Temperature-dependent nonlocal instability of hybrid FGM exponential shear deformable nanoshells including imperfection sensitivity

Herein, by using a refined exponential shear deformation shell theory in conjunction with non-classical Eringen's nonlocal elasticity theory, the size-dependent buckling and postbuckling responses of hybrid functionally graded nanoshells integrated with surface-bonded piezoelectric nanolayers are studied in the presence of initial geometric imperfection. In order to eliminate the stretching-bending coupling terms coming from the inhomogeneous properties of the substrate made of functionally graded material (FGM), the physical neutral plane is considered as the reference surface. The hybrid FGM nanoshells are assumed to be subjected to combination of axial compressive load, lateral electric field and through-thickness temperature variation. With the aid of polynomial series, the distribution of temperature along thickness of hybrid FGM nanoshells is determined. A perturbation-based boundary layer-type solution methodology is employed to achieve explicit expressions for nonlocal equilibrium paths of hybrid FGM exponential shear deformable nanoshells. It is depicted that in comparison with the local shell model, the influences of heat conduction and lateral electric field on the axial instability characteristics of nonlocal nanoshell are more significant.