Enhancement of Structural Strength and Stiffness of Laminated Composites Bonded with Smart Material (SMA: Shape Memory Alloy) - A Simulation Study

Abstract

This study extensively investigates using shape memory alloys (SMAs) as reinforcements in laminated composites to enhance structural stability and stiffness. The research utilizes ABAQUS simulation software considering the inbuilt first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) to model the parent composite structure behavior. Further, to enhance the basic properties of laminates envisaged by introducing foreign functional material (SMA) under variable thermo-mechanical loading. The study includes a few validations tests to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the simulation study. The outcomes reveal that integrating SMAs into these structures significantly improves the natural frequency responses under thermal loadings resulting in enhanced composite structural stiffness. This is because of the alternating structural stiffness of SMA under variable thermal loading due to twinning and detwinning behavior in a solid-state phase transformation. Some of the additional examples are presented to demonstrate the proposed approach's versatility and efficacy. In general, this research contributes to understanding smart material integration in laminated composites and offers a robust numerical framework for structural stiffness in diverse applications