Buckling analysis of shape memory alloy reinforced composite laminates

The effect of shape memory alloy (SMA) on the buckling behavior of a rectangular composite laminate was investigated by the finite element method. The influence of SMA on buckling of composite laminates by varying the SMA fiber spacing was studied. The formulation of the location-dependent stiffness matrix due to non-homogeneous material properties and the temperature-dependent recovery stress stiffness matrix were derived. The results show that the Active Strain Energy Tuning method is much better than the Active Property Tuning method in improving the buckling performance of the plate. When the SMA fibers are concentrated in the center area of the plate, the buckling load of the plate will be improved significantly. If the stiffness of the SMA layer is lower than other layers, the influence of the SMA on the buckling load of the plate will become subordinate.