Thermal Buckling and Postbuckling Responses of the Hybrid-Honeycomb Sandwich Plates with Tunable Properties

This study delves into buckling and postbuckling behaviors of the hybrid-honeycomb sandwich plates subjected to thermal load. The material model of the hybrid-honeycomb sandwich plate integrates molecular dynamics (MD) results for the temperature-dependent carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (CNTRC) with the effective properties of the hybrid-honeycomb structure. Using the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) and the von-Kármán type geometric nonlinearity, the nonlinear thermal buckling governing equations are derived. These equations are solved via the two-step perturbation approach coupled with the iterative technique to determine critical buckling temperatures and postbuckling equilibrium paths. The investigation on the tunable hybrid-honeycomb structure is carried out to determine the regions of the negative Poisson’s ratio (NPR) and negative thermal expansion coefficient (NTEC). The comprehensive parametric analysis is then presented, focusing on the thermal buckling and postbuckling performances of the hybrid-honeycomb sandwich plate with the core exhibiting auxeticity and NTE.