Elastic analysis of FGM rotating thick truncated conical shells with axially-varying properties under non-uniform pressure loading

Using first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) and multilayer method (MLM), a semi-analytical solution has been performed for the purpose of elastic analysis of rotating thick truncated conical shells made of functionally graded materials (FGMs) under non-uniform pressure. Material properties of cone are assumed to change along the axial direction according to a power law form. It is also assumed that the Poisson's ratio is constant. In the multilayer method, the functionally graded (FG) truncated cone is divided into n homogenous disks, and n sets of differential equations are given. This set of equations is solved by applying the boundary conditions and continuity conditions between the layers. The problem is also solved, using the finite element method (FEM), the results of which are compared with those of the MLM method. Finally, some numerical results are presented to study the effects of applied pressure, non-homogeneity index, and power law index of FGM on the mechanical behavior of the truncated conical shells. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.