Hygrothermal Effects on Dynamic Instability of Hybrid Composite Plates

The dynamic characteristics of hybrid composite plates under an arbitrary periodic load in hygrothermal environments are investigated. The material properties of the plate are assumed to be dependent on the temperature and moisture. The governing equations of motion of the Mathieu-type are established based on the Galerkin method with reduced eigenfunction transforms. The periodic stress is taken to be a combination of the pulsating axial and bending stress in the example problems. Based on Bolotin’s method, the dynamic instability behaviors of hybrid composite plates are determined. The effects of layer thickness ratio, fiber volume fraction, temperature rise, moisture concentration and dynamic load on the instability regions of hybrid composite plates are studied, along with the dynamic instability index discussed. The results reveal that the layer thickness ratio and hygrothermal conditions have a significant impact on the dynamic instability of hybrid composite plates.