Nonlinear torsional buckling and postbuckling of eccentrically stiffened FGM cylindrical shells in thermal environment

The main aim of this paper is to investigate the nonlinear buckling and post-buckling of functionally graded stiffened thin circular cylindrical shells surrounded by elastic foundations in thermal environments and under torsional load by analytical approach. Shells are reinforced by closely spaced rings and stringers in which material properties of shell and the stiffeners are assumed to be continuously graded in the thickness direction. The elastic medium is assumed as two-parameter elastic foundation model proposed by Pasternak. Based on the classical shell theory with von Karman geometrical nonlinearity and smeared stiffeners technique, the governing equations are derived. Using Galerkin method with three-term solution of deflection, the closed form to find critical torsional load and post-buckling load-deflection curves are obtained. The effects of temperature, stiffener, foundation, material and dimensional parameters are analyzed. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.