Dynamic response of functionally gradient austenitic-ferritic steel composite panels under thermo-mechanical loadings

In this paper, the dynamic response of functionally gradient steel (FGS) composite cylindrical panels in steady-state thermal environments subjected to impulsive loads is investigated for the first time. FGSs composed of graded ferritic and austenitic regions together with bainite and martensite intermediate layers are analyzed. Thermo-mechanical material properties of FGS composites are predicted according to the microhardness profile of FGS composites and approximated with appropriate functions. Based on the three-dimensional theory of thermo-elasticity, the governing equations of motionare derived in spatial and time domains. These equations are solved using the hybrid Fourier series expansion-Galerkin finite element method-Newmark approach for simply supported boundary conditions. The present solution is then applied to the thermo-elastic dynamic analysis of cylindrical panels with three different arrangements of material compositions of FGSs including alpha beta gamma M gamma, alpha beta gamma beta alpha and gamma beta alpha beta gamma composites. Benchmark results on the displacement and stress time-histories of FGS cylindrical panels in thermal environments under various pulse loads are presented and discussed in detail. Due to the absence of similar results in the specialized literature, this paper is likely to fill a gap in the state of the art of this problem, and provide pertinent results that are instrumental in the design of FGS structures under time-dependent mechanical loadings.