Vibroacoustic Behaviour of Laminated Composite Structure under Hygrothermal Environment

Abstract

newlineRecent research on vibroacoustic radiation in multilayered composite structures has developed various numerical and analytical methods, though studies focusing on curved structures and hygrothermal environments remain limited. The present study numerically investigates the sound radiation responses of multilayered composite panels with varying geometries (flat, cylindrical, spherical, elliptical, hyperbolic) under harmonic mechanical excitation in a hygrothermal environment. A micromechanical finite element (FE) approach, using higher- order mid-plane kinematics and through-thickness stretching, is employed alongside the Indirect Boundary Element Method (IBEM). The proposed HFEM-IBEM models (HFEM- IBEM-I and HFEM-IBEM-II) uniquely incorporate effective material properties under combined hygrothermal loading, and a MATLAB-based code is developed for free vibration and vibroacoustic analysis. The effectiveness of the models is tested by converging it with similar analytical/numerical results for ambient, thermal as well as coupled hygrothermal cases. A simulation model implemented via commercial FE (Abaqus) and BE (SIMCENTER 3D academic bundle LMS Virtual.Lab) package is developed, tested, and subsequently utilized for convergence test, validation, and critical comparison of the responses obtained using the proposed HOSDST-based FE-BE approach. The present numerical solutions are also compared with the lab-scale experimentally acquired data for ambient conditions. The present scheme is further hold out for solving diverse numerical illustrations. The results revealed the relevance of the current HFEM-IBEM micromechanical models in the realistic estimation of hygrothermoacoustic responses. The study concludes that hygrothermal loads, combined with geometrical parameters, fiber volume, layup, and support conditions, significantly influence vibroacoustic properties, leading to recommendations for controlling sound radiation in multilayered composite structures in harsh environments.