + H 66 − A55 ψ x +  + Z 4 = 0,
∂x∂y ∂y 2  ∂x 

∂ 2v ∂ 2u ∂ 2u ∂3 w ∂ 3w ∂ 2ψ x
C66 + ( C12 + C66 ) + C22 + ( F12 + 2 F66 ) + F22 + H 12
∂x2 ∂x∂y ∂y 2 ∂x2∂y ∂y 3 ∂x∂y
(22e)
∂ 2ψ y  ∂ 2ψ x ∂ 2ψ y   ∂w 
+ H 22 + H 66  +
 ∂x∂y ∂x 2  − A44 ψ y +  + Z5 = 0,
∂y 2    ∂y 

where

∂w ∂ 2 w ∂ 2 w ∂w  ∂ 2 w ∂w ∂w ∂ 2 w 
Z1 = A11 + A12 + A66  + 2 
, (23a)
∂x ∂x 2 ∂x ∂y ∂y  ∂x∂y ∂y ∂x ∂y 

∂w ∂ 2 w ∂ 2 w ∂w  ∂ 2 w ∂w ∂w ∂ 2 w 
Z 2 = A12 + A22 2 + A66  2 + , (23b)
∂x ∂x∂y ∂y ∂y  ∂x ∂y ∂x ∂x∂y 

9
   ∂ 2 w  2 ∂w ∂ 3 w   ∂ 3 w ∂w ∂ 2 w ∂ 2 w 
Z 3 = − B11   2  +  − B +
  ∂x  ∂x ∂x3  12  ∂x 2 ∂y ∂y ∂x∂y ∂x∂y 
 
 ∂ 3 w ∂w ∂ 2 w ∂ 2 w ∂ 2 w ∂ 2 w ∂w ∂3 w 
− 2 B66  2 + 2 2
+ + 
 ∂x ∂y ∂y ∂x ∂y ∂x∂y ∂x∂y ∂x ∂x∂y 2 
(23c)
 ∂ 2 w ∂ 2 w ∂w ∂3 w   ∂ 3 w ∂w  ∂ 2 w 2 
− B12  2 + 2 
− B22  3 + 
 ∂x ∂x∂y ∂x ∂x∂y   ∂y ∂y  ∂y 2  
 
∂  ∂w  ∂  ∂w  ∂  ∂w  ∂  ∂w 
+  N11  +  N 22  +  N12  +  N12 ,
∂x  ∂x  ∂y  ∂y  ∂x  ∂y  ∂y  ∂x 

∂w ∂ 2 w ∂ 2 w ∂w  ∂ 2 w ∂w ∂w ∂ 2 w 
Z 4 = C11 + C12 + C66  + 2 
, (23d)
∂x ∂x 2 ∂x∂y ∂y  ∂x∂y ∂y ∂x ∂y 

∂w ∂ 2 w ∂ 2 w ∂w  ∂ 2 w ∂w ∂w ∂ 2 w 
Z 5 = C12 + C22 2 + C66  2 + . (23e)
∂x ∂x∂y ∂y ∂y  ∂x ∂y ∂x ∂x∂y 
Similarly, the achieved boundary conditions can be also expressed in terms of the displacements.
In present study, the FG multilayer GPL-RPC rectangular plates with tree types of boundary
conditions namely, all edges simply-supported (SSSS), all edges clamped (CCCC) and two opposite
edges clamped– the remaining edges simply-supported (CSCS), are considered. The mathematical
expression of these boundary conditions can be expressed as follows
a. SSSS boundary condition
u = v = w = ψ y = P11 = M 11 = 0 at edges x = 0, a
(24)
u = v = w = ψ x = P22 = M 22 = 0 at edges y = 0, b
b. CCCC boundary condition
∂w
u = v = w =ψ x =ψ y = =0 at edges x = 0, a
∂x
(25)
∂w
u = v = w =ψ x =ψ y = =0 at edges y = 0, b
∂y
c. CSCS boundary condition
∂w
u = v = w =ψ x = ψ y = =0 at edges x = 0, a
∂x (26)
u = v = w = ψ x = P22 = M 22 = 0 at edges y = 0, b

