article · Journal of Sandwich Structures & Materials
A computational study investigates the bending behaviour of sandwich-curved beams exposed to magnetic fields, thermal loads, and moisture while resting on an elastic foundation. The structural design features an aluminium honeycomb core surrounded by nanocomposite face sheets made from aluminium reinforced with randomly oriented graphene platelets. These face sheets are functionally graded across their thickness by altering the graphene weight fraction across multiple bonded layers. Using a new four-variable curved beam theory that accounts for thickness stretching, shear, and normal deformations, four governing differential equations are formulated. The differential quadrature method is applied to solve these equations across various boundary conditions, with results validated against Navier solutions. The analysis assesses how geometric shapes, core thickness, boundary settings, magnetic factors, environmental conditions, and graphene content influence internal stresses and mechanical displacements within the curved beam structure.
Understanding how advanced composite materials deform under harsh environmental conditions, such as heat, humidity, and magnetic exposure, is vital for designing durable structural components. This analytical model provides accurate predictions of how lightweight, graphene-reinforced sandwich structures with honeycomb cores behave under complex external forces, helping researchers assess the structural resilience of modern composite architectures.
This study represents early-stage numerical and theoretical modelling for advanced structural analysis. The framework could assist engineering software developers and structural engineers designing lightweight, high-strength curved components exposed to extreme thermal, humid, or electromagnetic environments. However, because the work focuses entirely on mathematical formulation and numerical verification, physical prototyping and experimental testing remain necessary steps before any practical commercial deployment can occur.
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Based on the differential quadrature method (DQM), the bending of sandwich-curved beams with graphene platelets/aluminum (GPLs/Al) nanocomposite face sheets and aluminum honeycomb core is investigated using a new shear and normal deformations curved beam theory. The present new model is resting on elastic foundation and subjected to a circumferential magnetic field, thermal load, and humid conditions. The face sheets are made of several bonded composite layers with randomly oriented and uniformly distributed graphene platelets in each layer. The mechanical and hygrothermal properties of the faces are assumed to be functionally graded (FG) using a piece-wise law by varying the weight fraction of the GPLs in the face thickness direction. Four governing differential equations are derived based on a novel four-variable curved beam theory taking into account the thickness stretching effect. The governing equations are solved for various boundary conditions on the basis of the DQM. The displacements presented by the DQM are compared with those obtained by Navier solution. Impacts of various parameters such as geometric shape parameters, magnetic parameter, temperature, moisture, elastic foundation parameters, core thickness, boundary conditions, and graphene weight fraction on the displacements and stresses of the functionally graded graphene/aluminum sandwich-curved beams are illustrated.
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DOI: 10.1177/1099636219900668
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