Nonlinear bending and postbuckling of FGM cylindrical panels subjected to combined loadings and resting on elastic foundations in thermal environments

A nonlinear analysis is presented for FGM cylindrical panels resting on elastic foundations subjected to the combined actions of uniform lateral pressure and compressive edge loads in thermal environments. The two cases of postbuckling of initially pressurized FGM cylindrical panels and of nonlinear bending of initially compressed cylindrical panels are considered. Heat conduction and temperature-dependent material properties are both taken into account. Material properties of functionally graded materials (FGMs) are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction based on Mori-Tanaka micromechanics model. The formulations are based on a higher order shear deformation theory and von Karman strain displacement relationships. The panel-foundation interaction and thermal effects are also included. The governing equations are solved by a singular perturbation technique along with a two-step perturbation approach. The numerical illustrations concern the postbuckling behavior and the nonlinear bending response of FGM cylindrical panels with two constituent materials resting on Pasternak elastic foundations. The effects of volume fraction index, temperature variation, foundation stiffness as well as initial stress on the postbuckling behavior and the nonlinear bending response of FGM cylindrical panels are discussed in detail. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.