3. Solution approach
The GDQ approach [43] combined with the pseudo-arc length continuation algorithm [44, 45] and
modified Newton-Raphson method is employed for the large deflection geometrically nonlinear
analysis of FG multilayer GPL-RPC rectangular plates with various boundary conditions subjected to
the uniform and sinusoidal transverse mechanical loadings. The basic idea is to transform the
geometrically nonlinear partial differential governing equations into a set of nonlinear algebraic

10
equations by utilizing the GDQ method, from which the equilibrium path corresponding to the
nonlinear bending analysis is then achieved by using the pseudo-arc length continuation algorithm in
conjunction with the modified Newton-Raphson method.
According to the GDQ approach, the unknown two-variable displacement elements u , v and w as

well as the rotations ψ x and ψ y with their pth- and qth-order derivatives with respect to the x and y

can be approximated by

∂ p+q
∂x p ∂y q
( )
{u, v, w,ψ x ,ψ y } = D(yq) ⊗ D(xp) {u, v, w, ψ x , ψ y }. (27)

(q )
where D(x ) and D y represent the weighting coefficients matrices of the pth- and qth-order
p

derivatives in the x- and y-directions, respectively. Moreover, the Kronecker product is denoted by the
symbol ⊗ (See Appendix A). Furthermore, u, v, w, ψ x and ψ y are the discretized form of

displacements and rotations which are defined in form of the column vectors as follows
T
u = u ( x1 , y1 ) , …, u ( xN , y1 ) , u ( x1 , y2 ) ,…, u ( xN , y2 ) ,…, u ( x1 , yM ) , …, u ( xN , yM )  ,
T
v = v ( x1 , y1 ) ,…, v ( xN , y1 ) , v ( x1 , y2 ) ,…, v ( xN , y2 ) ,…, v ( x1 , yM ) ,…, v ( xN , yM )  ,
T
w =  w ( x1 , y1 ) ,…, w ( xN , y1 ) , w ( x1 , y2 ) ,…, w ( xN , y2 ) ,…, w ( x1 , yM ) ,…, w ( xN , yM )  , (28)
T
ψ x = ψ x ( x1 , y1 ) , …,ψ x ( xN , y1 ) ,ψ x ( x1 , y2 ) ,… ,ψ x ( xN , y2 ) , …,ψ x ( x1 , yM ) , …,ψ x ( xN , yM )  ,
T
ψ y = ψ y ( x1 , y1 ) ,… ,ψ y ( xN , y1 ) ,ψ y ( x1 , y2 ) , … ,ψ y ( xN , y2 ) , …,ψ y ( x1 , yM ) , …,ψ y ( xN , yM ) 

in which by using the shifted Chebyshev–Gauss–Lobatto distributions and choosing N and M grid
points through x- and y-directions, respectively, one can write
a i −1 
x i = 1 − cos π , i = 1, 2, 3, …, N
2 N − 1 
(29)
b j −1 
y j = 1 − cos π , j = 1, 2,3, …, M
2 M −1 

Moreover, D( ) = Dij( ) is calculated via a recursive procedure as follows

r r




Iij , where Iij is a N × N identity matrix r=0

 P ( xi )
D(ijr ) = , i, j = 1, …, N and i ≠ j and r = 1 (30)
( xi − x j ) P ( x j )

  (1) ( r −1) Wij 
( r −1) N

 r  Wij W ii −
−
 , i ≠ j and − ∑ Wik( r ) , i = j i, j = 1, …, N and r ≥ 2
  
x i x j k =1
 k ≠i

11
 N
where P ( x i ) = ∏ (x i − xk ) .
k =1; i ≠ k

By implementing the GDQ method, the discretized form of geometrically governing equations given
in Eq. (22) is obtained as following form
KX + K nl ( X ) + F = 0 (31)
T
{
where X = u T , v T , w T , ψ Tx , ψ Ty } represents the unknown displacement vector with 5 NM

elements of generalized coordinates, the linear stiffness matrix is denoted by K ; F signifies the
force vector and K nl ( X ) indicates the nonlinear stiffness vector. One can express these quantities as

follows

 K 11 K 12 K 13 K 14 K 15 
K K 25 
 21 K 22 K 23 K 24
K =  K 31 K 32 K 33 K 34 K 35  , (32a)
 
