Ricerc@Sapienza

In this paper, we study buckling of radially FGM circular plates. In a previous study, a fourth-order polynomial expressing the exact solution of a linear elastic problem was used as buckling mode shape. To generalise such investigation, in this contribution the buckling mode is postulated to take the shape of a fifth-order polynomial function of the radial coordinate. The flexural rigidity is consequently sought as a polynomial of suitable order, expressing the functional grading. New solutions in closed form are then obtained by a semi-inverse method.

This short note considers thin circular plates, functionally graded in both axial and transverse directions and loaded in compression on the middle plane by a uniform axisymmetric load. The functional grading is based on recent literature on the subject and we deal with a direct problem for buckling, i.e., given the geometry of the plate and its constitutive properties, the critical load multiplier and the buckling mode are determined by a usual non-triviality condition.