Analytical and numerical analysis for the FGM thick sphere under combined pressure and temperature loading

Thermo-mechanical analysis of functionally graded hollow sphere subjected to mechanical loads and one-dimensional steady-state thermal stresses is carried out in this study. The material properties are assumed to vary non-linearly in the radial direction, and the Poisson’s ratio is assumed constant. The temperature distribution is assumed to be a function of radius, with general thermal and mechanical boundary conditions on the inside and outside surfaces of the sphere. In the analysis presented here, the effect of non-homogeneity in FGM thick sphere was implemented by choosing a dimensionless parameter, named βi (i = 1, . . . , 3), which could be assigned an arbitrary value affecting the stresses in the sphere. It is observed that the solution process for βi(i = 3) = −1 are different from those obtained for other values of βi (i = 1, . . . , 3). Cases of pressure, temperature, and combined loadings were considered separately. It is concluded that by changing the value of βi (i = 1 . . . 3), the properties of FGM can be so modified that the lowest stress levels are reached. The present results agree well with existing results. Using FEM simulations, the analytical findings for FGM spheres under the influence of internal pressure and temperature gradient were compared to finite element results.