 K 41 K 42 K 43 K 44 K 45 
 K 51 K 52 K 53 K 54 K 55 
T
K nl ( X ) = K u ( X ) , K v ( X ) , K w ( X ) , Kψ x ( X ) , Kψ y ( X )  ,
T T T T T
(32b)
 
T
F = 0, 0, …, f0 ,… , 0, 0  . (32c)
 1× NM 
The discretized components of K ij and K nl ( X ) are given in Appendix B.

Now, the pseudo-arc length continuation algorithm as an appreciate approach for approximately
determining the solution set of a system of nonlinear equations, in conjunction with the modified
Newton-Raphson method makes it possible to solve the set of nonlinear algebraic equations given in
Eq. (31) and accordingly achieve the nonlinear load-deflection curve of FG multilayer GPL-RPC
rectangular plates with different boundary conditions.

4. Numerical results and discussion

In this section, by presenting the numerical results in the graphical forms, a detailed parametric study
is conducted to analyze the geometrically nonlinear bending response of the multi-layer GPL-RPC
shear deformable rectangular plates subjected to the uniform and sinusoidal transverse mechanical
loadings, with a particular focus on the influences of distribution pattern, weight fraction, geometry of
GPL nanofillers, length-to-thickness and edge conditions on the load-deflection curve of multilayer
functionally graded GPL-RPC rectangular plates.
First of all, to check the validity of the developed mathematical formulation and employed solution
method, the present nonlinear bending response curves of the square aluminum plate with SSSS and
CCCC boundary conditions are compared with the results obtained via an analytical solution

12
procedure by Zhang [46], as provided in Fig. 3. In this figure, the transverse load parameter is
computed as Q0 = q0 a 4 / Eh 4 and the nondimensional maximum (Non. Dim. Max.) deflection is

calculated as Wmax = wmax / h . It can be observed that an excellent agreement exists between the

numerical results of present study and those given by Zhang [46].

In the following provided numerical results, epoxy is chosen as the polymer matrix with Young’s
modulus of Em = 3.0 GPa and Poisson’s ratio of ν m = 0.34 [47]. Unless otherwise stated, the

material properties and geometries of GPLs are chosen as: Young’s modulus of EGPL = 1.01TPa ,

Poisson’s ratio of ν GPL = 0.186 , length of aGPL = 2.5 µ m , width of bGPL = 1.5 µm and thickness of

hGPL = 1.5 nm , as reported in [48, 49]. Moreover, unless otherwise expressed, the total thickness of
the GPL-RPC rectangular plate is assumed to be h = 0.045 m and the total number of layers of
N L = 10 are utilized in the following numerical results. Moreover, for the subsequent results, the
2
( 2
) 2
nondimensional (Non. Dim.) applied transverse load is defined as q0 = q0 a 1 −ν m / Em h and the

nondimensional maximum deflection is obtained as Wmax = wmax / h . It is remarked that unless

