The free vibration and low-velocity impact response of a cylindrical sandwich panel with a porous core and nanocomposite face sheets

This paper deals with the free vibration and low-velocity impact response analyses of a cylindrical sandwich panel. The core of the panel is a functionally graded (FG) porous material which is integrated with nanocomposite face sheets. The nanocomposite face sheets are fabricated from a polymeric matrix enriched with nanofillers such as graphene oxide powders (GOPs), graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), or carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The sandwich panel is modeled based on Murakami’s zig-zag theory, and the mechanical properties of the face sheets are determined utilizing the rule of mixture and the Halpin-Tsai model. Hamilton’s principle is utilized to derive the set of governing equations and boundary conditions, and an analytical solution is presented using the Navier method. The effects of several parameters on the natural frequencies and low-velocity impact response characteristics of the panel are investigated.