In this paper, the free and forced vibrations of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite beams are studied using Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. The effective properties of the composite material are estimated using the Mori-Tanaka homogenization technique. Two beam models are considered, the single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) beams with uniformly aligned carbon nanotubes and beams with randomly oriented carbon nanotubes. A MATLAB code is developed to analyze the dynamic response of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite beams subjected to harmonic loading, considering different boundary conditions. The originality of this work lies in the comparative analysis between beams reinforced with aligned and randomly oriented CNTs, under harmonic excitations, which has not been widely addressed in the literature Particular attention is paid to the effect of the carbon nanotube distribution ratio on the natural frequencies and vibration performance. Results indicate that the incorporation of oriented CNTs markedly boosts the stiffness and vibration resistance of the beam. Notably, strategic CNTs alignment leads to higher natural frequencies and reduced displacement.
Khaldi et al. (2025) studied this question.