otherwise stated, the following numerical results are provided for the FG multilayer GPL-RPC
rectangular plates under uniform loading.
Fig. 4 illustrates the effect of GPL weight fraction on the geometrically nonlinear bending response of
FG multilayer GPL-RPC rectangular plates with SSSS, CCCC and CSCS boundary conditions. It is
observed that at a given uniform transverse load, the maximum deflection of FG multilayer FGL-RPC
plates decreases as the GPL weight fraction increases. It can be explained by the fact that adding more
GPLs results in increasing the nonlinear bending stiffness of considered system. Furthermore, due to
including the effect of geometric nonlinearity into formulation, a nonlinear hardening-type behavior is
displayed in the load-deflection curves. The results indicate that with increase of the amount of GPLs,
the differences between deflections predicted by linear and nonlinear models and consequently the
hardening behavior decrease. Also, compared to the plates with CCCC and CSCS edge conditions, the
nonlinear hardening-type behavior is more considerable for SSSS plates and consequently the
differences between the estimated deflections by the linear and nonlinear models is more pronounced.
Graphically provided in Fig. 5 is the effect of GPL distribution pattern on the nonlinear load-
deflection equilibrium path of GPL-RPC rectangular plates. To have a direct comparison, the results
estimated by the linear plate model are also given. As can be seen, for a given applied uniform
transverse load as well as all boundary conditions, the highest deflection belongs to the O-GPLRC
distribution pattern which is followed by A-GLPRC, U-GPLRC and X-GPLRC distribution patterns,
respectively. It means that compared to the GPL distribution with more GPL nanofillers close to the
middle plane, the X-GPLRC distribution pattern makes better use of GPLs as the GPL nanofillers are

13
more dispersed near the top and bottom surfaces which are the areas undergoing higher bending.
Therefore, it can be deduced that in order to strengthening the total bending of GPL-RPC rectangular
plates and subsequently decrease the nonlinear maximum deflection of plate, it is more effective to
utilize the GPL distribution pattern with dispersing more GPL nanofillers near the top and bottom
surfaces of GPL-RPC plates. Furthermore, it can be seen that for the specified applied loading, the
rectangular plates with the X-GPLRC and A-GLPRC distribution patterns display the lowest and
highest nonlinear hardening-type behavior, respectively. Moreover, the effect of GPL distribution
pattern is more significant on the nonlinear load-deflection equilibrium path of GPL-RPC rectangular
plate with CCCC edge supports.
Graphically presented in Fig. 6 is the effect of the length-to-thickness ratio of GPLs nanofillers on the
nonlinear load-deflection equilibrium path of GPL-RPC rectangular plates with X-GPLRC
distribution pattern and various boundary conditions. In the numerical computations, the thickness of
GPLs is kept constant. It is illustrated that increasing the length-to-thickness ratio of GPLs results in
significantly decreasing the maximum deflection and increasing the nonlinear hardening-type
behavior of system due to increasing the bending rigidity and strength of GPL-RPC rectangular plates.
However, further increasing the length-to-thickness ratio of GPLs leads to a slight further reducing in
the maximum deflection and increasing the hardening spring behavior. According to the results, it can
be deduced that because of the better load transforming from the matrix to the GPLs, the mechanical
properties of the nanocomposites reinforced by the GPLs with larger length-to-thickness ratios.
Fig. 7 investigates the effect of the length-to-width ratio of GPL nanofillers on the nonlinear bending
response of GPL-RPC rectangular plates with X-GPLRC distribution pattern. In the numerical
calculations, the width of GPLs is kept constant. It can be seen that increasing the length-to-width
ratio of GPLs results in decreasing the maximum deflection and subsequently increasing the
hardening-type behavior. It indicates that the total stiffness of GPL-RPC plates increases when the
length-to-thickness ratio of GPLs increases. Also, it can be found that this reduction is more
considerable for the plates reinforced by lower length-to-width ratios of GPLs.
Fig. 8 provides a comparison between the nonlinear bending response curves of GPL-RPC rectangular
plates with various GPL distribution patterns subjected two cases of transverse loading conditions,
namely the uniform and sinusoidal loadings. Also, the nondimensional maximum deflection of GPL-
RPC rectangular plates corresponding to various GPL weight fractions for the uniform and sinusoidal
loading are tabulated in Table 1. It can be seen that the maximum deflections of the GPL-RPC plate
under the sinusoidal loading are lower than those of the GPL-RPC rectangular plate under the uniform
loading.

5. Concluding remarks
A large deflection geometrically nonlinear analysis of FG multilayer GPL-RPC rectangular plates
subjected to uniform and sinusoidal transverse mechanical loadings was performed in this study.

