Analytical and numerical investigation of free vibration of nanoparticle-reinforced composite cylindrical shells

This study focuses on the characterization of free vibration of composite shell structures strengthened by different volume fractions of nanoparticles analytically and numerically. Using simply supported boundary conditions, the governing differential equation of motion for the shell was formulated based on the DonnellMushtari-Vlasov (DMV) shell theory. For different design parameters, the natural frequency was investigated by employing the Orthogonality method. Four different layers of material, namely Perlon, Carbon, Kevlar, and Kenaf, of thickness 30 mm, were made. Nanoparticles Alumina (Al2O3) and Silica (SiO2) were chosen and mixed in varying volume fractions (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, and 2.5%) for the sample fabrication. Two types of samples, A and B, were created based on the arrangement of layers. The tensile tests were performed on the fabricated specimens to identify the longitudinal Young’s modulus of specimens. The two groups that consist of different layers of materials were made and named as group A and group B. The results indicate an increase in Young’s modulus of 33.9% increase for nano Al2O3 and a 42.25% increase for nano SiO2 at a volume fraction of 2.5% for group A, while for group B, the enhancement was 37.96% and 47.39% for Al2O3 and SiO2 nanoparticles, respectively. The results indicate that as the volume fraction of nanomaterial is increased, the natural frequency increases. The experimental results are used to validate both analytical and numerical solution conducted by the finite element method (FEM) under various loading conditions. The maximum difference between the analytical and numerical prediction of the natural frequency results was within 5%.