▎ 摘　　要

Outstanding mechanical properties of graphene tend to deteriorate as its size increases as a consequence of agglomeration in metal matrix composites. In the present work, a post-process designing technique based on surface modification method is proposed which incorporates micro-level properties of graphene in order to realize its high theoretical strength and stiffness to improve mechanical properties of existing metal/alloy/metal matrix composite structures, hence enhancing their stiffness-to-weight ratio. The design utilizes laser surface texturing (LST) technique to fabricate micro-sized dimples on each surface and interface of plate structures. Graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) are confined within these micro-dimples to form a graphene-based metal matrix composite. For numerical analysis under static loading and boundary conditions, two novel models are proposed, with different texture depths formed on each of five metal (Ti, Al, Cu, Ni and Mg) plate substrates. The elastic properties of both composite models have been modeled by employing Halpin-Tsai micromechanics framework. The linear 3D theory of elasticity is used as the basis of forming governing differential equations, and they are solved using scaled boundary finite element method (SBFEM). Stress and strain behaviors for all the models as well as substrate plates are discussed in detail, and obtained results in present study are consistent with already available analytical results. Furthermore, a remarkable enhancement in specific-stiffness is seen for proposed models as compared to the pure metal counterparts. The percentage decrement of maximum in-plane strain between pure Mg plate and Mg + GNPs (3.92 vol%) plate is 41.22%, and that between pure Ni plate and Ni + GNPs (3.92 vol%) plate is 7.40%. For both the models, about 97.94% of the top and bottom surface areas are covered with graphene making the composites highly corrosion resistant.