14
Within the context of sinusoidal shear deformation plate theory, von Kármán’s geometric nonlinearity
and principle of virtual work, the geometrically nonlinear governing equilibrium equations as well as
corresponding boundary conditions were developed. The weight fraction of graphene platelet (GPL)
nanofillers layer-wisely was assumed to change across the thickness of plate. Four distribution
patterns of GPL nanofillers across the plate thickness namely, U-GPLRC, X-GPLRC, O-GPLRC and
A-GPLRC were considered. Then, using the modified Halpin-Tsai model and rule of mixture, the
effective material properties including Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio were calculated.
Furthermore, the GDQ method combined with the pseudo-arc length continuation algorithm and
iterative Newton-Raphson method was employed to transform the nonlinear partial differential
equations into the set of nonlinear algebraic discretized equations and consequently solve them to
obtain the nonlinear load-deflection curve of system. Several numerical example problems were
provided to indicate the effects of distribution pattern, weight fraction, geometry of GPL nanofillers,
length-to-thickness and boundary conditions on nonlinear bending responses of the FG multilayer
GPL-RPC rectangular plates. The most important findings can be summarized as follows:
Adding the GPL nanofilers increases the total stiffness of plate and consequently results in decreasing
the maximum deflection dramatically and intensifying the nonlinear hardening-type behavior of GPL-
RPC rectangular plates. Moreover, since the upper and bottom surfaces undergo greater bending, the
X-GPLRC distribution pattern makes better use of GPLs; resulting in more strengthening the total
bending of plate and decreasing the maximum deflection. The influence of increasing the length-to-
thickness ratio of GPL nanofillers on the nonlinear load-deflection equilibrium path is more
prominent for the lower length-to-thickness ratios of GPLs.

Appendix A
Definition: If A is an m-by-n matrix and B is a p-by-q matrix, the Kronecker product A ⊗ B is an
mp-by-nq block matrix and expressed as

 a11B  a1nB 
A ⊗B =    
 
 am1B  amn B  mp×nq

Appendix B
The discretized components of K ij and K nl ( X ) are calculated as follows

K11 = A11I y ⊗ D(x2 ) + A66 D(y2) ⊗ I x , K12 = ( A12 + A66 ) D(y1) ⊗ D(x1) ,

K13 = B11I y ⊗ D(x3) + ( B12 + 2B66 ) D(y2) ⊗ D(x1) ,

K14 = C11I y ⊗ D(x2) + C66 D(y2) ⊗ I x , K15 = ( C12 + C66 ) D(y1) ⊗ D(x1) ,

15
K 21 = ( A12 + A66 ) D(y ) ⊗ D(x ) , K 22 = A22 D (y ) ⊗ I x + A66I y ⊗ D(x ) ,
1 1 2 2

K 23 = ( B12 + 2 B66 ) D(y ) ⊗ D(x ) + B22 D(y ) ⊗ I x , K 24 = ( C12 + C66 ) D (y ) ⊗ D (x ) ,

1 2 3 1 1

K 25 = C22 D(y2 ) ⊗ I x + C66 I y ⊗ D(x2) , K 31 = − B11I y ⊗ D(x3) − ( 2 B66 + B12 ) D(y2) ⊗ D(x1) ,

K 32 = − B22 D(y3) ⊗ I x − ( B12 + 2B66 ) D(y1) ⊗ D(x2) ,

K 33 = A55I y ⊗ D(x2) + A44 D(y2 ) ⊗ I x − D11I y ⊗ D(x4) − 2 ( D12 + 2 D66 ) D(y2) ⊗ D(x2) − D22 D(y4) ⊗ I x ,

