Thermal Buckling, Vibration and Flutter of Composite Laminates Containing Two Non-uniformly Distributed Fibers

Abstract

This study presents the first thermal buckling, vibration and flutter analyses of composite laminates with two different non-uniformly distributed fibers in a single lamina. The formulation of the location dependent stiffness matrix, geometric stiffness matrix and mass matrix due to nonhomogeneous material properties is derived. The effects of hybrid fibers distribution on the critical buckling temperature, natural frequencies and flutter boundary of composite laminates are discussed using the finite element method. The numerical results reveal that fiber redistribution can efficiently increase the critical buckling temperature, natural frequencies and flutter boundary. It is feasible to increase structural strength and reduce cost by the use of two different fibers in a single lamina of composite laminate.