Thermal and mechanical stability of functionally graded carbon nanotubes (FG CNT)-reinforced composite truncated conical shells surrounded by the elastic foundations

The thermal and mechanical stability of a functionally graded composite truncated conical shell reinforced by carbon nanotube fibers and surrounded by the elastic foundations are studied in this paper. Distribution of reinforcements across the shell thickness is assumed to be uniform or functionally graded. The equilibrium and linearized stability equations for the shells are derived based on the classical shell theory. Using Galerkin method, the closed - form expression for determining the linear thermal and mechanical buckling load is obtained. The paper also analyzed and discussed the effects of semi-vertex angle, shell length, volume fraction of fibers, distribution pattern of fibers, temperature, elastic foundations on the linear thermal and mechanical buckling loads of the functionally graded carbon nanotube fibers-reinforced composite (FG CNTRC) truncated conical shell in thermal environment.