Effect of temperature and moisture on free vibration characteristics of skew laminated hybrid composite and sandwich plates

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the effect of variation in temperature and moisture concentration on free vibration response of skew laminated hybrid composite and sandwich plates. The coupled thermo-elastic and hygro-elastic finite element model is formulated using the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT). Uniform temperature and moisture concentration rise is considered for the analysis. Soft-core viscoelastic materials are considered for the sandwich plates and are modeled using the complex modulus approach. Linear strain-displacement relations are used to develop a mechanical stiffness matrix, and the initial stress stiffness matrix is generated using non-linear strain-displacement relations to represent the non-mechanical stiffness matrix. Numerical examples for the generated finite element model are presented and discussed comprehensively to understand the effect of temperature, moisture concentration, skew angle, length to width ratio, length to thickness ratio, and boundary conditions on the vibration response of the laminated hybrid composite and sandwich plates. Further investigation is devoted to studying the influence of temperature and moisture concentration-dependent material properties, stacking sequence, core to face sheet thickness ratio, and fiber orientation on vibration behavioral response of sandwich and hybrid composite plates. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd