Predicting bucking and vibration behaviors of functionally graded carbon nanotube reinforced composite cylindrical panels with three-dimensional flexibilities

A full understanding of the mechanical behaviors of a three-dimensional (3D) functionally graded carbon nano-tube reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) cylindrical panel is important for structural design of engineering composite components. In this paper, the buckling and free vibration studies of FG-CNTRC cylindrical panel with different patterns of CNT distribution are investigated using the three-dimensional theory of elasticity. The cylindrical panels are subjected to axial and circumferential initial stresses, which frequently occur in real engineer structures. The state space technique along the radial direction and the Fourier series expansion along the in-plane coordinate (are) employed to formulate the problem and solve it analytically. A parametric study is carried out to examine the effects of the CNT distribution pattern, CNT volume fraction, length to mid radius ratio, and mid radius to thickness ratio on the buckling and vibration behaviors of FG-CNTRC cylindrical panels. Some interesting findings are observed, which may help design the CNTRC cylindrical panel structures. Besides, the presented studies may serve as benchmarks for researchers to check the validity of their future research works.