Buckling analysis of piezoelectric cylindrical composite panels reinforced with carbon nanotubes

• This article analyses the buckling response of piezoelectric cylindrical composite panels reinforced with carbon nano-tubes subjected to axial load.
• The effects of such parameters as volume fraction of nano-tube, geometrical characteristics as well as two loading types of axial and biaxial on buckling load of the composite panel are investigated.
• The results were compared with those already available in the existed literature using different shell theories for cylindrical panels and a very good agreement was observed.

The current article analyses the buckling response of piezoelectric cylindrical composite panels reinforced with carbon nano-tubes subjected to axial load. Classical laminated plate theory (CLPT) is employed to reach stress and displacement correlations embracing mechanical and magnetic terms. Stress–strain equations for piezoelectric cylindrical panels reinforced with carbon nanotubes are then written by using Mori–Tanaka method. The coupled electro-mechanical governing equations, Donnell theory as well as minimum potential energy method are thereafter utilized to calculate buckling loads and modes. The effects of such parameters as volume fraction of nano-tube, geometrical characteristics as well as two loading types of axial and biaxial on buckling load of the composite panel are investigated. The results show that increasing the volume fraction of nano-tube eventuates in increasing the buckling load. The results were compared with those already available in the existed literature using different shell theories for isotropic and composite cylindrical panels and a very good agreement was observed.