Arbitrary temperature gradient in thermal-postbuckling behavior of polymer nanocomposites reinforced by boron nitride nanotubes

Polymer nanocomposites reinforced by boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) have great potential for use in a wide variety of thermal environments. A closed-form solution for nonlinear bending and thermal-postbuckling behavior of BNNT-reinforced nanocomposite beams under arbitrary temperature gradient in the thickness and length directions is presented for the first time. The uniform and functionally graded (FG) distributions of BNNTs through the thickness of macro-or micro-sized beams are considered. For constant temperature or constant heat flux conditions at two ends of the beam, thermal analysis is carried out to obtain temperature field ΔTx,z using the two-dimensional heat conduction equation and the assumption of arbitrary variation in the z direction. The governing equations of modified couple stress Timoshenko beam theory with von Kármán geometric nonlinearity are derived for BNNT-RC beams subjected to thermomechanical loads. Applying change of variable technique, the governing equations are exactly solved to develop closed-form expression for nonlinear transverse deflection. Finally, parametric study is performed to investigate the effects of length scale parameter, aspect ratio (L/h), distribution of BNNTs, and temperature gradient on the nonlinear bending and postbuckling equilibrium paths. It is shown that the thermal-buckling behavior of clamped and cantilever beams is completely different. Under thermomechanical loading, an initial snap-through buckling behavior is observed in the cantilever beam, while there exist both stable and unstable configurations in the static equilibrium path of clamped beam. Moreover, it is found that the assumption of parabolic variation of temperature through thickness is not compatible with real situations, since the temperature field is obtained as harmonic functions with very short wavelengths in the length direction. •The effect of arbitrary temperature gradient on nonlinear bending and thermal-postbuckling behavior of BNNT-reinforced nanocomposite beams is investigated.•The closed-form solution of thermomechanical equilibrium paths is developed by applying change of variable technique.•Thermal analysis is presented to obtain temperature distribution ΔT(x,z) based on the two-dimensional heat conduction equation.•For clamped beams under thermomechanical loading, both stable and unstable paths may be occurred in the wmax/h−q0 curves.•For cantilever BNNT-RC beams under thermal loading, a slope change in static equilibri