Post buckling analysis of the shape memory polymer composite laminate bonded with alloy film

As a new kind of smart materials, shape memory polymer composites (SMPCs) are being used in large in-space deployable structures. However, the recovery force of pure SMPC laminate is very weak. In order to increase the recovery force of a SMPC laminate, an alloy film was bonded on the surface of the laminate. This paper describes the post bulking behavior of the alloy film reinforced SMPC laminate. The energy term associate with this in-plane post buckling have been given. Based on the theorems of minimum energy, a mathematical model is derived to describe the relation between the strain energy and the material and geometry parameters of the alloy film reinforced SMPC laminate. The finite element model (FEM) is also conducted to demonstrate the validity of the theoretical method. The relation between the recovery force and the material geometry parameters were also investigated. The presented analysis shows great potential in the engineering application such as deployment of space structures. Crown Copyright (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.