Abstract
A novel functionally graded (FG) polymer-based nanocomposite reinforced by graphene nanoplatelets is proposed based on a new distribution law, which is constructed by the error function and contains a gradient index. The variation of the gradient index can result in a continuous variation of the weight fraction of graphene nanoplatelets (GPLs), which forms a sandwich structure with graded mechanical properties. The modified Halpin-Tsai micromechanics model is used to evaluate the effective Young's modulus of the novel functionally graded graphene nanoplatelets reinforced composites (FG-GPLRCs). The bending and elastic vibration behaviors of the novel nanocomposite beams are investigated. An improved third order shear deformation theory (TSDT), which is proven to have a higher accuracy, is implemented to derive the governing equations related to the bending and vibrations. The Chebyshev-Ritz method is applied to describe various boundary conditions of the beams. The bending displacement, stress state, and vibration frequency of the proposed FG polymer-based nanocomposite beams under uniformly distributed loads are provided in detail. The numerical results show that the proposed distributions of GPL nanofillers can lead to a more effective pattern of improving the mechanical properties of GPL-reinforced composites than the common ones.