Accurate symplectic space solutions for thermal buckling of functionally graded cylindrical shells

This paper derives new analytical solutions for thermal bifurcation buckling of cylindrical shells made of functionally graded materials (FGMs) with temperature-dependent material properties. The Donnell's shell theory is adopted and a symplectic solution methodology is established through the Hamiltonian variational principle. The fundamental buckling problem is then converted into the solving for the symplectic eigenvalues and eigenvectors. The solutions reveal that boundary conditions and temperature-dependent FGM properties have significant influence on thermal buckling behavior. It is also concluded that temperature field conditions cannot be neglected for FGCSs being rich in thermal sensitive compositions. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.