Analysis and Advancements in Automotive Design with FRP Novel nanocomposite: Analyzing the Buckling and Post-Buckling Performance of Nanocomposite Panels with Functional Cutouts

The automotive industry's drive toward light weighting increasingly relies on fiber-reinforced polymer composites; however, the necessary inclusion of functional cutouts for wiring, mounting, and access compromises structural stability by inducing localized buckling under compressive loads. This study comprehensively examines how carbon nanotube reinforcement mitigates this vulnerability. Glass fiber/epoxy composite plates with a central circular cutout were fabricated via hand lay-up, incorporating Multi-Walled Carbon NanoTubes (MWCNTs) at ۰.۳, ۰.۵, and ۱.۰ weight percentages. Quasi-static axial compression testing revealed that CNT addition systematically enhances mechanical performance: the compressive modulus increased by ۱۱.۹%, ۲۲.۵%, and ۲۷.۵%, while the critical buckling load improved by ۹.۵%, ۱۵.۶%, and ۲۴.۷% for the ۰.۳, ۰.۵, and ۱.۰ wt.% CNT specimens, respectively, compared to the unreinforced baseline. Notably, the ۱.۰ wt.% CNT plates sustained a buckling load of ۲۴۸۸.۶۷ N, demonstrating a significant recovery of strength lost due to the cutout. The nanocomposites exhibited a more stable and ductile post-buckling response, with an extended load plateau indicative of superior damage tolerance and energy absorption, is critical for automotive crashworthiness. Microstructural analysis through SEM and TEM confirmed that uniformly dispersed CNTs enhanced fiber-matrix adhesion and promoted complex fracture paths, reducing brittle failure. Analytically, a semi-energy finite strip method, grounded in first-order shear deformation theory and von Kármán nonlinearity, was developed and validated, accurately predicting the full nonlinear load-displacement response. These integrated findings provide a robust material-and-analysis framework for designing next-generation automotive components, such as door intrusion beams, pillar reinforcements, and electric vehicle battery enclosures, where weight reduction must not compromise safety or integrity, enabling wider adoption of advanced nanocomposites in vehicle architectures.

کلیدواژه ها:

Automotive lightweight composites ، Carbon nanotube reinforcement ، Buckling stability ، Semi-energy finite strip analysis ، Nanocomposite failure mechanisms.