K 34 = A55I y ⊗ D(x1) + F11I y ⊗ D(x3) + ( F12 + 2F66 ) D(y2) ⊗ D(x1) ,

K 35 = A44 D(y1) ⊗ I x + ( F12 + 2F66 ) D(y1) ⊗ D(x2) + F22 D(y3) ⊗ I x ,

K 41 = C11I y ⊗ D(x ) + C66 D(y ) ⊗ I x , K 42 = ( C12 + C66 ) D(y ) ⊗ D(x ) ,

2 2 1 1

K 43 = − A55I y ⊗ D(x1) + F11I y ⊗ D(x3) + ( F12 + 2 F66 ) D(y2) ⊗ D(x1) ,

K 44 = H11I y ⊗ D(x2) − A55I y ⊗ I x + H 66 D(y2) ⊗ I x , K 45 = ( H12 + H 66 ) D(y1) ⊗ D(x1) ,

K 51 = ( C12 + C66 ) D(y1) ⊗ D(x1) , K 52 = C22 D(y2) ⊗ I x + C66I y ⊗ D(x2) ,

K 53 = − A44 D(y1) ⊗ I x + ( F12 + 2 F66 ) D(y1) ⊗ D(x2) + F22 D(y3) ⊗ I x ,

K 54 = ( H12 + H 66 ) D(y1) ⊗ D(x1) , K 55 = H 22 D(y2) ⊗ I x + H 66I y ⊗ D(x2) − A44 I y ⊗ I x .

Also, one can express

(( ) ) ((
K u ( X ) = A11 I y ⊗ D(x ) w  I y ⊗ D(x ) w + ( A12 + A66 ) D(y ) ⊗ I x w  D(y ) ⊗ Dx( ) w
1
) ) 2
(( 1
) ) (( 1 1
) )
+ A (( I 66 y ⊗ D( ) ) w )  ( ( I
1
x y ⊗ D( ) ) w ) ,x
2

K ( X) = A (( D (1)
) ) (( ) )
⊗ I x w  D(y ) ⊗ I x w + ( A12 + A66 ) I y ⊗ D(x ) w  D(y ) ⊗ D(x ) w (( ) ) (( ) )
2 1 1 1
v 22 y

+ A ((I 66 y ⊗ D( ) ) w )  ( ( D( ) ⊗ I ) w ) ,
x
2 1
y x

( )( ((
K w ( X ) = I y ⊗ D(x1) N xx  I y ⊗ D(x1) w + D(y1) ⊗ I x N yy  D(y1) ⊗ I x w ) )) ( )( (( ) ))
( (()( ) )) ( ) ( (( ) ))
+ I y ⊗ D(x1) N xy  D(y1) ⊗ I x w + D(y1) ⊗ I x N xy  I y ⊗ D(x1) w

− B ( (( I ⊗ D ) w )  ( ( I ⊗ D ) w ) + ( ( I ⊗ D ) w )  ( ( I ⊗ D ) w ))
11 y
( 2)
x y
( 2)
x y
(1)
x y
( 3)
x

− ( B + 2B ) ((( D ⊗ D ) w )  (( D ⊗ D ) w ) + (( D ⊗ I ) w )  (( D ⊗ D ) w ))
12 66
(1)
y
(1)
x
(1)
y
(1)
x
(1)
y x
(1)
y
( 2)
x

− B (( ( I ⊗ D ) w )  ( ( D ⊗ I ) w ) + ( ( I ⊗ D ) w )  ( ( D ⊗ D ) w ) )
66 y
( 2)
x
( 2)
y x y
(1)
x
( 2)
y
(1)
x

16
− B12 ((( D (1)
y ) ) (( ) ) (( ) ) ((
⊗ D(x1) w  D(y1) ⊗ D(x1) w + I y ⊗ D(x1) w  D(y2) ⊗ D(x1) w ) ))
− B22 ((( D ( )
y
2
⊗ I ) w )  ( ( D( ) ⊗ I ) w ) + ( ( D( ) ⊗ I ) w )  ( ( D( ) ⊗ I ) w ) ) ,
x y
2
x
1
y x y
3
x

(( ) ) (( ) )
K ψ x ( X ) = C11 I y ⊗ D(x ) w  I y ⊗ D(x ) w + ( C12 + C66 ) D(y ) ⊗ I x w  D(y ) ⊗ D(x ) w
1 2
(( 1
) ) (( 1 1
) )
+ C (( I ⊗ D( ) ) w )  ( ( I ⊗ D( ) ) w ) ,
1 2
66 y x y x

