Postbuckling of functionally graded fiber reinforced composite laminated cylindrical shells, Part II: Numerical results

In this Part, the extensive parametric studies performed are reported and numerical results are presented for the buckling and postbuckling of fiber reinforced polymer matrix and metal matrix composite laminated shells subjected to axial compression or external pressure under different sets of environmental conditions. Two kinds of fiber reinforced composite laminated shells, namely, uniformly distributed (UD) and functionally graded (FG) reinforcements, are considered. The numerical results show that the buckling loads as well as postbuckling strength of the shell can be increased as a result of functionally graded fiber reinforcements. The results reveal that the effect of functionally graded fiber reinforcements on the buckling loads and postbuckling strength of shell with polymer matrix is more pronounced compared to the shell with metal matrix in the case of axial compression. In contrast, in the case of external pressure, the functionally graded fiber reinforcements may have a significant effect on the buckling pressure and postbuckling strength of the shell with metal matrix. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.