Nonlinear structural stability performance of pressurized thin-walled FGM arches under temperature variation field

This paper focuses on the elastic structural stability analysis of the pressurized thin-walled functionally graded material (FGM) arches under temperature variation field. The material properties are temperature-dependent and thermo-elastic. The total potential energy function of the pinned-pinned arch was expressed explicitly by employing the classical thin-walled arch theories and admissible radial displacement functions. By means of the variational principle, the expressions of the critical buckling pressure were obtained analytically and verified numerically by developing a two-dimensional (2D) simulated model. The pre- and post-buckling equilibrium paths were depicted to explore the maximum pressure (buckling pressure). The comparison showed that the numerical results were in excellent agreement with the analytical solutions for different subtended angles, volume fraction exponents and temperature variations. In the end, the effects of volume fraction exponent and temperature variation were examined on the critical buckling pressure, the bending moment, the hoop force, the hoop strain and stress, the hoop and radial displacement components through the whole arch.