K ψy ( X) = C (( D 22
()
1
y ⊗ I ) w )  ( ( D( ) ⊗ I ) w ) + ( C
x y
2
x 12 (( 1
) ) ((
+ C66 ) I y ⊗ D(x ) w  D(y ) ⊗ D(x ) w
1 1
) )
+ C (( I 66 y ⊗ D( ) ) w )  ( ( D( ) ⊗ I ) w ) .
x
2 1
y x

where

 1 
(
N xx = A11  I y ⊗ D(x1) u +
 2
) ((
I y ⊗ D(x1) w  I y ⊗ D(x1) w 

) ) (( ) )
 1 
(
+ A12  D(y1) ⊗ I x v +
 2
) ((
D(y1) ⊗ I x w  D(y1) ⊗ I x w 

) ) (( ) )
(
+C11 I y ⊗ D(x1) ψ x + C12 ) ( D( ) ⊗ I ) ψ + B ( I
1
y x y 11 y ⊗ D( ) ) w + B ( D( ) ⊗ I ) w ,
x
2
22 y
2
x

 1 
(
N yy = A22  D(y1) ⊗ I x v +
 2
) ((
D(y1) ⊗ I x w  D(y1) ⊗ I x w 

) ) (( ) )
 1 
(
+ A12  I y ⊗ D(x1) u +
 2
) ((
I y ⊗ D(x1) w  I y ⊗ D(x1) w 

) ) (( ) )
(
+ C22 D(y1) ⊗ I x ψ y + C12 ) ( I ⊗ D( ) ) ψ + B ( D( ) ⊗ I ) w + B ( I
y x
1
x 22 y
2
x 12 y )
⊗ D(x2) w,

 ( ) ( ) ((
N xy = A66  D(y1) ⊗ I x u + I y ⊗ D(x1) v + I y ⊗ D(x1) w  D(y1) ⊗ I x w 
 ) ) (( ) )
( ) (
+ C66  D(y1) ⊗ I x ψ x + I y ⊗ D(x1) ψ y 
  )
+ B66 (( D( ) ⊗ I ) ψ + ( I
1
y x x y ⊗ D( ) ) ψ + 2 ( D( ) ⊗ D( ) ) w ) .
1
x y
1
y
1
x

where I x and I y are N × N and M × M identity tensors, respectively and  is the Hadamard

product.

17
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List of Captions:
Table 1: Comparison of the nondimensional maximum deflections of FG multilayer GPL-RPC plates
with various GPL weight fractions and GPL distribution patterns under different types of loading

( a / h = b / h = 10, q0 = 1)

Fig. 1: Schematic view of a FG multilayer GPL-RPC rectangular plate subjected to the transverse
static loading
Fig. 2: Schematic view of various GPL distribution patterns
Fig. 3: Nonlinear bending response curves for the aluminum square plate with SSSS and CCCC
boundary conditions obtained by the present approach and by Zhang [46]
Fig. 4: Effect of GPL weight fraction on the nonlinear bending response of FG multilayer GPL-RPC
plates with X-GPLRC distribution pattern and different boundary conditions ( a / h = b / h = 10 )

Fig. 5: Effect of GPL distribution pattern on the nonlinear bending response of FG multilayer GPL-
RPC plates with different boundary conditions ( a / h = b / h = 10, wGPL = 0.8% )

Fig. 6: Effect of length-to-thickness ratio of GPL nanofillers ( aGPL / hGPL ) on the nonlinear bending

response of FG multilayer GPL-RPC plates with X-GPLRC distribution pattern and different
boundary conditions ( a / h = b / h = 10, wGPL = 0.3% )

Fig. 7: Effect of length-to-width ratio of GPL nanofillers ( aGPL / bGPL ) on the nonlinear bending

response of FG multilayer GPL-RPC plates with X-GPLRC distribution pattern and different
boundary conditions ( a / h = b / h = 10, bGPL hGPL = 100, wGPL = 0.3% )

