Effect of foam structure on thermo-mechanical buckling of foam core sandwich nanoplates with layered face plates made of functionally graded material (FGM)

The present investigation involved the modeling and analysis of the thermomechanical buckling behavior of sandwich nanoplates with foam core layers. The study employed the utilization of the new higher order deformation theory and nonlocal strain gradient elasticity theory. The modeling of foam core involves separate consideration of uniform and symmetric open cell foam distribution types, while the face plates are predicted to exhibit FGM and isotropic layers. A total of six sandwich plate types were modeled and analyzed. The thermomechanical buckling behavior of sandwich nanoplates is significantly influenced by the sandwich type, volumetric foam ratio of the core layer, and its distribution along the foam core height, as demonstrated in prior analyses. The study revealed that the incorporation of foam structure resulted in an elevation of the buckling temperature during the thermo-mechanical response of the nanoplate. At low temperatures, the uniform foam model had lesser thermal buckling than the symmetrical foam model. However, this trend changed after reaching ΔT = 350–360 K levels. The study is expected to yield significant insights into the development and application of nanosensors, transducers, and nanoelectro mechanical systems that are designed to operate in high-temperature settings.