Thermo-mechanical post-buckling of FGM cylindrical panels with temperature-dependent properties

This paper presents thermo-mechanical post-buckling analysis of cylindrical panels that are made of functionally graded materials (FGMs) with temperature-dependent thermo-elastic properties that are graded in the direction of thickness according to a simple power law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. The panel is initially stressed by an axial load, and is then subjected to a uniform temperature change. The theoretical formulations are based on the classical shell theory with von-Karman-Donnell-type nonlinearity. The effect of initial geometric imperfection is also included. A differential quadrature (DQ) based semi-analytical method combined with an iteration process is employed to predict the critical buckling load (where it is applicable) and to trace the post-buckling equilibrium path of FGM cylindrical panels under thermo-mechanical loading. Numerical results are presented for panels with silicon nitride and nickel as the ceramic and metal constituents. The effects of temperature-dependent properties, volume fraction index, axial load, initial imperfection, panel geometry and boundary conditions on the thermo-mechanical post-buckling behavior are evaluated in detail through parametric studies.