Thermal buckling analysis of thin-walled closed section FG beam-type structures

In this paper, thermal buckling analysis of thin-walled, functionally graded (FG) beam-type structures with closed cross-sections and various boundary conditions is investigated. One dimensional finite element model, based on Euler-Bernoulli-Vlasov theory, is employed under the assumptions of large rotations and small strains. Two cases of temperature rise across the thickness of the cross-section walls are considered, which are uniform and linear. Stability analysis has been performed in eigenvalue manner and in load-deflection manner using Newton-Raphson method. Numerical results for thin-walled box beams and trapezoidal beams for two different FG materials configurations are presented to investigate the effects of temperature distribution, boundary conditions, and material properties on the critical buckling temperature and global buckling behaviour. The accuracy and reliability of the beam model is verified by comparing it with several benchmark examples. Good agreement was observed, showing possibility of further application of the proposed model which requires reduced computational time and provides greater modelling flexibility compared to commercial codes.