Postbuckling of functionally graded cylindrical shells based on improved donnell equations

Abstract

This paper presents an analitycal approach to investigate the budding and postbuckling of functionally graded cylindrical shells subjected to axial and transverse mechanical loads incorporating the effects of temprature. Material properties are assumed to be temperature independent, and graded in the thickness direction according to a simple power law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of constituents Equilibrium equations for perfect cylindrical shells are derived by using improved Donnell shell theory taking into account geometrical nonlincarity One-lerm approximate solution is assumed lo satisfy simply supported boundory conditions and closed-form expressions of buckling loads and load-deflection curves are delennined by Galerkin method Analysis shows the effects of material and the geometric parameters, buckling mode, pre-existent axial compressive and thermal loads on the nonlinear response of the shells.