Fig. 8: Comparison of the nonlinear bending response of FG multilayer GPL-RPC plates under
different types of loading ( a / h = b / h = 12, wGPL = 0.3% )

21
 Table(s):

Table 1: Comparison of the nondimensional maximum deflections of FG multilayer GPL-RPC plates

with various GPL weight fractions and GPL distribution patterns under different types of loading

( a / h = b / h = 10, q0 = 1)
Type of GPL Type of
 %
Boundary
distribution loading
conditions 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
pattern
SSSS 1.131 0.9007 0.7625 0.6662 0.5951 0.5331
Sinusoidal
CSCS 0.9888 0.7414 0.602 0.5003 0.4268 0.3723
loading
CCCC 0.8812 0.6308 0.4911 0.3944 0.3299 0.2867
U-GPLRC
SSSS 1.3 1.062 0.9175 0.8166 0.7451 0.6813
Uniform
CSCS 1.175 0.9161 0.7593 0.6512 0.5681 0.502
loading
CCCC 1.056 0.7862 0.6223 0.5145 0.445 0.3864
SSSS 1.131 0.8641 0.709 0.603 0.5301 0.4662
Sinusoidal
CSCS 0.9888 0.6964 0.5358 0.4398 0.3641 0.3164
loading
CCCC 0.8812 0.5776 0.4330 0.3427 0.2854 0.2382
X-GPLRC
SSSS 1.3 1.041 0.8808 0.7705 0.6822 0.6183
Uniform
CSCS 1.175 0.878 0.7013 0.5814 0.4955 0.4355
loading
CCCC 1.056 0.7348 0.5596 0.4573 0.3765 0.3256
SSSS 1.131 0.9293 0.8156 0.7367 0.6679 0.6232
Sinusoidal
CSCS 0.9888 0.796 0.6784 0.5965 0.5346 0.4847
loading
CCCC 0.8812 0.6835 0.5703 0.4987 0.4389 0.3903
O-GPLRC
SSSS 1.3 1.088 0.9575 0.8721 0.8095 0.7551
Uniform
CSCS 1.175 0.9591 0.8288 0.7406 0.6697 0.6154
loading
CCCC 1.056 0.8402 0.7095 0.6258 0.5528 0.4987

22
Figures:


,

 ̅

Fig. 1: Schematic view of a FG multilayer GPL-RPC rectangular plate subjected to the transverse
static loading

23
(a) U-GPLRC (b) O-GPLRC

(c) A-GPLRC (d) X-GPLRC

Fig. 2: Schematic view of various GPL distribution patterns

24
Fig. 3: Nonlinear bending response curves for the aluminum square plate with SSSS and CCCC
boundary conditions obtained by the present approach and by Zhang [46]

25
26
Fig. 4: Effect of GPL weight fraction on the nonlinear bending response of FG multilayer GPL-RPC
plates with X-GPLRC distribution pattern and different boundary conditions ( a / h = b / h = 10 )

27
28
Fig. 5: Effect of GPL distribution pattern on the nonlinear bending response of FG multilayer GPL-
RPC plates with different boundary conditions ( a / h = b / h = 10, wGPL = 0.8% )

29
30
 Fig. 6: Effect of length-to-thickness ratio of GPL nanofillers ( aGPL / hGPL ) on the nonlinear bending

response of FG multilayer GPL-RPC plates with X-GPLRC distribution pattern and different boundary
conditions ( a / h = b / h = 10, wGPL = 0.3% )

31
32
 Fig. 7: Effect of length-to-width ratio of GPL nanofillers ( aGPL / bGPL ) on the nonlinear bending

response of FG multilayer GPL-RPC plates with X-GPLRC distribution pattern and different boundary
conditions ( a / h = b / h = 10, bGPL hGPL = 100, wGPL = 0.3% )

33
Fig. 8: Comparison of the nonlinear bending response of FG multilayer GPL-RPC plates under
different types of loading ( a / h = b / h = 12, wGPL = 0.3% )

34